Hello. So I haven't left my house in
five or six days.
I have been kind of rationing the food that I have
I've been in class every day and just doing work.
I'm going a little bit crazy, but I'm okay.
But today I have dragged myself into some actually nice clothes.
I've put on a little bit of makeup for the first time in who knows how long.
And although I've been inside, my mental health has been
genuinely good because I have meditated every day for 20 to 30 minutes.
I do exercise on my balcony for around 45 minutes a day.
I've put so much intentionality into this.
Okay, my mind, my head, that I'm okay. I'm all right.
Let's be honest. The sun sets here at about 3:00 PM.
I've not really got much
daylight like that, but I thought I might as well take you with me and
we can just have a cute little
self date in nature.
I was also having a conversation with a friend the other day all about
who gets to define your happiness and when you make effort, and how so often
we only make effort in our appearance, in what we're doing that day for other
people, whether it's for externally set deadlines or meeting up with someone or
fear or insecurity about how you look driven by what other people are thinking.
I don't know about you, but lockdown and quarantine really removes that, which
means it can be really easy to just...
I don't know, but bliss it away because there's no externally set anything.
So this is just a reminder that you can look cute for you
and put in the effort for you.
I am dressed as though it's summer, which it's really not.
It's really not. According to Google, it's
5 degrees and the sun is going to set in half an hour.
So let's put a jumper on, let's put a nice thick coat on,
and let's enjoy half an hour of sunlight.
Let's Go.
Anybody else?
Relationships are fun. Love is great. Friendships, all of it.
Thanks, I love it, but if you don't have the relationship with yourself,
the other stuff isn't worth it.
Hey, let's get out of the house.
[music playing]
Constant work with my hair.
Look how big it is.
[music playing]
Noo.
Let's leave.
Mask on the whole time. We climbing a natural space but you know what?
my head is not good right now.
[music playing]
My beloved bike.
[music playing]
Look at that.
[music playing]
I swear I can tell you how beautiful, fresh air feels right now.
Kind of nice because today, and even though it's 5 degrees, the sky is blue.
I think what they don't really teach is, a blue sky doesn't it's warm
[music playing]
I don't feel like I need to say any of it.
[music playing]
Firstly, I feel like a child again because this place is full of Concords.
I don't know if you've ever played with concords as kids
but you do this thing I'm going to demonstrate, you fight them.
The first person's concord to crack is...
I've always been a nature person.
And I feel like now more than ever,
nature feels like the escape, you know, I don't trust people. I'm not going near
people. People are scary right now.
Nature is just always here. It's just healing.
You can go into a patch of grass. You just sit here.
Guys, I sound like such a hippie but it's true.
I don't think I've had a year where I've been in my own head as
much as this year, which is funny
because I think I often demonize my own head because I know how tough it is
to be in here and circulating down and all these overthinking spirals that
my brain loves to do.
At the same time,
I think because of this challenge and because of this needing to confront myself
in a way that the busy-ness of modern day world doesn't force you to do, I have made
peace with my brain and my mental health
in a way that I haven't for a long time. I feel like I'm my friend right now.
In my brain, we are on the same team, you know, brain is cool and scary.
It's cool because if it's on your side, it propels you, it hypes you up.
It validates you. It allows you to do more,
be productive, see people, build relationships.
And then when it's not on your side, it destroys you.
My casual magic of today was
Having a liar.
I don't allow myself to do that ofen. Sleep is so good. I love sleep.
Having midnight classes is... I don't recommend it.
I had a long sleep.
I was just lazy for ages today. I didn't really do much.
It was so lovely.
And I didn't go on social media once today.
I just was...
I even sat and doodled. I don't doodle much
Today, I am happy to be me.
It doesn't happen every day that that's the case, but today it is the case.
What mundane thing in your life today was beautiful?
What can you find to be grateful for? The idea of casual magic isn't to
desensitize us from the struggles that so many of us go through on a
day-to-day basis.
The idea isn't to have this toxic positivity mindset.
Instead, it's asking you,
what tiny thing, it doesn't need to be grand
can you be grateful for cause there's always something.
Okay.True Jade fashion.
I have three minutes to get home because I have a global cross class
call for friends giving, which is like thanksgiving and I'm really excited.
I need to cycle home.
I love the city.
Okay, so I run home, realize there's a dress code,
realized the dress code is white.
Chuckered this white top on over the top,
realized Lara didn't have anything white to wear.
I can see here you promised a song.
Friendsgiving is an annual uni event
It just made me feel so loved.
I remember crying and reading about all the good things for the sake of
the children looking around at all of my friends but all the love
from that event from MC'ing and having such a good time until 14, 12,
here all goes dark and shady, like car doors.
This was such a special event because they collated the voices of so many
of us scattered around the world.
We've got to listen to this soundscape of our friends, reminiscing good memories.
I think one of the biggest challenges for all of us has been lonliness,you know,
especially if you live alone or doing university remotely.
And it's so cute.
This is so cute.
Welcome to friendsgiving
the community could be there just to be that
It's feeling like you have a community of supporters
you have people who get what you're going through to support you.
I'm Jade, I'm from the UK, but now I'm Brazilian.
Cool.
I love it so much. I know that honestly,
that is the reason I am happy & contented in my household is because I have
the luxury of having wonderful roommates.
Peer events like this is so special.
[music playing]
We had so many little breakout sessions where we had to share our struggles
with friends around the world.
We broke bread.
We reflected on how we've grown this semester.
it's funny because I'm watching back these super-happy clips
right now at a time where
I feel exhausted and not particularly happy.
And I guess that's just kind of the duality of life.
Isn't it.
[singing]
Some days you feel home, you feel full, and you feel supported by people.
Other days you feel down, you feel low, you struggle.
Whichever you're feeling today, I'm sending you a virtual hug,
I'm sending you some love.
[singing]
And if you're watching this and you're part of my university,
I just want to say I adore you.
What a special place we have.
Have a beautiful rest of your week.
Thank you so much for watching.
Bye.
[clapping] wow!