I don’t think I ever let myself truly process how indubitably strange and difficult it was returning to “normal life” after a year and a half of lockdown. In the first week I moved back to school last fall, I completed more tasks than in the past year alone. The feeling of trying to return to the shell of who I was pre-pandemic while also trying to grasp the new ‘new normal’ was overwhelming, to say the least.
I can describe this return in a few words: an abysmally shortened attention span, overstimulation, and one big sensory overload. The gnawing pressure in the back of my mind to make up for lost time was imminent, and it resulted in me trying everything all at once, fitting as much into my schedule as I could.
Soon enough, however, I realized that I simply couldn’t keep up with this neverending lifestyle, and had to find ways that helped me gently wind down and get to a state of relaxation and peace. Here is what I found helped me the most!
- Free journaling
This style of journaling requires you to just brain dump onto a blank page of paper. Nothing has to make sense; you just write down whatever comes to mind. I also like to doodle a lot when I do this. This helps to clear my head and sort things out.
- Doing skin/body/hair care slowly
Doing my skincare, bodycare, and haircare slowly and intentionally has done wonders to help ground me and show myself physical love. It reminds me to take care of myself and the significance of doing so.
- Listening to nostalgic music or watching a nostalgic show/movie
This is one of my favourite ways to unwind, as it’s a way for me to reflect on my journey of who I am today. I recently began listening to musical theatre soundtracks I loved as a child, and it’s definitely put me in my feels thinking of how far I’ve grown since then.
- Baking
Personally, baking is what helps me relax — but just choose any hobby that doesn’t require a lot of brain power. Creating something, even if it’s small, is always a beautiful way to help bring peace into my life, and it always makes me proud.
- Doing nothing
Sometimes, solutions don’t have to be so complicated. For this, I turn off all lights in my room except for my LED lights and just lie there in the dark and stare up at the ceiling or close my eyes. Getting rid of all visual and auditory stimuli around me is a surefire way for me to become calm and eventually take a break from my otherwise busy life.
So, if you’ve been feeling overwhelmed lately, give those activities a try and hopefully you’ll be able to wind down just as I have!