Living through Corona – Interview IV
Eléa
Travel enthusiast. Cat and dog lover. Highly French.
How are you feeling today?
Today I am in a very happy mood – I just purchased a bike. It may sound silly, but coming from a very small French town, moving to London was a very overwhelming experience. It all happened so fast. The lockdown ended. My boyfriend got a job. I got a job the next week. Before we knew it, we had booked our train tickets from France to London. The move was a fantastic opportunity – I am still in that “honeymoon phase” where all I see is exciting and my to-do list is full of places to visit and things to try. But having a bike makes it even better. You can actually enjoy the fresh air and the drizzle, the architecture and what makes the UK be the UK.
Pre-Corona, did you have a mindfulness practice? If so, what was it?
Two years ago, I joined a yoga class with a dear friend/housemate. I was studying and working a lot and yoga was the opportunity to share moments and memories. The class sometimes changed location, but it was always on a beach. I loved it. I could feel my back relax and the worries of the week go away instantly. When I graduated, I stopped for a few months as I was moving around the country a lot. In December 2019 I settled somewhere – or I thought I had until COVID came along – and started to work in a Spa retreat, where I could practice yoga again. I had almost forgotten how great it was.
Did that change during the lockdown?
The Spa retreat I was working in was closed down and so did the yoga classes. I had to move out of my apartment as I was renting through work. My grandparents were kind enough to host me and my boyfriend. I was bummed that I couldn’t practice yoga anymore, but I guess being back with family was kind of a mindfulness experience for me. It can be challenging, coming back home after living away, but at the end of the day, I cherished these moments and these people that always put a smile on my face and warmth in my heart.
What did you find most challenging during the lockdown?
The most challenging thing for me was to find moments for myself. I try to care for the people I loved. I tried to call one person a day, see my dad, help my grandma around the house and my grandpa with the garden. At the same time, I was sending job applications and trying to organise the expatriation. My days felt too short - I wanted to do so much more for my friends and family, and, at the same time, to be able to care for myself. It was a challenging balance.
How were you responding to this challenge?
In the evening, once I had ticked the daily things off my to-do list, I was always taking a moment to exercise. Sometimes it was a proper training session and some other times I was only repeating the yoga moves I had learnt. I liked to feel that the fatigue was coming from the exercises – not from the day.
Was there a specific moment that made you pivot? A moment of epiphany?
Actually yes! My boyfriend set up a training program to go through during lockdown. It was a fantastic program; the only issue was the running side of it… I absolutely hate running. I love swimming, dancing, training, but running really is something I do not enjoy doing. During the lockdown, the French government only allowed for exercising within a 1 km perimeter around the house. Mid-way through the lockdown, we were running around the house, again, and I was complaining about how I was not enjoying running, again. He turned around and snapped “I know! But this is the one chance we get to get out of the house in the whole day. Treasure it.” I think it was the little ‘slap’ I needed. After that, I actually started to enjoy our little outings. Not for the run - but for the opportunity to go out.
Did you develop any new habits or rituals during this period?
I suppose I can now say that I go running at 3 to 4 times a week and have slowly come to enjoy it – who would have known! Running actually clears my head and is always a nice way to end the day. Additionally, I also get to see more of the surroundings.
What are you carrying into post-Corona times? How are you making room for these changes? And why do you wish to continue them?
I like the training routine we have developed. It is very cliché – I know many people have started exercising during the lockdown. But it makes me happy to share that with him after two years of long-distance relationship. It is the type of everyday things that we needed and that brings us closer, so we are definitely making rooms in our days for these training sessions.
Is there anything else you’d like to pass on to others about mindfulness and/or personal development that applies to this unique global event?
I think it is important to make room for feel-good activities in our lives. It is easy to fall into a routine of bad habits. Waking up early, exercising, practising yoga, reading or caring for family - These take time and effort but are always worth it. Self-care is essential so let’s not wait for another pandemic to apply mindfulness principles to our days
Images
Photo by Elodie Oudot on Unsplash
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Photo by Arek Adeoye on Unsplash
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Photo by Josh Wilburne on Unsplash
