Hello! I hope everyone is keeping well and safe. It is a shame that final year has ended abruptly and unexpectedly. I have been trying to take the opportunity to finally focus on things that are not vet related. I am still in Edinburgh at the moment as it is hard to get flights home during this time and maybe I am just not ready to say goodbye to a place I have called home for the past 5 years. It was heart-wrenching when I first received the emails about cancellation/postponement of our graduation ceremony. It felt like everything had ended without proper closure. However, I guess the silver lining is that at least we have done enough to be able to graduate on time.
Before my flatmate headed home about one week ago, we had cooking sessions and movie marathons almost every other day. It definitely feels less exciting when I am on my own now. So I thought I would share with you guys how I try to stay motivated and sane during this uncertain and strange time.
Stay connected
Text or call your family and friends to remind yourself that you are not going through this alone. It is easy to underestimate the positive impact that staying connected to others can have on our mental health. I am lucky that I have a few closed friends that are just one call away.
Keep busy
A big shout-out to the Emergency and Critical Care (ECC) and Internal Medicine clinicians in the Hospital for Small Animals for working hard to prepare and deliver tutorials on different topics each day. All these sessions are also being recorded, so anyone who missed them still has a chance to listen to them. They are really helpful to refresh my knowledge on the common presentations that I might be seeing on the first day of work!
Stay active
I was a frequent gym goer before the isolation started, so I did find it strange to workout indoors at the beginning. However, there are actually many high intensity home workouts on YouTube that are available to everyone. So there is no excuse for not being able to stay active indoors! I used to attend Les Mills gym classes and currently they have free access to some of their at home friendly workouts. I also run outdoors maybe once or twice a week to get some fresh air.
Hobbies
I have been spending more time in the kitchen to cook and bake. It is exciting to try out all the recipes that have been on my ‘to try’ list for ages. I am currently obsessed with making pizza dough with just two ingredients: self-rising flour and Greek yogurt! How cool is that? I am still amazed by the fact that it is actually easy to make pizzas at home.
Try something new
I watched a few webinars on investment as I have always wanted to learn more about business and finance. It is also a good way to remind myself that there is world outside of being a vet. I am also learning to improve my photography skills as I never had time to do this before. Although I cannot really be out taking photos, it is still helpful to expand my knowledge beyond the basics as it will come in handy after isolation ends.
I think these are all the things I have been up to lately. Remember to get some sunlight when it is sunny. Make sure that you follow the current local guidelines while doing that. Stay healthy and safe everyone!
