It can be tough to spend most of your time alone, and that's
coming from someone who is very introverted.
I've been starting to kind of find my new routines in all of this weirdness - uh -
and I thought that I'd check in with you guys and share a little bit,
and maybe someone will get something out of this.
I figured out that structuring my time into these four categories,
and really focusing on those four categories and that's it,
has helped my mental state and helped me feel productive,
and at the same time, allowed me enough time to process and relax a bit.
I just moved into a new apartment at the beginning of August,
and it's still in a state of flux.
I haven't quite arranged everything yet, but I'm really enjoying it so far.
It's so much more cozy and quiet than where I was stuck before,
and the neighborhood is much prettier and a thousand times more walkable.
I was fine with my last place while I was working in the office full time,
but now that I'm working remotely, my needs for my
living environment have definitely evolved.
For example, I now officially have a standing desk,
rather than just sitting at my kitchen table.
One thing that I have found to be extremely instrumental in
keeping my mental health strong is getting outside first thing in the morning.
Well, first I actually wash my face and brush my teeth, but
then I go outside to move around a bit.
I honestly don't push myself too hard - I just try to get outside
and stay outside for about 40 minutes.
I've been using the Sweat app a few days a week for body weight exercises,
and i've just been going for walks the other days.
After that, I take a cold shower, eat some hot breakfast, and get started with drawing.
Nietzsche said that if you find purpose in your suffering,
you can tolerate the pain that comes with it.
Right now, I'm trying to learn how to draw realistic humans and cartoon humans.
I want to get really good at it and have the anatomy burned into my brain.
I want to be one of those people who can make it look really easy,
and it's probably going to take me like 10 years to get to that point,
but starting with just an hour a day is the only way I'll ever get there.
Growing in a skill is also a great way to recognize the time that's passing.
This mental retention of time can be especially important and
helpful for someone who lives alone.
Trying to focus on decreasing loneliness would just make me anxious,
so instead I try to focus on increasing my sense of purpose.
And tracking something helps you to feel like the time isn't just slipping away from you.
Some people use this tracking time to take part in a community project
or some kind of network - make it a social thing.
I don't really have a nighttime routine at all, but I definitely do go from
creating more in the daytime hours and then consuming more at the evening.
Taking in stories and escaping through TV, movies, music, all of that
is definitely a stress-reliever for me, but without the three prior steps,
the relaxation step just feels like procrastination or avoidance,
rather than a reward for a successful day.
Lately, I've been trying to seek out comic books that have been made
into TV shows or movies, and I've been doing the whole
"read the book and then watch the movie" thing.
If you're in the same boat as me, and you're trying to navigate your newfound aloneness,
or even if you're isolated with a very few number of people,
my suggestion would be to try to come up with some loose daily routines to
add some shape and structure to your day, so that you can feel like time is passing.
And if you do find yourself starting to feel lonely, well then,
the internet is the greatest place to find other people who feel the same way as you.
Even when we're alone, we're not really.
'til next time!
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