Do something you enjoy!

 

Do something you enjoy

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.”

When reading up about enjoyment and what it means in relation to mental health, the phrase that keeps coming up is “losing yourself” in activities or in a hobby. I’ve tried to process this and work out what this means to me. Quite simply- escapism. I have a few main hobbies- running, cycling, football and each of them provide me with the necessary distraction I require to either forget about any worries I have (personal or work related) or talk about them in a way where I always feel better afterwards. Doing this through exercise provides me with a vehicle to not only “de-stress” but also reenergize. Each time I do one of these activities, almost without exception, I come back feeling positive and reinvigorated. I go on bike rides and for those two hours, where I’m usually accompanied by a close friend of mine, we are able to talk about anything and everything and put the world to rights. But do so, in the countryside where I feel that anything I’ve been worried about can be put into perspective.

This lockdown has really made me consider what I really enjoy. I’ve gone further than just activities I enjoy but also considered what really motivates me. Competition. I anticipated this term would be tough as I am not a fan of the dark winter months at the best of times never mind in a lockdown. Therefore, from the start I have taken part in a series of monthly challenges. Each of which I have thoroughly enjoyed and has given me something to thrown my energies at. Some have been with members of staff in school where we have been accountable to each other and another one with my local running club. Each one has kept me motivated, interested and my mind positively occupied.

The running challenge- how many miles can your team run in a month? - really did get my competitive juices flowing. Although I know I open myself up to comments like “He takes it too seriously” “It’s only a challenge”. What it has helped me really understand, that for me this sense of challenge really works. I have not felt this motivated for quite some time. It wasn’t just the runs. It was the results each night posted on an online platform (I did hint it was a bit serious) and also the endless discussions including the plotting of tactics in a private WhatsApp group on the final weekend to ensure victory. I absolutely loved it.

I can only talk about my own feelings and how important it is to cling on to the things I enjoy the most particularly at challenging times. I know for me, there have been times where it’s been easier to hide away but really being able to get past this has provided me with self-worth, confidence and positivity at a time where I really needed it. For the final bit of this week’s blog, two year 6 girls have spoken about activities that they have enjoyed. What is really nice, is they have not only carried on with current hobbies but actively sought new ones such as art and yoga!

 

Do something you enjoy

This lockdown’s been tough. Trust us we know. From online learning to obscure zoom quizzes, we’ve all spent more time on the computer than ever before. This means that we have had to do the things that we enjoy to keep our spirits high.

Which brings us onto our next point: THE IMPORTANCE DOING SOMETHING YOU ENJOY!

We all need to do the things we find fun sometimes and we have found exercise and fresh air to be our new best friend. Even on those rainy days when our parents had to practically drag us out of the door, we were eventually grateful that they did.

We’ve both enjoyed different activities from paddle boarding on lakes to playing football in the fields with our dads. There’s even been times when our garages and living rooms have become exercise studios- so that doing the things we enjoy are still possible. Yoga and dance lessons have never looked so good!

As well as the exercise, we’ve also found some creative ways to beat the boredom. Art’s been an escape from school work and we’ve learnt loads of new art techniques –our parents are struggling to find space for all of our masterpieces.

We have been participating in lots of outdoor exercise and activities on lake Ullswater which has been an amazing experience that brought us joy. We’ve discovered that we have improved our music skills massively (through endless practice- much to the horror of our parents’ long suffering ears).

We have had to keep positive during these tough times and this has helped us to be proactive with our mental health and stay strong.

Although it’s been hard, we’ve chosen to focus on the positive side of lockdown; it would be too easy to be dragged into the negative side and we hope you can all find something to hold on to, to carry you through.

By Ella Stamp and Isobel Davies

 

I am not sure I can sum up this blog any better than the girls have done in the last paragraph. Making the best out of a bad situation has been crucial to me and clinging on to things I enjoy while also trying new things has really helped in me managing my mental health. I can also relate this to work. Like any job there are aspects that can be tough. Each week, the quizzes have been for the children but I have got the same level of enjoyment out of them. Welcoming the children back this week has reaffirmed what I already know I enjoy- teaching and working with children. Knowing that these opportunities are increasing again really does excite me.

Thank you for taking the time to read and please comment on the blog on things you enjoy, old or new.

Stay safe and Do something you love!