My Top 10 Food for Thought During MCO （7/10）

7. Exercise self-control in everyday life

The way we run our daily lives need to be adjusted accordingly since the implementation of MCO. The key is self-control. According to Psychology Today, self-control is defined as the ability to subdue one's impulses, emotions, and behaviors to achieve long-term goals. We need to exercise self-control in our resources management. When movement is restricted, we can no longer enjoy the freedom of doing groceries shopping as often as the usual days. For my family, the frequency of groceries shopping is reduced to a fortnightly routine. This implies that we need to manage our resources wisely and perhaps frugally. Meals are prepared much simpler than before; as long as each meal makes up of balanced diet of generous amount of vegetables and fruits, moderate amount of carbohydrates, moderate amount of protein and minimal fat, is good enough. We need to exercise self-discipline over our stay-at-home and work-from-home schedules everyday. A daily timetable which coordinates different sessions for work, kids' learning, house chores, meals, relaxation and rest, would definitely be helpful for every family during MCO. However, even with a timetable sets in place, a fulfilling daily productivity still relies very much on self-control and self-discipline.

We need to exercise self-control in our choices. What are the activities we have done to make time count and meaningful during this season? Scrolling the social media is not only time-consuming, it also exposes us to the temptations of impulsive online shopping. When the privilege of physical shopping in the mall is taken away by MCO, social media has become an effective shopping platform. Don't you agree? The marketing potential ranges from fresh vegetables, fresh seafood supply, baking supplies, kitchenware, sport equipment, home living furniture, books and to name a few. Psychologically, many may fall into the trap of over-buying due to lack of control during the pandemic lock-down season. Human beings long for being in-control of their lives. Pandemic lock-down caught everyone unprepared; it snatches away our sense of "in-control". For some folks, buying to possess or hoard may ease that sense of losing control and be filled with false sense of security. To avoid this trap, we need to exercise self-control before heading for impulsive online shopping. We also need to exercise self-control in limiting our social media screen time. I believe we can triumph over the downside of pandemic lock-down if we embrace self-control in our daily lives. Let us make the most of what we have during this imperfect season by choosing what really matters and counts!