i know mine is military related, but i recently had my watch changed (while underway) by 12 hours, and since then i’ve been having trouble staying asleep, no matter how exhausted i am when i hit my rack. i’m really hoping i’m not like this when i get back to port.
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We need a special group you can join here where every 3 months or so someone @s the group just to check in and message everyone. If I didn’t work here, I would definitely need that. Not even as a request to come and be involved, just to say hey, we’re thinking of you, hope you’re well and managing. 
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Ooh that’s a pretty interesting idea, I’m sure we could figure out something like that! Just a group for people who know they’ll be away or who need the occasional affectionate nudge! It’s a lovely idea 
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I have a question and I was wondering if some Mounties could help me out.
I’ve stopped working out and one reason for that is because my exercise was starting to get very image focused - I was working out to look a certain way. And even when I tried to get out of that mindset, the instructors leading the videos I watched said phrases like
“I know we all want a round butt/small waist/flat belly/ect and this is how you get it.” This is not what I want. Or not what I want to want, but hearing that for an hour every day takes its toll.
So I guess my question is, does anyone know of fitness YouTube channels that don’t rely so heavily on image based goals (or ideally doesn’t mention an ideal body at all?) I miss exercise but I don’t want to think about how I look while doing it.
I’d prefer pilates but yoga or weightless strength training could work too. I don’t have much equipment.
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Check out Hybrid Calisthenics on YouTube. He’s really laid-back and teaches how to slowly work your way into each exercise. I don’t think he ever mentions body image either. His channel isn’t very organized, so you have to sift through his videos that aren’t specifically exercise-related, but they’re all super-short and pretty informative. I think he actually started doing them on TikTok, which is why most of the videos are only a minute long.
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She’s one of the largest channels, but I really like Yoga with Adrienne. Her focus is on how you feel, and when she does bring up image related stuff (which is very rare) it’s in the context of working through and releasing those pressures. Plus she has so much great free content and curates monthly calendars, which makes a routine really easy to follow if you tend to get overwhelmed by options like I do.
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I’ve done her videos before too and second this!! She’s great.
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I follow YogaTX and Yoga With Adriene on YouTube
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Looking at online articles and things, she seems to be very highly recommended
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So.
I am feeling a little better about myself.
A large part of it is that my sleep cycle has inexplicably righted itself. I’m in bed before 12:30am every night at the latest, and naturally wake up before my 9:30 alarm 98% of the time.
The other part of it is that I found a habit-keeping app that makes it a game to get things done. It’s called Habitica, and it makes you a little RPG character that gets experience for every task/habit you complete. It’s not a planning app if you don’t want it to be but it could potentially be used that way.
It also helps me keep track of whether or not I did something - lately I’ve been having trouble remembering whether or not I’d taken my daily vitamins (am I remembering today or yesterday?), so having this app to do that is really nice.
At the end of the day, seeing my ticked-off list of things accomplished - no matter how small - makes me feel more productive.
As you progress you collect coins and find random objects - mostly animals that you can equip to your character, hatching potions, and food to feed your pets. The coins you can use to buy wearables and weaponry etc.
Just like a real rpg!
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I used Habitica a long time ago! Right now I’m using an app called SuperBetter which is another app that uses gamification to help players make improvements in their life. It’s not quite a to-list app though, so I wonder if using both might be helpful.
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All I know is Habitica has been really helpful with my executive functioning.
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At the outset of the US shutdowns (early March 2020), I was kinda psyched because I could finally go into cave mode in a socially acceptable way. Being an introvert, this was like a societal permission. I loved it. I have homeschooled my three kids for 4 years and I took on an additional student to tutor in math and reading. It had been a rough several months with this student before lockdown.Her parents decided to take a break. So I was seriously feeling “viva la lockdown!” Not only that but I was able to get my driver’s license without taking the road test. So it was wins all around! Backstory: I have had driving anxiety / phobia since I was 18. A few bad accidents, less than encouraging driving instructors, panic attacks… anyhoo fast forward to 2020 and all that performance anxiety was moot because I walked in, got my license and left. It was awesome. As a family, we hunkered down, did game nights, science experiments, lots of nature walks… truly a good thing. I also invested in online art classes and dived into the world of mixed media which was therapeutic.
So, all in all, it wasn’t terrible really. It was very restful and we needed that slow down.
