Building a routine again with old and new habits

There are many things I don’t do naturally in an environment I’m not used to. I think I’m somebody who takes a while to build habits in a changing environment during a time of transition. Sometimes even if I’m in the same environment but going through a big shift or transition in life, my habits go all over the place.

I hit my two years in Japan recently and am happy that I have felt a lot more present that I was before. It took some time, but I think my mental self is finally caught up to my physical self. I felt the shift most strongly in the past 6 months to 1 year, and I think a lot of it has to do with simply taking care of myself. Once I started doing that, I naturally found more footing in my life.

In this blog, I want to write down what I have in my life right now that makes me feel this way. Some of them are things I’ve returned to, but some are things I never had in the first place. Either way, they are very meaningful things in my life currently, in big ways and small ways.

1. Having go-to places for self care

In my last blog, I talked about trying out acupuncture at a clinic for the first time. I have continued going to the clinic, and the condition of my body has improved dramatically, from posture, sleeping problems, to fatigue. I genuinely feel so lucky that the first place I decided to visit made me feel safe and comfortable enough to keep going. Otherwise, I would’ve not only stopped going but also had a bad experience that would have prevented me from trying a second place for a long while.

I happened to go to this place near my old place right before moving away, but I’m still going to this day, even though it’s a bit of a commute from my new place. I know these discoveries are hard to come by, so unless circumstances make it difficult for me, I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

Another one is my nail salon, which might sound silly, but going there has become a part of my routine somehow. I didn’t do nails habitually before, but now I get them done regularly as a reward for myself. For this one, I was not so lucky. I tried some places and were disappointed a few times. Eventually I found this one that I have been going consistently. At first, I just wanted to go for some self care during a time I was very down, and wasn’t looking to go as a habit. However, I eventually found my current nail specialist, who made me want to go back regularly. I always enjoy my sessions with her, both the results she produces and the conversations we have.

I also have several go-to walking routes now. This is very important to me, because it lowers the hurdle for me to get out of the house for a walk. I like walking a lot, but I always want to go to too many places which put me in a decision dilemma so terrible it can prevent me from going on the walks, ironically. Having several go-to routes enables me to just grab my necessities and walk out the door before any thinking kicks in.

2. Getting busy moving around

I started exercising again. Aside from the weight training program created by my virtual personal trainer, I’m also doing pilates. Recently, after trying several pilates studios, I settled on one that I will go regularly. I’m looking forward to building this habit and hopefully seeing results.

Generally, my goal is to increase my daily movements. I used to struggle with it, because I saw it as a pressure to simply walk my way to the step goal. And then I started thinking where I should walk, and I go down an endless loop of thinking only to end up not going anywhere. Now, I have changed my mindset a little and found several ways to achieve what I want, including quick walks, outings, and workouts. Or even just getting off the train one stop earlier, or walking to the station farther away after work to go home. When I have options, I can go for whatever works for me depending on my mood or plans for the day.

This is important for me, because for the past few years, even before moving to Japan, I have had very low average movements and long sitting times, which have affected how efficiently my body processes what I eat and also hurt my health notably.

To change that, I wanted to make the mental hurdle lower for me to simply go out more. Tokyo is great for that, because it is a very walkable city. I’m someone who can stay indoors for many days at a time, and I don’t dislike that at all. It means I have many things I can and want to do even at home. But for my daily movements, I have learned to take some of the things I do at home outside. For example, instead of reading at home, I can go for a walk and read at the park, or go shopping and then read at a cafe afterwards.

It can feel daunting to take on a task of improving my health. I have found a focus, which is to increase my daily movements, and have connected each type of workout to this focused goal somehow, which motivates me to keep up with it. Having several options makes it easier for me to do what I need to do without being affected by factors such as weather, my mood, or my plans for the day. Plus, it also eliminates my ability of finding an excuse not to do it.

3. Having several corners of the city I like

Tokyo is a huge city. I have spent quite some time looking around different neighborhoods since I moved here, and there are still a ton of places I haven’t visited. Out of the places I have been, there are already a few that I like and think of going once in a while. I’m in a good place where I have several go-to places for an outing depending on how I feel on a day. And if I’m feeling curious, I might decide to explore a new area. Again, having these go-to spots lowers the hurdle, keeps my motivation for going out, and adds excitement to my outings.

4. Getting into my hobbies again

This one is still in progress, but I’m starting to go back to my way too many hobbies. I started playing golf again this year after not practicing for six months. I went to play on a golf course for the first time in Japan, and it was so much fun. Before going, I was a little intimidated by potentially not knowing the procedure and rules to follow, but it turned out to be easier than I thought. I also went with a good friend which made it significantly less scary. I will definitely be going more often.

I also got back on reading. I’ve read several books this year so far. What’s more, I actually read a novel in Japanese and didn’t struggle for the first time. The last Japanese novel I read about a year or two ago was difficult to finish, which could be due to a combination of my lack of language skills and lack of interest in the content of the book. This time, I read a book recommended by a Japanese friend. It was very easy to read and light-hearted, and I finished it in no time. Since I experienced the pleasure of reading in Japanese, my “want to read” list has expanded significantly, which put me back in my reading habit naturally.

I also really want to get back into studying languages consistently. My Japanese has naturally improved in a way from talking to people and now also reading in the language. However, I do want to find an activity or practice that targets my weakness specifically and is enjoyable enough for me to keep doing. Aside from Japanese, I’m also interested in Korean, but so far I have not committed strongly to it.

What I want to continue working on

Above are some signs that I’m finally connecting well with my life and starting to build a routine again. It took some time, mindset shifts, and reprioritizations, but I feel like I’m on the right track again. I want to keep building on what I have so far, making my habits stronger and also adding more good ones I can find. One I definitely need to work on is cooking more. I’ve started to make breakfast at home but other meals are still quite irregular between cooking and takeouts. I look forward to continuing to work on building my routine and looking back on the progress again in some time.