So, for anyone who cares, i have been away for a really long time due to some personal problems but do not lose hope: your couch potato fairy has returned. *cue the trumpets* But sadly, the post bringing me back isn’t really a happy one and will most likely put you in your feelings so…sorry in advance.
I am slowly coming to the realization that I have made a mistake. Growing up, i had a very clear cut idea of what my life was going to look like: I was to have the perfect future like my mentors, have the perfect relationships like my mentors and carry on that perfection through my children…just like my mentors. But as I’m getting older, i am coming to terms with the fact that I’m not sure if i want that ’perfect’ life anymore…and it’s something that you are never really prepared for.
In a way, i am grateful for the curve balls that life has thrown my way, for the delusions that it shattered and for the new picture im fixing from the broken shards of glass.
Now, i know better. I know not to blindly trust the picture perfect white background that is another person’s life. Because i have seen firsthand from my mentors that perfect is nothing but an illusion, one that everyone is desperately clawing their way through the dirt to achieve a modicum of. i know better than to strive to be exactly like them because they are not perfect as i am not. i know better than to demonize them for their mistakes but instead to learn my lessons from them. I know to love them for what they taught me: the good, the ugly and the weird.
It’s hard sometimes. because there’s a fear that comes with striving for perfection and even when you try to unlearn it, the fear lingers. It stays in your mind, in your actions and in your heart. It tells you that you are doomed to repeat the cycle, to chase perfection blindly until it is all consuming, or worse, to not try at all for fear of falling into that mold.
It’s hard…to realize that you might be nothing like the people you idolize. And even harder to realize that it might not be such a bad thing.🥰
The end of 2020 is nigh. Which is a relief for everyone because honestly, I don’t think the world can handle anymore of this very “unique” year. Regardless of everything that happened this year, I think we all learned some very valuable lessons. Some of us may have had to learn how to cope with the reality of not being in control, others may have had to learn how to cope with the struggle and emotions attached to losing a loved one. For some, there were lessons to be learned on compromising and for others, we learned that we had a voice. We may have gained or lost friends, loved ones, family in one way or the other; might have had our perspectives completely changed or may have had to endure quite possibly the shittiest and most difficult year we had ever seen. But to anyone who has made it this far, I just want to say:
Thank you so much for holding on for this long. You have been so brave and so strong and for what it’s worth, I’m proud of you.
As we’re in the last day of the year, please do not feel like you wasted this year. Take it easy on yourself and if you can, refrain from asking yourself why you weren’t able to reach the goals you had set for this year at its beginning. We tend to make plans and set goals for ourselves as a means of exacting some kind of control over our lives and understandably are unhappy if such goals are not achieved. But you survived this year with its many obstacle courses. You were victorious. In my opinion, that is the greatest achievement so far. However, if there were any goals set that were met, please give yourself more than a pat on the back, you earned it.
To everyone that crossed important milestones, celebrated wonderful events, got married, fell in love, had babies, congratulations🤗. You get a virtual hug!!!
And to those who lost people they loved this year, I am so sorry. I hope you are doing okay and get comfort for your loss. You get 7 virtual hugs 🤗 and a kiss💋.
Even if 2021 gets better or worse, I’m not too worried, after all, I’ve never known the human race to give up so easily…on anything.
Regardless of whatever 2021 brings, I will not let it distract me from my goals. 2020 made me re-evaluate a lot of things that I wasn’t happy with in my life and at least gave me a drive to do better. So I’m entering 2021 with my eraser, pencils and scissors 😈.
Welcome back my gorgeous couch potatoes… Hope everyone’s having an okay day. Without further ado, let’s get right into this one.
It’s no secret that the year 2020 outdid itself by doing its very best to suck so much and while opinions may differ as to the degree of crap this year pulled out of its ass, the world can agree on the Coronavirus/Covid-19/Ms. Rona pandemic being the icing on this twelve layered cake of torture.
Everything and anything that could be closed was closed. A bigger emphasis was placed on cleanliness. And a handshake, a simple act of greeting quickly morphed into an act akin to murder. But I digress…
Naturally, the whole world was thrown off balance and struggled for a while to cope with our new reality…the reality that everything had changed and that things may probably not go back to normal.
As a student, I had to leave school and stay at home as per the regulations given by the Government. And at first, I was happy to get a break from school but after a while(say a week or two of staying at home), I soon discovered that I was not equipped to handle staying at home. Nobody could handle being forced to stay in their closed quarters for more than a day, interacting with the same people and falling into a routine that quickly becomes tiring.
But fret not my disciples, the Potato fairy has risen from her domain(the couch) to give you some tips on how to survive this pandemic and everything else that follows.
First things first:
STAYING SAFE
Practice social distancing. Only venture outside if necessary. Wash your hands frequently with soap for about 20 seconds or use an alcohol based hand sanitizer. Wipe down your surfaces, door knobs, etc. regularly with bleach. Wear a face mask at all times. If you ever feel the need to sneeze or cough, do so in your elbow or in a tissue which should be disposed of immediately. Avoid handshakes altogether…instead, you can bump elbows, say a simple ‘hi’ or carry a placard around with the words ‘No Handshakes allowed’ emblazoned on it. No one will judge you😏.
And finally, take lots of fluids, rest and eat right. Your body is a temple🧘♀️
HOBBIES
Use this free time at home to develop and perfect some of your hobbies. If recent events have taught me anything, it is the importance of having something productive to do. There is a great satisfaction that comes with doing something you love and perfecting said something as you progress.
With that in mind, dont hesitate to let your creative juices flow by picking up a skill that complements your energy.
