Enjoying The Little Things at Home

Almost everyone is stuck at home now, working or not.

As I get more accustomed to the hermit lifestyle at home, I find it important to be able to enjoy the little things that we do every day.

…..especially on weekends since there really is nowhere to go.

So here are some of the little things that I enjoy daily that I wish to share with you: 

Morning Coffee Routine

Researchers have proven that drinking coffee actually increases productivity and creativity by at least 50 percent (I’m sorry. I made this up but I really love my coffee).

Dalgona coffee was made popular at the time when the lockdown started.

I can still remember whisking the instant coffee and sugar mixture in my green plastic bowl almost every day. The kitchen would be filled with sounds of my whisk hitting against the walls of the bowl.

It was and still is a good forearm workout.

From time to time I’ll get Kopi Ais Bungkus from the Kopitiams or even canned coffee (Nescafe Cold Brew ?)just to switch it up a bit.

Then again, those can never compare to my hand made coffee.

Not because the one I made taste so much better but for the sole reason that I made it.

I’d get the same feeling from painting, drawing, or any other sort of creative work.

It’s not always the best but still, I feel fresh and more productive in doing mundane work after these expressive sessions.

Exercising Even When I Really Don’t Want To

I was always fond of heading to the gym to lift weights.

One study found that 95 percent of participants who started a weight-loss program with friends completed the program, compared to a 76 percent completion rate for those who tackled the program alone.

Since I tend to be super lazy if I am at home, I find being in an environment where people are grinding really helps to tune my mind.

Even if I’m not working out with them directly as gym buddies. It just works.

Given the predicament the world is in right now, I’ve been working out at home mostly with bodyweight exercises.

Even after two months, I still find it pretty difficult sometimes to start my workout engine since my cozy chair and bed are always here.

It can even take up to two hours for me to slowly grind out my sets with unnecessary long breaks but I always feel satisfied at the end of the workout.

I don’t beat myself up if I skip a day or two but I still give myself a pat on the back if I managed to complete my workouts. Especially on days when it feels like a chore.

Limiting Social Media Use

It scares me to even think about the amount of time that I spent on scrolling Insta-stories about how people are working out at home or how cute their hamsters looked.

It was already kind of gloomy that our lives might be confined only to the space of our home.

We don’t even know how long this will last!

I came to realize that the more I spend time on social media, the more I would feel as though I’m the most lifeless person on the face of the planet.

The world of Facebook and Instagram would always make me feel that there is something more interesting that is happening than my own life. 

As soon as I realized the consequences, I deleted Instagram and muted Facebook notifications on my phone.

I had to admit that I was a little anxious about being left out on what’s happening in the world but it didn’t take long for me to realize that this was really no big deal. I could still keep up with the news and I actually felt happier with the way my life is.

My New Favorite — Meditation

I came across meditation probably a year or two ago when I was super hooked on self-development.

Meditation is one of those things that almost all the “gurus” recommend doing.

I practiced it occasionally, thinking it would give me some sort of super guru powers but I wasn’t consistent enough.

Now that my routines are pretty much the same every day, it has earned its place as one of my key daily activities.

I have also begun to see some benefits by only spending about 10 minutes a day doing it.

No, I do not have the ability to float in mid-air or have premonitions of what the next Toto Grand Prize number will be.

Instead, I became more aware of how my thoughts and emotions change in accordance to my surroundings.

By technically “doing nothing”, I get to create a platform for me to understand myself better.

Plus, it also trains me to find peace in the middle of a shit storm.

(Yeah I think I could have described it with a more diligent word but let’s go with this.)

So yeah, these are the little things that I have brought into my life that brighten up my day which I hope might brighten yours too!

p.s. By the way, I’m trying to incorporate Yoga into my routine too since I’m as flexible as a rock. 

Let me know in the comments what do you do daily that makes you feel happy! 

Thanks for sharing your time with me and I’m gonna end this piece with a quote:

Big things will only happen if we follow through with the little things.

Okay bye.