Muna Hopeful @munahopeful - Tumblr Blog

Ladies do not start fights, but they can finish them!  The Aristocats (1970), dir. Wolfgang Reitherman

Realistic tips to work/study from home

I am seeing a lot of videos and posts that mean well and are super aesthetic but also stupid because not everyone has that space - physical and mental - to do the things they are suggesting there.

So here’s my attempt to say something that may actually help.

Find a time that’s only yours. And what I mean by that is that sometimes when everyone is asleep at night that’s when you feel the most peaceful, calm and productive. Nobody is asking anything of you. And it’s okay if that disturbs your routine for the next few weeks because honestly isn’t your routine already interrupted? There have been times recently when I’m sitting at 2 am and finishing my next day’s work. There have also been times that I have woken up at 6 am to do that.

Know the times that trigger you or disturb you or simply annoy you. For me, such times at home are when everyone decides to sit at tea time and talk about everything that’s wrong with everything that I’m doing. I know they mean well but being the youngest in the home means everyone has a say in what they think is right for you. So I try to not schedule anything important during those 1-2 hours in the evening. And try to have a pick-me-up right after that. Usually, it’s shutting my room and putting on music and dancing like I’m in a k-pop mv.

A lot of people suggest getting dressed as if you were stepping out because that helps you be productive even at home. And sure I can see that working for some people. But for me why would I give up the golden opportunity to have my hair in a bun and wear shorts and have no bra on? It’s super comfortable and when I feel comfortable, I can concentrate better. But brushing your teeth, washing your face and showering daily irrespective of whether you have to step out or not are definitely a must to you just feeling better overall.

Schedule calls with your friends. Your best friends and the ones you have not spoken to in forever. This is the perfect time to catch-up because everyone is cooped up in their homes and everyone is looking for something to make them feel entertained and or happy. I try to call two friends a week. Depending on your friends and if you’re someone who likes to talk for long hours on call, you can figure how often you want to do that. These calls really help me get out of my head and make everything seem lighter and better.

Eat. Initially, I found it very easy to wake up just 10 minutes before a work call. So I would wake up, drink water and get straight to work. That’s literally the worst thing you can do. You have to give yourself at least 20-30 minutes between waking and getting to work/study or whatever it is that you have to do. You have to get something to eat and it has to be more than an apple or a banana. And you have to give your mind to orient itself to the new day.

Stay away from people who are constantly talking about everything that’s wrong with the world and or with their life. I mean yes we all will talk about such things at some point - multiple even - in such times especially. But there are some people who keep doing that in a loop and you really want to stay away from that because when you are stuck at home - all this input can get too overwhelmingly negative and make you super anxious and hopeless and that’s the last thing you need right now.

You don’t have to do extra just because you’re at home. And I mean this for everything. Like just because you’re home doesn’t mean you will work longer hours or study continuously. I am very particular with trying to maintain the same hours because I am also maintaining the same quality right. Also, I initially got this idea that I am going to read a shit ton of books for the next few weeks that I’m at home. I’m reading 1 book a week usually and I thought I’d bring this up to 3-4. That was stupid and unnecessary. Some days just doing the things I have to do seems hard because there’s so much worry and panic and emotions that burdening myself with these extra expectations is shitty and unnecessary.

anniespositivity

I hope you have something in your life that makes your heart go ’!’ and that makes you feel alive and fall in love with life. If you have something like this, hold on to it as much as you can. And if you haven’t found it yet, don’t worry, you’ll find it soon, I promise.

munahopeful

I hope everyone gets to experience this..myself included

wholesome-suggestion

i’m going to be okay. i’m going to make it. i’m going to live in a clean little home with someone i love and a big fern plant. i’m gonna have a cat and make cookies at midnight. i’m going to thrive and have wonderful experiences that make me smile until i ache. i’m going to be okay, it’s all going to be okay.

incorrectgreekgods

Zeus: Let me just say, from the bottom of my heart... My bad.

cottonvibes

wishing i was on a balcony in italy, wearing a long floral dress, eating fresh fruit, and staring at the sunset and landscape below me

apixiedyedhere

How else can I put this? I just don’t want to be here.

her-minds-a-mess

You ever have those nights that make you feel incredibly lonely despite knowing you have people who care about you? And for some reason you just want to lay in bed and not associate with anyone or do anything even though you know it’ll make yourself feel less that way.

memeuplift

cwote

You are worth it. Every bit :)

awes-deb-deactivated20210122

Life is a nightmare.

monolime

you spend years developing a unique art style and ways of drawing characters and then one day just… forget? how you draw faces? feel like you never knew in the first place? and then you look back on your work and think how did i ever draw that? was i blacked out the whole time? why don’t i remember?

phoebe-does

on the days I have little to no motivation I remind myself that who I am tomorrow depends on what I do today and that if I want to I can make myself a weapon. I can do anything I want because today holds unlimited potential, I’ve just got to work for it. I can be unbreakable, undefeatable, unlimited and to be these things I have to do. Because I can and I will. Your brain holds unlimited capacity to hold information so why not be able to do all the things you want? I have the capability to be multilingual, so what’s stopping me? I have the capability to run marathons, so what’s stopping me? I have the capability to ace my exams, so what’s stopping me? What’s stopping me? That question is my motivator.

art--felt

I remember first learning that you can cry from any emotion, that emotions are chemical levels in your brain and your body is constantly trying to maintain equilibrium. so if one emotion sky rockets, that chemical becomes flagged and signals the tear duct to open as an exit to release that emotion packaged neatly within a tear. Everything made sense after learning that. That sudden stability of your emotions after crying. How crying is often accompanied by the inability to feel any other emotion in that precise moment. And it is especially beautiful knowing that it is even possible to experience so much beauty or love or happiness that your body literally can’t hold on to all of it. So what I’ve learned is that crying signifies that you are feeling as much as humanely possible and that is living to the fullest extent. So keep feeling and cry often and as much as needed

wishyroses

SHIT WHAT

teal-deer

Also let yourself cry. It really is a biochemical release valve to dump out all the chemicals that make you feel stuff.

I honestly think one reason men in western culture have so many problems is that we don’t let them cry, and literally their brains get stuffed with all this crap that doesn’t have a release valve. Men, please cry. You’ll feel better. It’s ok. You are not lesser for taking care of your health.

freewillandphysics

This is why tears from different emotions look different under an electron microscope. They’re literally made up of different things.

Happy tears are structurally different than sad tears than angry tears than overwhelmed tears etc.

curriebelle

I have a hot tip Depression Meal for u guys -sunflower seeds -dried cranberries That’s it u just mix them together and eat handfuls

I’m not even joking, apparently both those things have some pretty nice nutrients, and you might not feel like a terrible failure the way you do after eating an entire bag of Tostitos (I am giving this advice from the upward slope of a major depressive episode and I most certainly have eaten a whole bag of Tostitos, so I know the Guilt).

Instead you can have the seeds and cranberries and you can be like “I am a beautiful granola spirit, free and wild and strong,” and you’ll realize cranberries and sunflower seeds can be used in other stuff (again, unlike Tostitos) so you might be inspired to put them in salads or pasta or something on better days.

Also they tend to be cheaper than the other Healthy Snack of nuts, which is nice.

They are not a meal replacement, but if you are too depressed to make things, they make a pretty good pick-me-up snack so you have enough energy to do more food or small chores. 10/10 bird snack.