Run - Running Again after Almost 5 Years (but during Ramadhan + heatwave)

Personally, I don't suggest anyone starts running for the first time during Ramadhan (plus during one of the hottest seasons in Malaysia)  - it's demotivating. But I'm not new to running and I used to run during the fasting season, so I hope, this would be okay for my body.

This is what my training calendar looked like in April :

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First week :

I started my first week of training based on my female monthly phases because I read that we have different bodies than men and I need to put that into account. During the menstrual phase, I started with low-intensity exercise, so I did around 20-30 mins of yoga stretches daily on those bad crampy days. Honestly, I didn't feel like doing anything. 

Please read more on exercises based on your menstrual cycle.

Here I compiled for you :

I think it is helpful because the female body reacts differently to our fluctuating hormones: for example, during luteal & menstrual phases, I am prone to migraine, fatigue, and cramps. It is also a bit demotivating because I usually don't want to go anywhere (due to the fatigue, bloatedness & cramps). So based on the cycle itself, we should only do simple low-intensity exercises such as pilates, yoga, and walking to accommodate the bad weeks. 

Work with your body, not against it. 

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Second week :

• First jog: I tried my first run after 5 years ±, it was supposed to be a 3 km light jog but Sofi insisted on tagging along on her bike then after 2 km she was tired and cranky, so I had to just walk afterward to push her bicycle back to the car. So roughly 2 km of jogging and another 4 km of walking were achieved that day. Love that I walked 10,001 steps on that day :

• There were missed days when I didn't have a chance to go out because I took care of Sofi at home, but I managed to at least get my minimum walking distance reached while pickup up Sofi from daycare or a home workout. 
• I started running during one of the hottest heatwave seasons - so it is a bit tough but the heart needs what it needs. On Thursday, I managed to run for 3 km starting at 6.30 pm and accumulated another 4 km of walking distance. I finished the entire track and decided that I needed to make another new music playlist so I could take turns listening to a different playlist. Also, that day was really hot, and my breathing felt dense and heavy - I mostly drank water after berbuka and didn't feel like eating that much. No migraine.
• I also noticed that I am feeling extra hungry on the fasting days since I started running and I don't think I can fuel up my body enough because the eating window during Ramadhan is small. I usually don't feel like eating most of the time. So this might affect my energy and recovery process. But that's okay, Ramadhan is almost over and this is a one-month experiment.      
• Body-ache wise was still manageable. It was not too bad considering I haven't exercised for a while. I managed to run for 3 km non-stop on Thursday and it was still fine on Saturday. So I hope it is recovering fast & well. 
• I think the first running week went well. It was a bit too hot and too hungry, but I managed. 
• Total Run : 8 km + Walk : 16 km

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Third week :

• I hardly had time to go out and run this week - it's balik kampung time !
• Checkpoint: Ran in Raub and walked alongside the Pahang River in Pekan
• Raya weekend in Pahang  
• Total Run : 3 km + Walk : 15 km

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Fourth week :

• It was still travel and raya week. So I hardly have time to run.
• I also did blood donation at AEON, I saw their notification on IG and went there straight away. I donated a whole pack of blood and put myself on rest for 3 days
• I had migraines because it's my PMS week (as expected)
• My brother and I registered for a half marathon in 100 days' time: Putrajaya Night Race 2023
• So this would be my resting week and the new cycle begins !

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I think the first month of training went well, considering I started during fasting month and Raya season. I hope I can improve the training momentum next month, now that we signed up for a half-marathon.

Little Things 263 : Decided to Formally Study UX

In conjunction with my depressive phase, I decided to put myself on a challenge to formally learn UX. I've taken a basic 1-semester course in UI/UX during my degree. I've done some UI projects with startups in my previous jobs but all based on learning by experience and current projects during those times. I mostly referred to all available products in the market (directly or indirectly), did comparisons, and used reverse engineering to design the products. 

Although it worked and was one of the fastest ways to create a product, I realized that I still have a lot of things that I don't know about especially the current trends, the latest UX rules, keeping up with the latest tools, etc. It is a field that is constantly changing, and I always have these working gaps that I didn't fill in with the 'latest' knowledge. So I'm not confident enough because there's so much that I still don't know. I didn't even put UI projects in my online portfolios even though I worked with these fintech companies and created several websites and apps for them from scratch.

It's always the imposter syndrome dilemma. 

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In the industry :

During most of the interviews that I had with companies when I apply for  UI/UX jobs, they usually ask whether I'm familiar with their choice of tool, and most of the time I'm not. In one of my previous projects, I worked on Sketch, and in the other next project, I worked on Adobe XD. The current hype is Figma (and most companies expect us to familiarize ourselves with the most latest tool). I am expected to keep up with the trend, and when I said that I can learn the next tool just like I learned the other previous tools used in the industry, they weren't convinced. But maybe I wasn't convincing enough la kan. 

