Something is better than Nothing

Okay.

I have found it very challenging adding to this in recent months. A lot of things have been drafted but then you struggle with self-criticism that I believe is perpetual from my university days. I think the current climate we inhabit is also detrimental to this. Many of us have more free time than ever, so surely someone like me should be writing more than ever? Whilst that is true to some extent, on the other hand, that has not been the only thing that I have concerned myself with.

Every day I have attempted to complete three activities: one fitness, one social, and one skill-based. If I judge myself on those parameters, then I believe the last four weeks can be considered a success for many reasons. For instance, I have completed two Excel courses on LinkedIn Learning, which had been a goal of mine to learn for some time. I have always wanted to learn a second language, and I have maintained my attempts to become more familiar with using Spanish by maintaining use of certain apps but I now also set my phone language to Spanish, so that I become more familiar with interacting with this on a daily basis.

I have tried to maintain social contact, this has largely come from setting aside my evenings to play Xbox with my mates, which has been very nostalgic for me, and I’ve learnt I am now much better at managing my temper when I concede on FIFA than I used to be.

However, I have found adapting my fitness regime hard. The gym has always been a huge anchor for me, psychologically as much as physically, and it was a heavily entrenched part of my normal routine, pre-lockdown. In a way, I have enjoyed the challenge of adapting my training and taking up more cardio has been a needed and welcome addition. But my love is powerlifting and, outside of a typical gym environment, the kind of progression and challenge involved with the kind of weight you need to push yourself is hard to obtain/replicate.

But despite all of this, one of my greatest concerns has been this blog. It was a project designed to convey opinions about topics I cared about and after the initial flurry, nothing has followed it. I think this has been because of the pressure and expectation that it is natural to place on ourselves when we want to convey our views on important topics. But I also think it has been challenging to discuss anything with anyone other than ‘how quarantine is treating you.’

But I think what this quarantine has taught me is that it is better to do something rather than nothing. That is not to say nothing has been achieved from this situation, but that there is so much more to achieve, and this is one of the biggest personal goals I still want to maintain. So be it 500 words or 5000, something is better than nothing.