I remember when the thought came to me. It was mid-April and I was feeling sad. I was sad for the people we lost and who were sick. I was sad for the tremendous financial loss so many people were feeling. There were a lot of reasons to be sad.

I needed to turn myself around. I needed to think about what I had to be grateful for. I was grateful for mine and my family’s health. I was thankful that we have food on the table and a roof over our heads. But on that day, I just needed more. I needed something else to pull me out of my funk.

I thought about this unusual moment in time. I thought about the uniqueness of having two months to pause. While I hope we never need to do this again, I thought about how distinct this time is. I then decided to take advantage of this time and do something positive for myself. So, perhaps, when we eventually return to our busy lives, I would have achieved something new for myself.

Given that there was now so many workout routines available free online, I decided to try out different new ones and see whether I could incorporate something new into my life. I first started with yoga, which I thought I would love. I was shocked when I did not enjoy it. I then moved onto Pilates. After my unsuccessful foray into yoga, I expected the same unsuccessful result with Pilates. I was happily surprised how much I enjoyed Pilates, a workout method I had never previously tried.

Since then I have incorporated Pilates into my life. I am hopeful that, after we renter our hectic lives, I continue to take the time to do this for myself.

Have you tried anything new during this time?