By Atifah Batrisyia
The Movement Control Order (MCO), Covid-19’s second-in-command, has stretched its reins over Malaysia with no regards for differences, instilling fear and panic in everyone for months now. It chains us to the very place we call home, turning it into a small oasis for every family and an inescapable battlefield that transforms family members into soldiers capable of spouting dissatisfaction towards each other.
Yet, we should never take this as a chance to wallow in anguish nor do we waver under the pressure inflicted by MCO upon our lives. We must always remain calm during this pandemic as our well-being, especially our mental health, greatly affects our lives and the people around us as well. Once we are capable of keeping our composure during this tough time, we will begin to see that this is the perfect occasion to finally carry out the activities that we have always found to be an indulgence back in our busy lives.
These are the pastimes that MCO has blessed us with,
1. ‘Me Time’
It is said that to love others we must first love ourselves but with the hectic lives that we live in, love is a luxury. To love ourselves, we require time, energy and patience. The MCO is the ideal turn of events as it gives us the chance to finally get some ‘me time’. It is also a blessing because we get to spend a bit more time to get to know ourselves better.
People will want to give themselves a special treatment differently. Some of us might want to learn more about ourselves through hobbies, or calm our mind through yoga and meditation, or simply celebrate the achievements we have until now by buying a cake or even popping that champagne.
‘Me time’ is more than just spending a period of time for ourselves. It is where we get to learn who we really are, and work towards acceptance of the people that we have become.
And this is the also a perfect excuse to gobble up that whole cake alone, or to down that champagne from the bottle, because no one gets to decide how ‘me time’ is done.
2. Hobby Exploration
No one has a set of hobbies similar to each other. We all have different preferences and abilities and those affect our choices of hobbies, but we do have one common enemy, time. We live our lives prioritizing our survival and neglecting our own health. We believe that there is no time to lose, or time is of the essence, but we have never considered what this mindset has done to our well-being.
To combat this, hobbies come in handy. They put us into our comfort zone mainly because they are what we do best. This nationwide lockdown is great for spending our leisure time investing in our hobbies. A bookworm might try to finish the unread books left to become beds for dust on the shelves, a home cook might carry on with completing the tweaked recipes or create new ones, a gym enthusiast might carry out workout sessions with extra challenge, a writer might finish off the incomplete worlds written, or a gamer might even beat the difficult games demanding dedication and perseverance.
This is also another chance at exploring other things to do and discover our hidden talents. We might end up picking new hobbies and leaving the old ones but, in the end, it is worth every second invested.
3. Spring Cleaning Adventure!
Isn’t it time to wipe off the dust caking on the cabinet? Or to throw away those unnecessary items sitting at the corner of the room? Or throw away the expired food in the fridge? Or declutter the whole house?
MCO is just the right thing to ask when sorting this mess out. With the additional time at our disposal, spring cleaning can now be done without a hitch, though there might be a few hiccups along the way (because who can actually focus on cleaning when there are photo albums hidden between the unread books or finish off that opened box of chocolate left in the fridge), like always. If we are unable to finish moving that bookshelf or mopping the other room, we can always continue with it tomorrow, and the day after, until MCO finally ends.
However, we should keep in mind that we must not completely disregard our duty as employees and students under the pretence of spending time to tidy up the house because that is plain procrastination.
4. Family Bonding
Modernization comes at a price. Entertainment is easily obtainable from gadgets like mobile phones, tabs, and technologies like the TV and computer. The more time we spend with these, the less time we have with our family. The world does not last forever nor do people. Therefore, in a situation where family bonding is needed, this lockdown provides the perfect opportunity that we should take full advantage of.
The time we spend at home relaxing, working or even completing assignments, can be interjected with the occasional interaction between us and our family members. This is, to say the least, an unnoticeable but significant step towards a closer bond with our family. Meals can also be enjoyed together now since everyone is always at home, and when we dine with our family, we get to have conversations that are not easy to accomplish before, when we are too occupied with school and the office.
So, shut off all the electrical intruders and tempting gadgets, and start reconnecting and strengthening our precious family bond.
5. Life Hacks Here and There
Yes, we do learn something new every day, but when have we gotten (at least in our lifetime) a nationwide long holiday that gives us the extra time we need to breathe and re-evaluate our situation? Take chores, for example.
As trivial as it sounds, completing chores around the house without the proper methods and approaches can be an arduous task even to a full-time housewife. MCO provides our much-needed time to deal with these kinds of ‘petty’ problems and learn how to overcome them through planning and researching, which are often challenging to execute in our modern hectic daily lives. The knowledge we gain will help us in the future when we need to do those chores again.
Plus, we get to learn cool tricks, like folding paper napkins into cranes or cutting fruits into flowers, that we can show off to our visitors once MCO ends.
6. Treasuring Nature
This lockdown is ultimately the best scenario to get close to nature. Since we live in a world where our senses are tainted with artificial wonders like the countless skyscrapers, vehicles of all shapes and brands, convenient but environmentally damaging appliances everywhere, nature’s gift of life is obscured from us.
With MCO in place, we get more time to actually sit and listen to nature’s music, observe her beauty, and smell the fragrance of her flowers, to our heart’s content. Even if we do not have a yard or a balcony to step out of our home and into nature (no matter how little), we can still enjoy nature’s magnificence simply by looking out from the window. We rarely get to do these before, because our chaotic life of chasing after wealth demands us to keep on moving, not giving us the opportunity to stop and marvel at nature’s splendour.
It does not matter how or where we choose to love mother nature, in the end, nature’s serenity will always be an eternal blessing to humankind and a gift that is waiting to be appreciated. Also, looking at the greenery is said to calm your mind, so it is a win-win situation here.
Thus, it is of extreme significance that we remain unperturbed throughout this Coronavirus pandemic all the while taking the government’s advice to heart. Making a fuss out of this problem is not going to solve it as doing so will worsen the situation. Therefore, why not make use of the spare time we have in our schedule and fill it with activities that we find enjoyable or rewarding instead of mulling in despair over the outdoor restrictions placed upon us.
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