Side note: Figma is acquired by Adobe in Sept last year and this could mean many things. Remember web designers used to use Dreamweaver to design websites and it is then replaced by Wordpress? Or people use to rely on Photoshop/Illustrator to design and illustrate, but now it is replaced by Canva/Procreate?

The industry is constantly changing and I think being able to adapt is one of the most important skills needed. Companies need to prepare to accept this learning period when they hire someone new. 

Wait, I'm not explaining why I choose to learn UX. Well, when working in a team, I realized that I don't know a lot of the 'terms', UX rules, and current trends, that are used in the industry. Although you can learn all these slowly by experience, UX still has a part that needed to be learned (I mean, we need to read/study and familiarize ourselves with) - it isn't like in design. The UI part is mostly the creative design part and the UX part is where we get to be a nerd, making sure there are reasons behind the design. 

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The Certificate: Google UX Design Professional Certificate

Before deciding on taking the cert, I was spending time taking classes on Skillshare :

Beginner's Class :

• Figma UI UX Design Essentials by Daniel Scott
• Intro to UI/UX for Graphic Designers: Adobe XD by Maddy Beard
• Intro to UX: Designing with a User-Centered Approach by Cinthya Mohr

Intermediate :

• UI/UX Design: 6 Tips for Streamlining Components in Figma by Maddy Beard
• UI/UX Design: 6 Tactics For Getting Organized in Figma by Maddy Beard

But all were just a bit too basic. So I came across the Google cert and decided to enroll in the course. I finished 2 courses from my Google UX Design Professional Certificate and I am currently on my own cuti raya holiday from my studies, I will continue course 3 after raya next week. In the course, I am expected to spend around 10 hours per week and finish each course in a month. But, I finished 2 courses in the past 2 weeks because this is my coping mechanism in dealing with emotional breakdowns for now. Hahah.

Course 1 (I finished in 18 hours) and course 2 (in 28 hours) are basic on the fundamentals, briefing about UX, the UX types and work positions in the industry, design sprints, research part, and the ideation process. If you took IT in your previous lifetime, surely this is just a refreshment. I think this whole course is a refreshment from the semester I took in UNITEN. But the main difference is it is introducing Adobe XD in the ideation process and Figma in the prototyping process. 13 years ago we don't have these tools to play with.

Anyway, it's a good refreshment and a nice distraction for me.

So I hope it is useful in my resume if I want to apply for a UI/UX job in the future.

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Would I recommend this certificate to people?

Probably, especially if you want to work with bigger corporate companies. Most of the time, only bigger companies have a dedicated UX posting. I don't think smaller-size companies will care about Google certifications or even have a dedicated UX posting (UX analyst, UX researcher, UX designer, UX writer, UX architect, etc), they usually combine UI/UX and they care more about your portfolio, yes. Whether you can design or not.

So if for example, you want to work with Google, this would be a nice certificate to have because they have different job roles for UI/UX in the company. Also, if you want to work with larger-scale corporate fintech like Maybank/CIMB, the certificate would definitely help in your application too.

Oh, and if you don't have a background in UI/UX, or you are a self-taught UI designer, this would be fundamental knowledge as well. This is useful and you can learn about the important jargon in the industry.

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Is it hard?

If you are studying during the fasting season and you are hungry all the time, yes, it is hard to focus. If you are over 35 and you feel like your youthful brain is slowly disintegrating, perhaps yes, it is hard to change your mind. If you are a mom of a toddler that loves to crawl on your lap while you are completing an assignment, perhaps, yes, it is challenging.

But, it is just a state of mind. 

Go slow, crawl if you need. Instead of stalking people online, use your time to finish up the lecture, and endure the boring moment, answer the quiz, share your opinion, submit the assignment, eventually you'll be at the finish line. 

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Free Sharings on Youtube :

• UI/UX by Maddy Beard 
• Learn Digital Product Design by Relab Studios

Little Things 263 : Depressive Mode On

 

I'm usually quite a productive person.

It's one thing that held on to, that I assume is linked to who I am as a person, one of my traits maybe. But I've been spiraling down for the past 3 months - I can't create, I can't read (as much), and I spent a lot of time being stuck in this weird limbo.

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So what should you do when you are in a challenging phase? When you are depressed, when you can't do anything because you stop feeling like you want to do anything, life is bland, you can't eat and everything feels worthless. I'm going to share some of the things that I do to accommodate this giant kaonashi until I recover.