You can try writing, blogging, needlework, jewelry making, drawing/painting, photography, etc. There are tons of places to learn online for free. YouTube is a great example.
Why stop there? There are a million and one skills in the world for you to try out and enjoy, so go for it!
And for every little achievement you make, no matter how little, give yourself a pat on the back. You deserve it.
EXERCISE
Now, I’m not judging anyone for their lockdown bod (I’m a potato, remember?), just dropping some friendly advice.
And before anyone asks, I’m not telling you to start lifting weights or running a marathon. No.
Just stating that doing simple exercises like jogging, sit-ups, pushups, etc. can be really beneficial to your body. Aside from helping with weight loss, there are a ton of other benefits to earn from exercising like reducing the risk of chronic diseases, improving health and mood, helping with relaxation and sleep quality and so much more.
But please, remember to take it easy and go slow.
CLEAN
Yes, yes. This is a topic of it’s own. While the overall benefit of cleaning your environment is the distinct lack of unwanted visitors(germs or otherwise), there are other things to gain from cleaning like the fact that it is incredibly therapeutic. Nothing slaps harder than doing a little spring cleaning, keeping yourself busy and at the end of the day having a spotless environment. It can be washing the dishes/laundry or maintenance on appliances that need your attention. Either way, you’d find yourself happier and less stressed out at the end of the day.
SAVE MONEY
Please ignore that little voice in your head that tells you to treat yourself, encouraging you to splurge on meaningless junk until you’re deep in the red zone. Treat yourself for sure but dont be afraid to save money for a rainy day. Set a goal and strive to reach it. You’ll be glad you did.
SPEND TIME WITH YOUR LOVED ONES
I am particularly guilty of this and I am ashamed to say so😅. At times like this, shutting ourselves off from the world will do more harm than good. We should understand that everyone is going through something right now and we need our family and friends by our sides even more.
We shouldn’t hesitate to reach out and ask how our loved ones are doing. Who knows? You may be the rainbow to someone’s rainy day.
TAKE SOME TIME AWAY
Contradicting myself a bit, I know but stick with me here. As much as it’s important to connect with the people we love, it is easy to get overwhelmed sometimes and want some time alone to recharge. That’s okay. With the way the world is going, it is doubly okay to feel overwhelmed and want a break from everyone. Hell, it’s okay to want to curl up in a ball and cry.
Just be sure to take time for yourself and focus on what you need. On what makes you happy. On what makes you relax. On what you can control.
Well, that is all my gorgeous couch potatoes. Until next time, stay safe😘
(Yes, the title may be confusing but bear with me here.)😐
Good day, gorgeous couch potatoes and welcome to another new month in this dumpster fire we call the year 2020. But fret not, even if the world is literally coming to an end, you can count on me, your couch potato fairy, to grace you with some words of wisdom to make your day a bit better.
Now, off we go:
I am what you will call a bonafide klutz. And I don’t mean in the ‘oh everyone’s a bit clumsy’ kind of way, I mean that when the saying “bull in a china shop” was invented, they were probably talking about me. Yes, I am the poster child for that phrase.😃
Growing up, I was always afflicted with the plague of the dreaded ‘butterfingers’. And this disease afflicted me in the most dire of situations and especially loved doing so when fragile objects were involved. As a result, I became used to being called all sorts of names by everyone on account of my clumsy nature.
Now, in my adult age, I won’t say I’m as clumsy as I was as a child but I am clumsier than most adults would care for. As a result of said clumsiness, I developed a certain complex.
The idea that I am perfectly incompetent at everything.
At first, I thought nothing of it. I didn’t even know I was doing it. But whenever I was given a task to do, no matter how simple, I always had this notion that somehow I was going to screw it up because of how clumsy I am. I would always end up downplaying my capabilities to the point where I’d sell myself as a stupid person to anybody because I believed I was a stupid person incapable of handling anything. And usually, because of that mentality, I ended up screwing up like I thought I would (because of course I did!) further cementing my uselessness in my eyes. On the off chance that I did well in said task, I was always legitimately surprised to the point of suspicion that I was able to make it that far.
In addition to making me a nervous wreck, this way of thinking also prevented me from trying anything new because of the fear of using my clumsy powers to screw everything up. In allowing my fear to fester, I’d kept myself in a bubble of stagnancy and apprehension instead of being a normal person and taking extra care in doing certain things.
It took a lot of people pointing it out for me to notice it and to actually start doing something about it. So, your couch potato fairy has taken it upon herself to reconsider being a bull in a china shop and to actually start being a fairy in a china shop. Careful, graceful, sure of herself.
CONCLUSION
Obviously, this mindset came about mostly due to the criticism received as a child which followed into full adulthood but at the same time, I let myself be a sponge, soaking it up and letting it stay inside me for this long.
However, with all that is going on, I feel like we as human beings have a lot to fight in the world without having to turn around and end up fighting with ourselves too and we should make an effort to ensure that our mental health is at its best(especially now😭😭😭).
Thank you for reading. Please tell me in the comment section: What quality of yours do you feel holds you back? And what are the clumsiest moments you’ve had?
Until next time, your semi-graceful potato fairy. 🧚♀️
Hope we’re having a great start to the new month. This is more of an introduction post than anything else. To give you guys a feel of what this site (and person) is about.
So this blog is basically aimed at discussing any and everything of interest: from hardcore, nail biting, serious news to petty stuff that basically holds no weight. There is no limit to what can be said and no topic that is too small or too big to cover. It will basically be a bored university student covering things of interest and throwing her two cents whenever she feels like doing so.
I would love to connect with everyone and hopefully post relevant information and honestly crossing my fingers and hoping that this site stays for a while.
Black & Proud 