I always fear sounding whiny and negative when I write about myself, but if I’m being honest, January has been a hard month. In the UK we’re in our third national lockdown – not as strict as the first lockdown, not as lax as the second – we just passed 100,000 deaths and our utterly incompetent government still won’t fully close the borders whilst claiming they are doing ‘everything they can’.
You compensate in weird ways. I have gotten completely obsessed with wellness and productivity influencers. Women with perfect bodies who wake up at 5am (because they want to, not because they’re anxious!) to set up their bullet journals, and always seem like they are able to eat more than their tiny waists would imply – I know this because the What I Eat In A Day video is the staple of such content creators, and I watch them obsessively. It’s not a practise I recommend.
Like most things, the current state of my days can be summed up by a tweet I found on Instagram:
This month on the blog
I wrote about my love affair with Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier
I’m reading
Embracing the Culture of Numbness
We Are All Grieving
The Journalist and the Pharma Bro
Recipe of the month
This Golden Tempeh Nourish Bowl by Pick Up Limes. My latest health-based obsession is gut health, and so I have been trying to simulate some sort of control over the world by introducing more fermented goods into my life. Hence, I’m trying to figure out tempeh. Also kombucha. This recipe is real good, though I would recommend marinating it for as long as possible – it is not a leave it for 10 minutes and hope for the best sort of job.
Quote of the month
From Crudo, by Olivia Laing
“Kathy was becoming obsessed with the numbness, the way the news cycle was making her incapable of action, a beached somnolent whale. No one could put anything together, that was the problem. She had recently read an article that listed all the reasons why monarch butterflies were dying, before seguing proudly into an account of taking a plane across America so the writer could cheer herself up by seeing monarch butterflies. On the plane she complained about the air pollution of jet fuel and perfume, how it gave her allergies, but she didn’t connect the casual habit of flying thousands of miles with the collapse of the butterflies. Kathy didn’t blame her. The equations were too difficult, you knew intellectually, but you never really saw the consequences since they tended to impact other poorer people in other poorer places.”
How was your January? What are you reading? I’d love to hear from you in comments.
22isstillyoungadult.wordpress.com 
Great wrap-up! Lock down and Covid have made life tough but it’s relaxing here in India now. I used to be health conscious but lately I cannot go back those days but even when I was health conscious I wouldn’t wake up at 5 a.m. it’s impossible thing for me. Reading wise I did good. I read 9 books. Life wise it was busy and hectic with lots of social gathering and bout of flu twice that disturbed the schedule.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have heard that things have got back under control in India – that’s great news! In the UK it’s all a bit of a disaster to be honest, though the vaccine roll out is going well so hopefully that will change soon.
9 books is amazing! I wish I could get through that many in a month but I don’t read fast enough/allow myself to get distracted by other things, haha.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, things are normal now, except compulsory mask there is no huge restrictions any more. It’s really relief. I hope it gets better in UK soon.
I feel I’m reading too slow sometimes or I could read couple of book more if I didn’t have socialize or house work. But it was satisfactory month in terms of reading.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved those YouTube videos of what I eat in a day too, especially Vegan 😊 I saw a documentary about Vegan then I attempted and failed. I want to do that to lose weight. The only time I get dressed up was for unboxing video these days 😂 so I know how you feel.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Vegan is so hard! I tried to do it too. This was pre pandemic times but I found it much harder when I was out and about. Like if someone offered me a cup of tea I didn’t want to ask them what kind of milk they were using 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh! I didn’t think about being out and about yet 😂 I have a hard time just doing the vegan at home because I love eating seafood too.
LikeLike
Reading and writing about books is my savour, and staying away from the narrative(s) proposed by mass and social media, and sticking to those who share insights for the body, mind and most importantly the soul, that’s what keeps me in tune.
I try to always have one book on the go that nourishes the soul as an antidote to the more intellectual/cerebral type of activity, even if it sounds obvious, we respond to regular reminders. One of the best I read during the confinement was Courageous Dreaming by Alberto Villoldo. The one I’m reading now is Nancy Levin’s Setting Boundaries.
Christiane Northrup said this years ago in her book Making Life Easy, and it couldn’t be more relevant now:
In January, I read two excellent books by indigenous authors, Potiki by Patricia Grace (a NZ Maori author) and The Yield by Tara June Winch (Indigenous Australian author). I love seeking out unique voices from outside the mainstream, from other cultures, in particular women writers, redressing the balance.
LikeLike