Habits

During the months of September and October, I felt I had been given the opportunity to reflect and reset. I was drawn to establish new habits, creating more space for my family, writing and wellbeing. I was extra diligent with my personal routines of journaling, meditating and exercising. As the spring weather beamed, we spent more time in the outdoors, walking, picnicking and exploring.

In September I was invited to share my thoughts on writing and following your dreams on ABC Radio. I had the chance to speak about the importance of multicultural literature and how through books children can travel to countries near and far from the comfort of their sofas, expanding their understanding of the world around them. I was also asked to discuss my writing routine and when preparing for this question I gained a deeper awareness of the habits I had formed over the past year, several of them had arose from the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdowns and restrictions had created new daily practices, some of them I was grateful for, while others I needed to let go. Taking stock of the activities I was repeatedly engaging in I began to see what was serving me and lifting my spirits and what was ultimately leaving me exhausted and depleted. Through this process I started to make small changes, replacing unhelpful habits (of working late into the nights and forgoing sleep) with beneficial ones.

I do like a routine but what I found interesting in September and October was how quickly I had created habits that had sneaked up on me, particularly as a reaction to the pandemic. This wasn’t a conscious process and when reflecting on some of these habits I could easily see how harmful they were to my energy and day. Through October, I made progress on dismantling these negative habits (not always an easy process as they become engrained) and reinstating positive ones. As I move into the months ahead, I hope to continue my new practices and make considered choices when taking on new actions. I encourage you all to ponder your habits, have you picked up any new ones that might not be in your best interest? After all, as the saying goes, we become what we repeatedly do.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MONTH

A huge thank you to ABC Canberra for having me on the air to highlight how books can play an important role in learning more about the world