A Year of Grief

birthday - jurnal

A Year of Grief

April 13, 2020

Couple days before my birthday, I was wondering.. How it feels like to have a birthday alone at home? I think I've always had some kind of celebration on my birthday. I was never alone. A party, dinner, mid-night birthday surprise, birthday lunch, birthday sex, birthday trip, all sort of birthday celebrations.

This year, the pandemic happened. I have to stayed at home. Alone (still not sure if it is unfortunate or is a bliss).

At first I thought it will be miserable, but then I realised, I was not alone alone. All my loved ones are around. We were just happened to be not in a same place. I still can celebrate it in my own way in regard of any situation. So, on my birthday, I chose to be happy and grateful with the situations.

Apparently, celebrating birthday during quarantine still felt so lovely with all the sweet messages, phone calls, and gifts from my love ones.

Feeling loved and content on my 29th birthday :)

I spent some time to reflect on what I've learned in the past year. A day before my birthday last year, I submitted my thesis. Afterwards, I defended the thesis, got it published. Graduated. I went to Alaska and California to celebrate it. Then, I came back to Jakarta, started working in an NGO. Going back from Flagstaff to Jakarta was difficult. It took sometime to readjust and feel comfortable again with the new routines.

I also worked on plenty of big problems that I have been dealing with for sometime. It was one of the hardest phase in my life, if not the second hardest after the 27th years old. There were times where I didn't want to exist. I didn't want to wake up in the morning and start the day. I wished I never wake up. There were times when I wished I can disappear and never come back.  I wished I can declutter my self. I kept having these voices telling me it wasn't even worth-it to stay alive. Why should I stay alive?

"Try to survive until tomorrow, ok? Tomorrow you can give up, but not today.", I said that many times to myself.

People said: try to workout, eat healthy, drink more water, get a better sleep, reduce alcohol/caffein/sugar consumption, write journal, go seek professional helps, etc, etc, etc. Most people who said those, was never in my shoes. They probably didn't understand how much it hurts, but they were and are always around. No matter how messy I was. I thought, if I couldn't find reasons to stay alive for me, I would try my best to stay alive for them.

With small amount of energy, I managed to showed up in all difficult conversations and decisions. It was hurtful and painful. It wasn't easy ride at all. I still don't know how could I survive?

I started working out like crazy, heard that it will produce dopamine and serotonin. Reduce the pain and anxiety. Not to mention, I can run away from my own thoughts. Well, after couple of months, I can see the result on my body physically, which make me think that things can get better. It just takes time and energy. And I started to enjoy the workout more than just as a distraction. I went climbing and dancing. I met a lot of new friends. I invested my heart, time, and energy for people who loves me. It all makes me happy. It makes me think that life is still worthwhile. 

I seek professional help to assist me processing the emotions and getting through the flood of thoughts. It works. It is helpful because I learned to accept my vulnerable sides and be okay with it. You probably know me as a happy go lucky person. I am, but there were times when I fake those smiles while breaking down inside. It was really weird. With the professional help, I know how to be unhappy and let out feelings. Let them come and go. I am learning to respecting my own feelings and be real.

I moved back to the house of my dream. For couple months, I run away from all the triggers. I started to fill up my schedule in every possible ways. So, I don't have to be at home. For many months I didn't want to be alone because I didn't want to be with my self, deal with all the triggers and thought of painful moments. 

A quarantined selfie.

Then, the COVID19 happened. I have to stay at home. I can't run away. All the triggers shot me so many times. I can't go away. So, I've spent this month to be friend with the triggers. Who are you? What do you want? What can I do for you? It's been kind of fun to be able to get through these.

You know, I probably not the same person as I was a year ago. I changed so much and yet stay the same in a weird combination. Although it wasn't easy, I kind of enjoying the process. I'll take it easy and see how it goes.

Now, I am 29 years old. Next year I will enter a new decade. Sometimes, I wonder, what kind of woman I want to be in the next decade? I will think about it next year. Hahaa.

Anyway, thank you for all the love. You probably don't realised how much it means to me. I hope you believe me when I said I am grateful to have you in my life. You keep me alive. Thank you, thank you, and thank you.


