How I Finally Owned 2020
By: Elevated Engineer
Tags: Sleep, Meditation, Pandemic Diaries, Social Media, Passion

Photo by Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash

Days away from finishing a most unforgettable year, I realize I’ve turned a corner recently. I came out of the brain fog. The weight of the pandemic no longer perched precariously on both shoulders.

So what was this phenomenal change that sparked feeling better?

An epiphany? Not quite.

A series of interwoven habits brought me to this place. As an engineer, my mind naturally seeks order…and this typically means lots of lists. Presenting your curated top four ways to live “your best life” in a pandemic.

1. Meditation is a practice for a reason.

On mornings where I listened to a guided meditation for about 10 minutes, I was more focused, efficient and calmer navigating my day. And those days I skipped meditating in the morning? Overwhelm crept up, irritability rose and I felt less productive when I opted to skip it. Armed with informal data over the past 3 years, committing 10 minutes daily is worth gaining a peaceful mindset, especially in these anxiety-inducing times. Carving out time daily, I feel a sense of purpose to complete this first task of the day. Mediation reminds me to breathe deeply, pausing the frenetic brain activity sensed upon waking. Like working out, our brain needs a warm-up to slide into wakefulness. My mornings before discovering meditation, were akin to skipping stretching and just jolting into boot camp. Much like exercising the body, doing mindful breathing on day 1 may seem impossible. “How do I stay still this long?” and “I can’t be doing this right because my mind is wandering” are common sentiments in the beginning. In a matter of time, it will be second nature as long as you keep up your meditation practice daily. I recommend meditating upon wake up to get the maximum benefit, and using a guided app such as Headspace or Calm.

2. Control your digital consumption.

Kids aren’t the only ones who benefit from digital curfews. Doomscrolling has now become part of our vernacular, thanks in part to seemingly endless chatter sprawled across social media.

“The amount of time spent [doomscrolling] is directly proportional to how much worse you’re going to feel after you’re done.” // UrbanDictionary.com

Outside Podcast’s interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook was powerful motivation to finally enable Screen Time on my iPhone.

Subsequently, Screen Time kicked two bad habits: 1) being on my phone right before bedtime, and 2) keeping my phone close by while sleeping. The “alarm clock excuse” was put to the test. For the past month, I’ve set my screen time such that I am “locked out” from 10:30 pm to 5 am. Once 10:15 pm hits, I get a reminder that I’ve got 15 minutes left. This gives me the much needed nudge to wrap up my phone usage and start my ritual of preparing for sleep. Phone goes into the charger in living room, teeth are brushed & flossed, face washed & moisturized, followed by reading before falling asleep. I find myself with the energy to wake up without an alarm before 6 am on a Saturday…to meditate, journal and enjoy my coffee in those sweet, quiet moments before the day kicks off.

3. Prioritize sleep.

Perhaps one of the toughest lies to shatter is sleep deficiency isn’t a badge of honor. Michael Walker, the neuroscientist who leads the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley, says it best:

“Every disease that is killing us in developed nations has causal and significant links to a lack of sleep.”

Despite knowing better, who hasn’t disregarded their fatigue in exchange for cramming for that exam or indulging the rabbit hole of YouTube videos until 1 am? Not to mention, the price paid for such nights seems way higher than in my 40s than my 20s. We feel completely off our game the day after a nearly sleepless night. Adequate sleep enables restorative functions to take place in our body, along with strengthening the immune system. Having this nightly detox sweep of our brain is a lucrative investment towards your healthy future self.

4. Fuel your creative soul.

As colder weather approaches, there’s a spike in temptation to succumb to binge watching or overindulging in food and drink. Identifying passion projects or hobbies creates meaningful downtime. Baking and gardening help to be “less inside my head”, while making space to focus on creating something — such as kneading bread dough or planting an herb garden in a windowsill. I encourage listening to podcasts and taking online courses for inspiration on nearly any topic you can think of. I have found joy in doing mundane tasks (an actual working dishwasher would be awesome to own) while listening to podcast interviews. Feeding this curiosity to understand what drives people to succeed professionally as well as personally. Or simply consuming podcasts that address how people are not just surviving in the pandemic, but finding ways to thrive…even if it takes reading a Medium article to push the needle.

Here’s to a better life for us all as we embrace 2021.