WEEK 7

Tuesday 28 April 2020

It crossed my mind several weeks ago that we have been incredibly lucky with the weather. Even though I wasn’t able to enjoy the sun the way I would’ve liked (e.g. canoeing or playing games in parks with friends), at least the sun literally brightened up my days. Even on the thougher days I would still go outside for a walk to soak up some vitamine D.

On the other hand, sometimes the bright sun emphasized the quarantine-feeling because instead of doing the things we love, with the people we love, we stay inside (or tasting freedom on /in the balcony / front lawn / back yard).

I’m curious whether the dreary weather will make me feel more cooped up or more cosy at home.

Friday 01 May 2020

OK it’s neither. The only effect I feel is that it’s foggy in my mind when it’s foggy outside, but my motivation to go on walks has not been affected by the weather. Well, maybe except for when it rains. But so far it has only rained when I wasn’t planning on going outside anyway.

I have noticed more runners on the streets, the same amount of people walking their dog (obviously), a bit fewer strollers like myself, and certainly less people being outside for leisure.

Saturday 02 May 2020

My quality of sleep has been terrible for a while and I’m growing tired of it (pun intended). I suspect it has something to do with the amount of screen time I now have, which is basically all of my waking hours except for when I’m reading, journalling (yes, I am old-school and still do that on paper), or taking a walk. So, I have decided to switch off all electronics at 21:30, make my way to bed, and do some reading or writing until I fall asleep, which is hopefully no later than 23:00. I will do this for a whole week and see whether my sleep improves.

My main issue with this approach is that in these days social time equals screen time, and when I cut down on screen time I am by default cutting down on social time, time that is already limited and of lower quality because let’s be honest, meeting virtually is better than nothing but isn’t as good as meeting in person. It feels like I have to choose the lesser of two evils: poor sleep or even less social time.

UNLESS! The conclusion of my experiment is that screen time is not the problem. Let’s find out.