My Journey to 365 Days in Animal Crossing New Horizons — Part 4

The first week of March was a tough one for me because I was in the process of figuring out why I had been in pain for so many years now, and that meant tons of doctor appointments and exams. Once I got the diagnosis of fibromyalgia, I needed a few days to process it, so I didn't have the mind to log in too often. 

When I finally got to it, however, I was absolutely smitten by the green! Everything was lush once again, and the colours were popping out of my screen in an amazing way! Such a beautiful display of nature, even if it was through a screen, brought a sense of deep-seated calm in me. As someone who really hates the sun in real life (which isn't great for health, fibro or not!), I was surprised at how much I missed spring's aliveness; it really is no surprise that people who live in places with seasons end up so sick and tired of winter. 

Aside from taking things slowly, I've also tried to learn to let things go. Throughout my life, I've been notoriously neurotic, and though I try to keep it to myself and not control other people, I've driven myself insane in the past. This, of course, is a huge problem for someone who has fibromyalgia, so I was especially serious about learning not to worry... and so I sold all the Christmas furniture I had. Usually, the thought of doing that would make me anxious or even emotional — it was my first Christmas furniture on the island, after all! But it felt nice to get rid of that clutter, even if it was in-game; more space in my storage meant more opportunities to buy stuff I wanted and would use now, not in almost a year.

The more I played, the more I enjoyed the game. It seems the main reason I ended up leaving was because I couldn't stand the sight of the snow anymore; I was even inspired to talk to the animals again! The monotone, cold, and dreary atmosphere of the island hadn't inspired me to boot it up, but I found myself wanting more chores to do just to stick around in the sunny, lush, and colourful world for a bit more.

Now that the snow was gone, my plans for the island had changed. As I walked through the areas looking for Fossils, it occurred to me that I wanted to leave the forest untouched; I would always have to pass through there to find critters, anyway! There really wasn't a real reason to tear everything down and make it pretty, as just as it was, I thought it was beautiful.

I may still not have had the best track record when it comes to logging in every day (and, darn it, I forgot the Turnips every single time), but in large part, this is due to me spending a lot of time trying to get used to my new style of life. The doctor was clear about it — if I wanted my life to get better and pain-free, I was going to have to commit, so commit I did. I've learned to find moments to rest, nap when I'm tired, and I've even picked up some "beauty" routines to try and establish more self-care in my life! None of these have ever come naturally to me, so it's been a bit of a journey. Thankfully, the snow is far away from returning, so I still have many months to go before I have to deal with it again.

That's it for this month! I hope next month when I'm more used to the likes of meditation and having morning and night routines, I'll be able to log in much more often. Thanks for reading!