One of the casualties of the COVID19 lockdown is that people have been ignoring the routines that lead to physical and mental well-being. In this guest post, Chaitra Kamath speaks about the valuable lessons in self-care that she learnt from her cat
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Lessons in self-care from my cat
I adopted a stray cat in October 2019 (my first pet ever!) and have been meaning to spend more time with her. Due to my working hours, I have to leave her alone in my apartment for 8-10 hours a day and didn’t really get a chance to watch her during the day. This often left me wondering what ever is she up to? However, as a result of the Covid-19 situation, much to my delight and my cat’s dismay, we’ve been spending a whole lot of time together. It might be the lack of human interaction talking here but I’ve learnt a lot from my cat just by watching her as she goes about her day, while getting used to my constant presence.
Social distancing is key
Even before the entire world came to a standstill and governments tried to keep human interaction to a minimum, Sakura has been a big proponent of social distancing. Like every other self-respecting cat, she dislikes being held or cuddled. It’s not that she hates humans (I hope!). She just likes having her own space and believes you can love from afar. Even when she’s in the same room as me, she very rarely comes and sits beside me. She prefer to sit (over) six feet away and watch me from a distance. My key takeaway here is to remember that even after our businesses and borders open up, it is still important to avoid unnecessary human interaction. Even Prince Charles would agree.
Rest is important
Cats are notorious for sleeping endlessly and Sakura Simha (that’s her name) sure lives up to that. I’ve seen her take several naps during the day. Post that nap, she’s more active and playful. If you think, this is something that only animals can indulge in, you’re wrong. Japan, one of the world’s most productive nations, also follows a social concept - “Inemuri” or sleeping at work – which is taken as a sign of hard work and dedication. By the way, Japan is also famous for its obsession with cats! Coincidence? I think not! Therefore, embrace Inemuri (to an extent) in your lives and try to squeeze in a quick catnap to become more alert and productive at work.
Self-care takes precedence
Sakura has a strange habit. She might be exploring something or climbing a bookshelf to satisfy her curiosity but all of sudden, she would stop and start grooming herself. It seemed funny initially, but later, I understood how profound her actions were. It seemed as if her need to care for her appearance took precedence over everything. I’m guilty of working out of my pajamas far more times than I care to admit. However, after I took a leaf out of Sakura’s book and devoted ten minutes at the start of my day to change out of my pajamas and look like I didn’t just get out of bed, my energy and motivation to work did improve significantly.
Stay active
Whenever my family members or I move around the flat, you can be sure to find Sakura running beside us. She’s got an insatiable urge to keep tabs on all of us and through that, she manages to keep active. I’m not really an gym-junkie but I did manage to hit 5000 steps a day when I worked in my office. Now that we’re all confined to our homes, my step count has hit an all-time low. Therefore, do schedule 20 minutes to an hour every day to get your heart pumping and muscles moving.
Eat mindfully
With players like Amazon and BigBasket operating again, I do get my fix of junk food and snacks even during these times. Sakura, however, is still as mindful about her eating habits as she was earlier. She still indulges in freshly grated coconut (her favorite morning snack) daily and the occasional avocado but doesn’t eat more than a pinchful. I don’t think I’ll be shopping for a new collar for her but I’ll certainly be shopping for a larger pair of trousers for myself!
As long as we are curious and observant, the world around us has many valuable lessons for us. What are some lessons you have learnt recently from an unlikely source? Do share your thoughts.
How have you been taking care of your physical and mental well-being during this period of isolation and restricted mobility?
Image source : getstencil.com
