I had a conversation with a colleague almost three years ago about our respective struggles with depression. I was in the middle of a bout and he’d been through it in the past. I mentioned that I’d taken up meditation a couple of months earlier and had been doing it daily.
“You established a new healthy habit in the middle of being depressed,” he asked me, impressed that I’d done that.
It was easy. I could do it without even getting out of bed if I wanted, and made me feel better, even if just temporarily.
Just before the pandemic brought us to our knees, I recorded the first two episodes of the Better Me Podcast, not sure where it would go or how often I’d add episodes. The 65th episode, with Canadian singer, songwriter, singing coach, and now author, Emm Gryner.
Throughout the pandemic, I’ve been stress eating, which has resulted in me not being as fit or feeling as good as I did before all of this started. My workouts have been half-hazard and inconsistent, as well. Something had to change so a couple of weeks ago I started a free Peloton trial to use with the treadmill and spin bike we already have (the free one-month trial is available for anyone. I’m not getting anything from them for writing this). I’ve done at least one walk, run, bike, or yoga workout nine of the thirteen days I’ve had it and I’m pretty sure I’ll pay for the monthly membership when the free trial ends.
I’m curious to hear what healthy habits or new hobbies people have taken up either during the pandemic or during another challenging time in their lives. Leave a comment below or drop me a note using the contact form.
