Growth Mindset

“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”
- Albus Dumbledore

These past 9 weeks have been one for the books. Quite the roller-coaster of emotions and habits. It started off with an obsessional interest in the latest stats. How many cases, which country was hit the hardest, what is the overall death rate. It was sickening and thank goodness it didn't last. After the first few weeks I stopped checking first thing in the morning. Then I stopped checking all together. Sometime around week 3 I decided to turn off the grids for awhile, deleting my Facebook and Instagram apps for about 5 days. It was weird at first, I felt my muscle memory was so strong. I would find my thumb hovering, searching for these familiar apps on my phone. But by the end I had created some much needed distance between myself and social media. And I can still feel these effects still today.

I didn't however create any distance between myself and the fridge or pantry. Another coping mechanism, eating all the good (bad) stuff. It didn't help I also had a convenience store around the corner. Snacks were heavy here, take-out meals were easier and overall it just felt comforting. Even though I had no idea what the rest of the year would look like and all the plans I had made were up in the air. But some things still pushed through and I did get engaged to my boyfriend( now fiance) of 3 years. Yay!

So it wasn't all bad. A few weeks later I started taking the very popular "The Science of Well-Being" online course (offered for free by Yale University on www.coursera.org) with my best friend. We kept each other accountable and were really learning some stats (these were good ones) and tips on cultivating our own happiness in our daily lives. Things seemed to be looking up, until around week 6 when reality hit, or more so all those snacks hit, my hips and the scale. I gained some weight. Not a lot, but enough that I felt embarrassed and disappointed that I let things get out of hand. So I decided to build a morning routine, exercise for 30 mins a day, yoga for 30 mins a day, and try to hit at least 10,000 steps daily. We're told to stay home and stay safe, but for someone like me who was working as a server in a very fast-paced breakfast restaurant, I would usually hit 10,000 steps before noon. This easy cardio was no more. So, I had to put in the work. But it felt good. Going for walks around the neighbourhood is something I look forward to and I have developed a bit of an obsession with the local birds in my neighbourhood. (Cardinals, Orioles, Finches, Red-winged Blackbirds, I even saw a freakin' Hawk- or I think it was- it was huge)

So this brings me to week 9 now and not only am I cooking healthier options, exercising daily, and finding time to meditate, I am also approaching many areas of my life with a *growth mindset*. A particular lesson from the course addressed how we either have a fixed mindset ( you think you're just born with it ) or a growth mindset ( you believe hard work pays off ). Looking back on my life I think I too often had settled for a fixed mindset based on what adults said or how I compared myself to my fellow students who maybe were naturally gifted in other areas then me. But it is never too late to change a habit and show yourself how strong and resilient you really are.

Thanks to the science of well-being course, I have found a new love for online lessons. The structure and independent pace is great and as long as your follow through with the work, you will see the results. I recently completed a free "Procreate for Beginners" course offered by Teela Cunningham from www.every-tuesday.com. I have had a curiosity for digital media and drawing for a while now and currently have an Ipad and Apple pencil on loan from a great friend. So I signed up for this course with my *growth mindset* hat on and got to work. And you know what? I LOVED it.

Here are the tutorials I completed on Procreate. A lot of basic skills worked in many of these to help build that strong understanding and foundation for my own work later. I did improvise with the "Potter" word art, obviously re-reading Harry Potter has had a few influences artistically as well.

I'm so happy with the progress I have managed to make in the last 9 weeks, even those lazy, obsessive first weeks. Now I can look back and see my growth: creating good habits, taking care of my mind and body, feeding myself with healthy and delicious meals, and discovering and building new creative skills. I feel I am finally turning on the light because there is a lot of good hidden in this darkness.

Feel free to share and leave a comment if you've found your own blessings in this pandemic.

Lots of Love,
Monique