Life Update| July 2020

July went by in a flash and I didn’t get to accomplish all the tasks on my to-do list before it ended. As usual with every month, there were highs and lows I had to deal with and I got reminded that adulting is a forever scam. If I had the choice to be 10 again, I wouldn’t go back to that age but I’m growing tired of all the responsibilities adulting keeps bringing to my table every damn day.

I was sick for about two weeks during the month of July. I was lowkey scared I had contracted the virus after not feeling 100 for about a week. I thought it was malaria and when malaria meds didn’t make me feel better, I got a blood work done and it revealed I had typhoid. I was confused because I had hardly eaten out for three months because of the bloody pandemic. Antibiotics were prescribed to me but they made me feel sickly if I didn’t eat like a glutton so I ate a lot for the first two weeks of the month.

When I started feeling better, I got my workout game back on track but instead of my regular walks, I created a different routine. Every other day, I got on the elliptical for thirty minutes then I did jabs and uppercuts, weighted squats, deadlifts, and other upper body workouts with weights. I’m definitely thicker than I used to be and I’m loving it but at the same time, I’m certain I’m gonna go back to walking soon because I don’t want to be unable to fit into my size 8 pants.

I published eleven blog posts in July and even though this quantity was lower than May’s posts, my stats increased and I got the highest views so far for the year. I was happy to share more about myself freely without a calendar or plan and I was elated when I saw the progress of my posts. My favourites for the month are; She Will, Job Interview Tips and 20 Things I Hate About You.

Skincare became a regular routine in my daily activities in July. I had been battling with forehead acne and blackheads for some time which moved to my cheeks. I knew it was time to join the average woman skincare club. My sister-in-law was my consultant and after some research, I tried a few samples of her products. By the last week of the month, I had discovered a doable routine and made a list of the beauty products I have now purchased. I also bought Wellwoman, a comprehensive multivitamin with evening primrose oil and starflower oil that’s specially formulated for women, which I take daily. And of course, I stocked up on additional Vit-C 1000mg to boost my immunity against coronavirus.

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A major highlight of the month is that I finally saw my friends. We hadn’t seen each other physically since the lockdown and it was nice to chill together and catch up. Unfortunately, I didn’t do a lot of reading in July because I had a busy workload. I worked on so many tasks I had never done before and at some point, I felt stretched beyond my limits. Whoever said working from home is fun? On the flip side, I’m happy to be growing and improving my Human Resource Management skills.

Eid-al-Adha was on the last day of July and it was yet another Eid that we said our prayers at home. We had a public holiday the day before and I was mad about the public holidays being on a Thursday and Friday as opposed to a Friday and Monday which I would have loved. We didn’t have a Sallah party and it made the day very weird for me which left me in a funk all day no thanks to COVID-19. I still ate party Jollof rice and Sallah meat though.

I’m excited for August and I hope it’s filled with more growth and discoveries. In two weeks, restaurants will be allowed to have customers eat in at 50% capacity. I’m a bit worried about how safe this is considering our numbers are still on the rise in Nigeria but I’m already looking forward to going to a new place and blogging about my experience in a Places in Lagos post.

Don’t forget to wear masks, sanitize/wash your hands regularly and stay safe.

With love,
Mariam Shittu