Life has been hectic. Personally, it seems like each new week introduces greater and more unique chaos. Self-care suggestions exist on the internet, but the suggestions I have found focused on diet and exercise ...which, while important, are 2 areas where I consider myself consistently in the "good" range for. Even if the alternative proved true (that my diet and exercise are lackluster), diet and exercise can only help so much. Self-care is a multi-dimensional care package for each human and - no surprise - astronauts include this non-tangible "package" in their gear for the International Space Station.
Pizza Night
There's no coincidence that I mentioned this first - it's the fun one! All of the astronauts aboard bond with homemade pizza night. Considering that their diets are meticulously crafted to fulfill specific nutrient needs optimal to each crew member, pizza night is a deviation from the norm. The astronauts are equipped with tortilla flatbreads for their crust. This diminishes crumbs that would float around the microgravity cabin and provides longer shelf life for ISS usage. Any toppings come from vacuum-sealed packs of food ...and sometimes, astronauts have some fun and hold these toppings down with clamps!
Even while reading this, I smiled at the creativity that has to ensue for pizza night to work in this environment. Doing something creative can get you out of your own noggin'. Maybe that means painting or playing music for you ...or maybe having a pizza night - whether over Zoom or with a small group - could help you de-compress!
Reading by the Window
Plenty of astronauts like Christina Koch have enjoyed a good book while on the International Space Station, often near a window peering down at Earth. While us Earthlings don't exactly have a reservation (yet) at a floating window ~200 miles above our beautiful blue orb, we do have windows where we can view outside nature or people-watch in between book pages. Isn't it crazy to imagine that someone in space could be reading the same book, or at least doing the same activity, as you are here on Earth? We are all connected.
Question for everyone here: Do you decompress with a space-themed book? Or fantasy? Or something more realistic? Comment down below in this blog, or feel free to DM me on social media! I'd love to know and connect!
Watching TV
I won't lie - this one surprised me! Astronauts watch TV in space to cure feelings of homesickness by reconnecting with TV shows popular on Earth. NASA astronaut Drew Feustel watched SEVEN seasons of Game of Thrones while aboard the ISS; it helped him feel camaraderie with the billions of humans he remained separated from while in space.
Watching TV is often synonymous with wasting time or disconnecting with the world around you. However, and especially at a time like this in our society, watching TV can be a conversation catalyst. Considering all of the "Baby Yoda" merch that I have seen lately, I have to agree. Personally, I've recently started watching "The Umbrella Academy" after a physics professor commented that the black boxes used in our electronics lab resemble those used to time travel in the show. Speaking of ...I haven't found myself impressed with the show by the end of season 1. Care to start a conversation about that below or in my DMs?
Whatever you use to practice self-care, I hope that you're taking time to practice doing so. There's often a sense of guilt with taking time for ourselves. "But...I could be doing work! Or getting ahead on this assignment! Or I could be progressing with that paint project!" is an internal dialogue that I find myself having constantly. How can we do our best and be our best selves without caring for our own human life first? With these thoughts being shared, I have one more meeting to attend to today and then I am relaxing.
Happy Friday!
Rocket Girl Harper
1 Comment