What I’m experiencing now though is Covid fatigue (mixed with exhausting US politics) - the news cycle, the not really knowing if vaccines are effective, the mask wearing (asthma), the not going anywhere because it is difficult to breathe with a mask in public spaces, the lack of a routine… I don’t know. The self-care seems much more essential now than it did last year. I forget to shower sometimes or brush my teeth. I don’t sleep well. I am cranky and sad. A lot. I have forced myself to stay faithful with vitamins, to paint, to complete my Algebra homework, to read to my kids… but my heart is just not in it. Painting really does help. And standing out in the wind, rain, snow - just something to connect myself to the earth. I’ve devoured fantasy books like my life is depending on it.
I’m just curious - do you find it harder this side of 2020 or was it harder during the peak of it all last year?
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Like you, I’m a hard introvert so the past year of staying home, having the best reason ever to decline social plans without the nagging guilt, dealing with next to no people at work because the office has been closed up/working from home…it’s been awesome. I don’t so much have quarantine fatigue as I do encroaching terror of returning to the unhealthy, unsustainable “normal” that is always so loud all the time.
So this side of 2020 has definitely been harder for me so far, but because I’m looking ahead at the upcoming onslaught of evictions and price hikes I’m going to have to deal with at work on top of constantly interacting with people and losing all the time I’ve had to actually keep my apartment clean while working from home. To deal with that, I’ve been working on establishing a healthy routine I can still keep to when “normal” starts up again that will hopefully help me be better able to handle that stress.
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I’m finding it harder now too than it was last year. At first it was a welcome break from social expectations, and seeing people who didn’t have anxiety suddenly become as worried and vigilant as I felt all the time - I don’t want to come off like I enjoy watching people suffer, because I don’t - but seeing how I reacted compared to those who were newer at the worrying thing made me feel good about myself.
But this year is different. I am both starved for social interaction and feeling smothered by my family who I’ve been isolating with all year. Its a complicated mix of “I want to be alone, I haven’t had a private moment for a year” and “Hug me, make me laugh, I have not seen another human for the longest time.”
I’ve also gained too much weight in isolation to wear my nicer clothes, but with dressing rooms in stores closed, I can’t even try on things to find out my new size. Not fitting the clothes that made me feel my best a few months ago is not helping my self esteem any.
I’m constantly flipping between “I feel fine but bored let’s start a new project” and “why do I start so many things I am overwhelmed by everything and don’t have energy for this”.
Idk. I don’t mean to come off as complaining, but my point is, yeah. It’s rough. Its wearing on me more than I thought it would. I mean I was fine for like a year, so I expected the whole duration of the pandemic would be like that. Turns out it just took a little longer to reach me.
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The loud normal. This is such an apt description. Though I don’t know what the alternative would be. Like all of us, I’ve not a clue what lies in these uncharted waters of this decade. Not that we knew before but it was a little more predictable perhaps.
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The fatigue is real 
not sure it’s hit my partner or myself directly but we’re seeing more people ignoring the rules and it’s making me super twitchy or in some cases triggering blood boiling rage.
Both of us usually get stress related headaches and migraines when we return from shopping trips or the rare unavoidable site/office visits.
We miss friends but we have enough projects to keep us busy and lockdown has completely rid us of the guilt and stress of visiting people while just wanting to be home working on our stuff.
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I’ve rejoined Habitica. Super better is nice, but I need something more like an RPG for my gamification where I’m getting actual power-ups and items.
@Connielass, are your still playing? Anyone else?
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Yes, I am! My primary reason for finding and using it was because I had trouble remembering to brush my teeth, but I’ve since added other things, like joining a reading challenge, and a mindfulness/meditation challenge. I still don’t understand the whole going on raids thing, but I’m not worried about it right now.
I spent the past couple days in bed after getting my first Moderna shot on Saturday. My arm was in pain on Sunday, and I felt feverish, didn’t want to do anything other than sleep. It’s now Tuesday and other than my shoulder still feeling bruised enough that I still can’t sleep on it, I’m back to being fine - insomnia and all.
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I did some of that extra stuff back when I played a few years ago. Since I’m just getting back into it, I’ve reset my account and am just trying to improve my walking/water habits.
I’m glad you’re feeling better - my wife got Moderna and was down for a day and a half.
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