Welcome to my first listicle. It’s all going to go downhill from here. How’s the clickbait YouTube-esque title treatin’ ya?
I just wanted to talk about the different things I’ve started doing regularly that are helping me feel like a human being again, and inspire me to create. The vast majority are just important to do in general for everybody, so let me know if these are things you do in your day-to-day without even thinking about it.
Reading
I know. I know, I know. It really is sad.
I used to be a voracious reader. I would read several books a month back in middle school. Now it takes me years to finish books. I’m not joking. I have technically been reading A Clash of Kings from the A Song of Ice and Fire (oh my god just say Game of Thrones) series for the past eight years.
It’s not that I don’t understand what I’m reading or that I’m incredibly slow at it. It’s just that I get so insanely bored. Part of the problem is because I’m on that damn phone! I think to myself, “Well, I’m already reading stuff anyway” so I just don’t have fun doing it anymore after a certain amount of screen time that destroys my eyeballs.
I’ve started forcing myself to read every single night before bed, and I’ve been sticking to that! My goal is to just lay eyes on words on a page. It doesn’t matter how much I read, just that I do it. I’m currently reading Dune by Frank Herbert, and once I finish this I’m going to get back in the swing of things and go through my reading list.
Going to the Gym
Unfortunately the gym bros were right. It feels really good to wake up early in the morning and get the day started by running and loading up your muscles. It makes my brain wake up and releases feel-good chemicals like serotonin and endorphins, yum!
The part that sucks is actually getting up out of bed to do it. I’m lazy! I want to sleep! I probably need to get more of it! But once I cross that hurdle and get my lazy ass in my car, it gets much easier.
At this point, it’s an every other day to an every other-other day affair for me, but I want to get to the point where I do it consistently, either every day or every two days.
Daily Chess
This one is definitely subjective. I started playing chess again (after not playing since I was a chess tutor to children, shoutout [COMPANY REDACTED] for killing the joy of it for me.) I try to play one ten-minute game a day, and I have multiple games going on with turns that can take up to one day long.
I’m pretty bad at it, based off my Elo (system of measuring skill,) but it’s very fun nevertheless!
It’s a good way to keep your brain active, and I get to trick myself because I LOVE gaming, and this is a more… tactical experience than mind-numbing video game. I don’t know, it just makes me feel good!
If you ever want to play a friendly game, you can add me on chess.com (they have an app too) – my username is swedishsimp 🙂
Writing
This whole experimentation with blogging has been eye-opening for me, and I know journaling is useful for a lot of people. Brainstorming and writing out things throughout the day, whether on your phone or in a diary or whatever, is almost cathartic. Now you have space for all those thoughts, and you get to explore them further by writing them down! Then you can look back on it, and think some more.
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I feel like a simp always leaving a comment ahah so it made me feel better when you commanded me to do so. I, too, enjoy all of these things yayyy. I read a court of thorns and roses (fairy smut type beat) last year I think. And it was so fun to read that it was all I wanted to do. And reminded me of the joys of reading. I feel as if nertz is also good for your brain
I hear that smut fantasy is all the rage these days. I read one novel, mainly because the author’s name was Freya and the storyline seemed intriguing: magic and lesbians. Who could ask for more? It turns out that I prefer a bit more subtlety.
You are a simp! Haha I appreciate you always leaving comments so command or not go ahead! I’ve seen that book everywhere and I don’t think I would like it, but glad you do! It’s fun when you get that feeling back! Nertz is good for destroying your friends’ brains, let’s be real
Reading is Life! I never stopped, but now I’m making use of our local library (Médiathèque actually) and reading in French. I got into Louise Penny’s Gamache series and I’m busy trying to fill in the gaps of the novels we didn’t have in English (we either donated a bunch away before moving or they’re in a box somewhere). I know we had them all once because Magnus detests reading books out of order ! It doesn’t bother me! Best places for reading : in bed before falling asleep, on the pot, or on the sofa as I begin a short nap!
Exercise ! I have been fairly consistent, but I found that a 20-30 minute session with my favorite GROWWITHJO on YouTube before breakfast (but after coffee and patting time with Lyra) gets my endorphins going and it’s easier to keep moving and get things done. And then there’s my yoga ball, but that’s a whole different conversation.
Brain stimulation : Well I am busy navigating 3 different languages, so I’m sure that counts. I also do some Sudoku when I’m stuck in the bathroom without my book😜
I’m with Dad, I could never read out of order and I remember accidentally getting like two or three books when I was younger and I didn’t know they weren’t the first in the series. I was super confused the whole time reading them, then realized it was like the last book.
Yeah reading does make me pretty sleepy as well. My workouts happen before coffee if you can believe it! Being a near-polyglot definitely counts as brain stimulation haha