With all the love,

Diny

Belajar Memanjat

reviews - travel

Belajar Memanjat

April 11, 2020

Sewaktu manjat di Gunung Parang

Mumpung lagi akhir pekan di tengah-tengah masa karantina, saya mau cerita sedikit tentang hobi baru yang lagi saya gandrungi pas banget beberapa bulan sebelum COVID19 merajalela.

Sejak bulan Januari tahun ini, saya mencoba latihan manjat. Manjat sebenarnya bukan hal baru yang belum pernah saya lakukan. Dulu banget waktu SMA saya pernah latihan manjat, karena waktu itu ikutan grup pecinta alam. Terus, akhir tahun lalu, saya juga sempat manjat via ferrata di Gunung Parang (pernah saya ceritain di Instagram).

Nah, kebetulan ada tempat climbing gym baru yang indoor dan ada pelatihnya. Dekat dan mudah diakses lagi, di daerah Sudirman. Dekat sekali sama tempat saya berolahraga.

Tempat latihan manjat baru ini namanya Indoclimb. Manjat di Indoclimb seru banget! Kita bisa ikutan kelas yang dipandu oleh pelatih-pelatih yang komunikatif dan seru. Mereka akan mengajarkan gimana caranya pegang poin, kaki dan tangan mesti kemana, posisi badan mesti gimana, termasuk mengajarkan cara jatuh.

View this post on Instagram

Hi climbers! We are going online!! We allow you to book for our activity or class directly through our website. It's faster, easier and we will always be available for reservation. Register and book our class at indoclimb.com. Also find us at MINDBODY apps.

A post shared by Indoclimb (@indo.climb) on Jan 5, 2020 at 9:04pm PST

Walau ngga bisa atau belum pernah sama sekali, nanti akan diajarin sama pelatih-pelatihnya. Saya pun sudah lupa cara manjat, jadi ya mengulang dari awal belajarnya. Senang banget bisa latihan lagi, ketemu teman-teman baru, ketemu teman-teman lama, sambil manjat dan seru-seruan.

Di Indoclimb, saya latihan bouldering, yaitu manjat yang ngga pakai tali. Maksimal ketinggian 3,5 - 4 meter. Walau ngga pakai tali, tapi tetep aman kok karena ada matras di bawahnya. Di Indoclimb, bisa bayar per kedatangan dan bisa sewa alat di sana. Pokoknya bisa tinggal datang aja. Meskipun kadang ramai banget ya, jadi mesti booking slot dulu. Bisa juga ikutan membership kalau mau datang kapan aja dan sebanyak apapun yang kamu mau.

Setelah manjat seminggu sekali selama hampir 2 bulan, saya lumayan agak bisa. Ok, mungkin bukan bisa, tapi lebih nyaman (apaan sih manjat aja pakai nyaman hahaha).

Ada satu hal yang buat saya sangat menarik. Selama manjat ini, saya semakin sadar kalau saya itu takut jatuh. Saya ngga suka jatuh. I don't feel safe and I don't want to fall. Meskipun tentunya saya tau di bawah ada matras, saya sudah tau cara jatuh, dan ada orang-orang di sekitar yang bisa bantuin kalau pun saya cidera. It will be okay, it will be just fine. 

Waktu bisa manjat dan jatuh pada jalur ini.

Tapi.. Ketakutan itu tetap ada di otak saya. Saya tau sih kalau it is totally fine, it is okay to feel afraid. Seperti di kehidupan sehari-hari ya. Kadang kita takut sesuatu, padahal mungkin ketakutan itu bukan hal yang nyata. Mungkin ketakutannya hanya ada di otak kita karena kita ngga terbiasa dengan rasa yang baru. Tetap saja, saya takut. It is what it is.

Sekarang tinggal gimana caranya mengatasi ketakutan yang saya punya. Dalam hal ini, sepertinya rasa ketakutan bisa berkurang kalau saya melakukannya terus menerus. Belajar jatuh terus-terusan. Belajar mengatasi rasa ketakutan dengan cara menghadapinya dengan gagah berani. Mungkin lama-lama saya jadi tau bahwa.. it is okay to fall. I just have to trust my self a little bit more, that I will be okay and I will be safe.

Ya pelan-pelan aja.

Semoga pandemi ini segera berakhir,  saya mau latihan jatuh!


xoxo,

Diny