How to Avoid a Rut When the Days Seem Identical.

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Hello friends! Here we are, locked down (for what feels like forever) in the midst of a pandemic and I think I should be honest with you all. I am exhausted. This tiredness is more mental than physical (although it manifests physically from time to time). These don’t really seem to be unicorn-sparkling-thriving conditions. I have occasionally felt like a pendulum; I swung from the extreme of hyper-productivity and rigidly ticking off items on my to-do list, to the other extreme where I was barely able to do anything. Have you experienced anything similar to this? Do you feel like you’ve been living the same day over and over?

After some time, experience, prayer, reading and advice, I am slowly learning to find some balance. I’m also learning the signs that I’m approaching a rut and how to either prevent, or minimize it. So here are my tips for preventing/minimizing a rut:

1. Edit your to-do list. How easily we get caught up in hustle culture! There are so many voices telling us that we absolutely, positively, have-to-bound-to-must-to accomplish all of the things, because we are at home more now. As much as I’d agree that we can use this time for reflection, growth, discovery of new hobbies and interests etc., we are also under an incredible amount of stress. I had to modify my to-do list and my expectations of myself. It’s better to accomplish a little bit at a constant pace, than to try to do everything and end up unable to do anything.
2. Practice self-awareness. Pay attention to your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. What are the signs that you are falling into a rut? Is what you are feeling a response to a specific event that day, or is there something underlying?
3. Reach out to a friend. Check in on your friends, but also be honest with them. Sometimes, when we share our struggles with our loved ones, it opens the door for them to do the same. “A burden shared is a burden halved,” – T.A. Webb.
4. Sprinkle some humour into your day. Read a funny book, look at a comedy video on Youtube, watch your favourite funny movie or an episode of your favourite sitcom or call a friend that you normally laugh with. Play a game with your family and/or pets.
5. Add some joyful movement into your day. Find a form of movement that you actually enjoy (and that you can do safely at home, for now at least). I love dance-based workouts (like Zumba or barre). You can also just put on a hot playlist and dance like nobody’s watching.
6. Have a good cry. Doesn’t that sound counter-intuitive? But I can personally attest to the power of a good old snotty-nosed, ugly cry. Sometimes it happens when I’m praying and telling God how much I really, really, really feel fed up of this pandemic and all of the sickness, death and suffering that people are struggling with worldwide. Sometimes you just need to let yourself feel those feelings.
7. Pick up a new hobby/interest, or rediscover an old one. It doesn’t have to be time-consuming; just something that sprinkles some happiness and novelty into your routine. If you can choose something that’ll help you get closer to your dreams, better yet. For example, if you dream of visiting a non-English speaking country, you can download Duolingo and start learning the language.
8. Break your routine ever so often. These days can feel monotonous, especially if you’re a fan of routines and habits (like I am…it’s ridiculous sometimes). Occasionally, I throw my to-do list to the wind and have a spontaneous day. It’s a way to break the monotony a little.
9. Ramp up your self-care. You may need to do self-care activities more often than usual, and that’s okay. These are not normal circumstances, and if you need them, you need them. Don’t begrudge yourself the care you need.
10. Rest. (I think this one is self-explanatory).

These are the activities that have helped me to prevent (or at least minimize) burnout/a rut during the various lockdowns we’ve had due to the pandemic. I hope you find these helpful, or, at least, that my honesty about my struggles help you to feel seen. Do you have any tips you’d like to share? Feel free to share them.

Peace, love and sparkles,

The Unicorn of Awesomeness.

How to Refresh a Resolution: Mid-Year Personal Progress Check-In Tips from a Unicorn.

Hello everyone! Welcome to the month of June; can you believe that we’re practically halfway through the year? So, remember those resolutions/goals/dreams/intentions we wrote in our journals in January? (Cue awkward silence). Well, it’s time to do a progress check. I know this could be either a “yay” moment or a “yikes” moment, but it should definitely be a “yes” moment. It’s time to say “yes” (again, today and every day) to the growth and improved habits and lives and dreams we’ve held on to. It’s also time to say “yes” to both honesty and self-compassion.

So let’s get out those journals. It’s time to flip back to those pages where we laid out our intentions with such care. (Pro-tip: fold washi tape along the edge of journal pages you need to refer back to often). It’s time to get excited again about the better-version-of-ourselves we envisioned in January. When I went through this process, it was sandwiched with prayer: I asked the Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance before starting, and entrusted my plans to God and asked for strength and perseverance when I was finished. I’d also suggest that you carve out some uninterrupted time to do this; it requires some reflection. Without further ado, here is the unicorn process for refreshing New Year’s resolutions:

1. Reread your resolutions. I’d suggest that you read them over slowly. My resolutions are grouped into various topics (like spiritual, health etc.), so I did this one section at a time.
2. Reconnect with your ‘why.’ Reflect on why you decided to set these resolutions. What were the benefits you envisioned? What does the better-version-of-yourself that you’re aiming for, look like?
3. Celebrate your progress. Too often, we zoom onto our shortcomings and neglect to acknowledge our success. Celebrate and express gratitude for the areas that you made some progress in.
4. Examine the goals that you have not made any progress towards. What obstacles did you encounter? Why didn’t you make the kind of progress you wanted? The key here is to examine what happened with a non-judgmental curiosity, which leads me to my next point:
5. Practice self-compassion. Perhaps you experienced an illness, a low point, a family emergency. We are currently in a pandemic and it has taken a toll on us in different ways: physical health, mental health, some people have lost their jobs/income, some have lost family members and friends. Even as you ask yourself why you did not meet certain goals, be kind to yourself.
6. Adjust accordingly and plan for your obstacles. In step 4, you would’ve identified the obstacles. Now that you know what they are, you can put things in place so that you can overcome them. You can create an environment that is conducive to your success. Or, maybe you’ve realized that the resolution/goal you set is impractical, and you need to either make some adjustments, postpone it or remove it. You can also write down the adjusted resolutions and additional plans you made.
7. Decide how you will incorporate any new, positive habits. Once you are satisfied with your adjustments, add these new habits to your routine. S.M.A.R.T. goals involve a time component, so ask yourself: when will I add in these new habits? How often? What do I need in order to accomplish these goals?

I have been following some version of these steps for the the past five years and I’ve seen concrete growth in many areas of my life. Of course, every year I refine the process, based on whatever I learn or experience. Naturally, there is always room for improvement and growth. Whether you’ve already been doing something similar and just want to refine your process, or this is totally new, I hope that you find this useful. If you have any tips that you’d like to share, feel free to leave a comment…I love to learn and grow too!

Peace, love and sparkles,

The Unicorn of Awesomeness.