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!
What a fantastic piece of writing girls, well done!
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