Writing, Morning Walks In The Garden, Food Helped Me Get Through Tough Times

Three months on, still the Philippines struggled to contain the spread of the virus unlike other nations in Southeast Asia.

To date, Philippines has the longest lockdown imposed among nations in the world, longer than Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus. And yet cases of infected individuals continue to rise everyday.

It's just so disappointing to be in this situation where the government seems no clear plan how to mitigate the spread of the virus.

They're just watching the world goes by while the citizens in this precious country struggled for survival, both for the pandemic and hunger.

Such incompetent public officials.

Although the country already shifted to General Community Quarantine, still everything is vague and almost no difference to ECQ or the enhanced community quarantine. 

Mass transportation is still suspended and some offices, especially schools, are not yet fully operational. This is one of the most difficult periods I have ever experienced so far in life.

Being trapped at home for the longest time is already mentally-exhausting, the fact that I cannot still go back to work worsened the situation.

I'm tired cursing the government and our inept national leaders. Honestly, they're incapable of handling a world crisis such as this.

They just let people  suffer this much. We have sacrificed enough for this crisis and yet the government has no lucid plan how to reduce the cases. It's very annoying!

Financially, I am on the edge. I'm already struggling with my expenses and monthly premium on my insurance policy.

Can't take this further.

Unfortunately for me, I moved to a company that has no work from home arrangement and I was just told to report to work after mass transportation is allowed.

Oh God, when??!!

I've been hit hard with the lockdown. I haven't anticipated this, had I foreseen this event I would never leave my job in BPO.

But things happened. And I must face the situation with a strong mind and right perspective. I should never back off. I must look forward and believe that this too shall pass.

People have different coping mechanism during trying times and it's through this ability that determines the endurance of someone to win the battle against adversities.

Everyday, I am trying to make my day less stressful. Having a planned routine helps a lot in easing down heavy days.

I write daily. Whenever I feel down, I face my laptop and start writing or editing existing scripts. I have several stalled manuscripts for years. I also have so many revision tasks for my two books.

I wrote blog articles in-between. I created video clips for my travel blog YouTube channel. And worked on the social media pages of The Gourmand Travel Guide.

And then, the goodness of food! I am not a picky eater, but sometimes, I do not have appetite to look on food. So each day, my sister and I experiment on food recipes to have something to excite on during meal time.

I love Cottage Pie. It's one of my indulgences during the home quarantine period. It's a quintessential English recipe that had morphed into a contemporary gourmet delight.
                  
We also have an avocado harvest so we have an overflowing avocado dessert and milkshake everyday. Thank God, we have this great blessing to enjoy.

Writing has been my outlet in life. It helps me get through a difficult time and makes me forget the disappointment I felt towards so many things. It makes my day inspiring. It keeps me motivated.

When I write, it feels like I am drifting to a different world, far away from the madness of the society. 

In writing, I am totally at peace, isolated in my own world, as though I'm living in a silence and solitude.

Food helps my momentum in writing. It fuels my energy to go on and forget the chaotic world.

So each day, I am relying on my wisdom to hold on to life and hope that one day things will get better and different. That one day, everything will be brighter again.

So have you ever thanked yourself today?

For holding on to life. For staying motivated despite seeing the world slipping to a valley of despair. For staying happy despite the madness of the society.

Just a simple "Thank You, Self", for being so emotionally strong in these trying times. It's a form of self-affirmation to let you know that you're valued.

Self-affirmation is a very powerful attitude that promotes healthy mind. It  feeds positivism to subconscious and protects self-esteem from disintegrating. That's why it is necessary to check ourselves where we are at this point in time when everything outside is still bleak and terrible.

Establishing a daily habit that promotes a sound routine is also a powerful tool to stay sane during this difficult period. In the morning upon waking up, I would take a walk in the garden, seeing green plants and lovely blooms brings positivism in my mind.

It sets my mood for a happy day.

After taking a walk in the garden, I'll drink a cup of hot Earl Grey Tea. The aroma of bergamot has a calming effect to my senses. It heals weary. It allows me to reconnect with myself and think life on a positive known.

Everyday, I am trying to find inspiration on little things and discard any ugly thoughts swirling inside my brain. Everyday, I am feeding my subconscious with happy thoughts of a beautiful life ahead. 

Each time my energy begins to sink due to frustrations and impatience, I would quickly write to get my mind off from  disappointment.

I also do a morning walk in the garden while having my tea. The morning sunshine and view of green plants and lovely blooms bring good to my mental and emotional sense. It creates positivity.

Writing, food and morning walk in the garden with green plants and summery blooms have become my life lines during the home quarantine period.

May this global health crisis will end soon because we can't go on like this, being trapped at home. Because innately, humans are sociable creatures and not meant to be isolated. It's mentally draining.