When it comes to habits, cats are probably the original creatures of routine and most don’t take kindly to having that routine disrupted. I love some of the habits I’ve created as a result of Allegra’s routine, especially first thing in the morning: waking up to her eager little face as she waits for me to get her breakfast ready, then sitting with my first cup of coffee and Allegra in my lap as I fully wake up.
But as we fallible humans only know too well, not all habits are good. And most of us also know that changing a long ingrained habit can be pretty tough. Sometimes, it takes a big event, like, say, a pandemic, to shake things up and to make us view our lives and habits through a slightly different lens.
A recent article in the Washington Post explored the topic of pandemic habits and how to keep the good ones and get rid of the bad. It got me thinking about my own habits, and whether any of them have changed as a result of a year of pretty much not going anywhere.
I’ve been pretty lucky that other than some occasional stress eating, I haven’t picked up any really bad habits, but after some reflection, I realized I did pick up a few new habits that I want to carry forward into my post-pandemic life:
- I learned to love to cook and bake. That’s been a real joy to discover, because that wasn’t always the case. As much as I love eating out, I found that I didn’t miss it quite as much as I thought I would.
- I discovered that I have some DIY skills. I painted some furniture and managed to make some minor repairs.
- I have become very picky about how I spend my time. I limit exposure to anything that drains my energy as much as possible, whether that means taking a break from the news, being careful about what shows I chose to watch on TV, or limiting Zoom or video calls (which, while better than nothing, are still only a poor substitute for real human contact.)
I’m currently reading Jen Sincero’s new book, Badass Habits: Cultivate the Awareness, Boundaries, and Daily Upgrades You Need to Make Them Stick*, and I’m finding it very helpful in terms of learning to look at my habits differently and working on changing the ones that no longer serve me.
Have you developed any new positive habits during the pandemic that you want to keep?
*The Conscious Cat is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This means that if you decide to purchase through any of our links, we get a small commission. We only spread the word about products and services we’ve either used or would use ourselves.
Having a pet or pets in our lives seems to keep us in line. There are times I would probably sleep an extra few minutes, but my CAGP likes the same type of service morning after morning, and you
give her the wrong bowl of food first, she’ll retreat to the other side of her extra large cage and she
won’t eat until you realize what you’ve done. Keeps me on track for another fun filled day of work.
Before my beloved Ragdoll cat, Mr. Lucky Leo, died in my arms, he was my alarm clock. Same time
every morning, the face licks were always on time. Have a great week, everyone, and especially to you, Allegra.
I really like this article:)
I have definitely formed some new habits I hope to continue: generally a much slower simpler pace of life; very minimal fast and commercially preprepared food; more home cooking with simple ingredients; trying to keep things simple using what I have on hand and DIY; decluttering; reducing trips into the city and using pickup or online for what I need; definitely limiting exposure to energy draining media as much as possible; and my favourite, morning coffee on the bed with morning sunlight, the cats, the dog and my knitting:)
Purrs of agreement to Allegra from Amelie.
Starting my day by breathing and stretching. Then, leaving my house and taking a half hour walk to take in the morning quiet and nature.
I have also joined an online worship service.
I’m now looking for outdoor yoga to join, as the weather is staring to get nicer, but haven’t found anything yet.
The pandemic actually helped break one of my bad habits. I used to shop way too much. I always at the mall. Since I don’t go any place, other than the grocery store, I don’t have a need for cute clothes or makeup. It was especially helpful when my husband lost his job and the only one he could find was at half of what he was used to making. I have been spending a lot more time reading. I do miss seeing my family. My in-laws have disowned us because we choose to stay safe (away from everyone) while they haven’t changed their routines at all. They are those extremists who think the pandemic is all made up.