Kaonashi is a character in Spirited Away. When they first met, Chihiro avoided him. Then Chihiro saw him again waiting under the pouring rain, and she opened the door to let kaonashi into the bathhouse. After the chaos and troubles at the bathhouse caused by him, Chihiro accepted kaonashi as her responsibility and let him follow her around for a while until Chihiro accomplished what she needed to do. In the end, kaonashi decided to stay with Zeniba, Yubaba's twin sister. No longer interested in Chihiro.

So, this depression is my kaonashi. 

I'm acknowledging him and I'm letting him follow me around for the time being.

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The things that I'm doing:

1. Acknowledge. I know this is hard to accept, but being aware of the situation is the first step in helping your mind to recover. You need to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Saying "Yes, I am depressed" is the first step, give yourself a breather, accept it T^T
2. Small goals. I try my best to tackle one thing at a time, with smaller goals to achieve so that I can collect these miniature 'goal-completed' trophies to stimulate my dopamine on daily basis. Dopamine is your achievement hormone, it's your booster, it's your caffeine, your 'kick'. I make smaller daily goals like "reading 1 chapter of a book", "listening to at least 1 sub-course in my UX studies", and "walking at least 2 km per day". Manageable smaller goals. 
3. Try writing. Ok, this is why this blog is getting its 2 posts per week this year because I'm pushing myself to sit, reflect on something and actually finish writing. 
4. Exercise. I'm also starting to exercise back again this month, after the 4 years of running hiatus. Running helps me feel joy for a while, you know, the feeling you get after 15 mins of running, when endorphins and serotonin are released in your body. If I can't run that day, I do my minimum 2 km walk at home or some yoga stretches. Anything, as long as I move. I know, it's the last thing you want to do when you are feeling low. But I've already created a running schedule and daily goal on my Notion, downloaded Strava, and make a new playlist, I look forward to clicking on the tick button every day. That's my boost for now. 
5. Get enough sleep. Well, it's Ramadhan so I sleep in early. I usually sleep in at 9.30 pm and wake up at 4.30 am. If you get sleep disturbances, exercise will help, and also avoid caffeine and processed sugar completely. 
6. Challenge yourself. Ok, I know, it is hard to even care about anything at this phase. But at this point, you only have yourself to hold on to, so you need to step up and persuade yourself to do something. Even if it is small, challenge yourself to something small, but daily like taking a cold shower early in the morning. 
7. Meditate, pray, and believe in the process. 

Oleh itu, maka (tetapkanlah kepercayaanmu) bahawa sesungguhnya tiap-tiap kesukaran disertai kemudahan. (Sekali lagi ditegaskan) bahawa sesungguhnya setiap kesukaran disertai kemudahan. 30:94  - twice mentioned. 

This is not a fun phase to be in. But I know it's normal, we will feel it perhaps several times in our lifetime because we are human with emotions. Thank God I am not stressed out about it, or worst, anxious. The mix of those turbulences would be awful. So I'm glad that I can be this much aware of my emotions, hopefully, I will recover soon. 

It's a phase, I'm just processing my emotions.

 

Note: If you are managing your depression or you've been feeling low and can't get out, go seek professional help. As for me, I have my reasons, I'm aware of this phase that I'm in because of my personal situation that I'm dealing with. So I'm accommodating this phase with the healthy tools that I know might help with my own condition. 

Series - Beef by Lee Sung Jin (on Netflix)

 

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Beef is a 10-episode dark comedy-drama miniseries created by Lee Sung Jin and it is just out on Netflix. I don't always want to write reviews about series because, in the era of consumption, there is just too much movie/series content to share. So I only share when something really 'flicked' my heart. It doesn't feel like the usual dark comedy, or rom-com, or crime series, I don't even know which one genre to choose.

It's about 2 deeply wounded flawed people played by Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, who got involved in a road-rage incident, and that one particular incident consumed their whole lives throughout the series. They got obsessed with each other, took revenge in twisted ways, and escalated into all these bigger problems. 

It is dark, entertaining, messy, deep, awakening, stressful, and every weird uncomfortable feeling that I could muster here. I unintentionally played it when I saw it was featured on Netflix and I was hooked on the first episode right away. 

I want people to watch this series.  I think it is one of the best series on Netflix so far because it touches upon a lot of real-life 'unspoken' issues all around me and it hits deep. Somehow watching this series taught me to empathize with every single messy character in the story, even with their dysfunctional ugliest side being shown - they are not warm lovable characters, mind you. They can be unlikeable but somehow, I can even relate to them, I can feel their pain, and I can understand and empathize with their situation. 

There's this scene in one of the episodes, where one of the characters said :

" You don't have to be ashamed. It's okay, I see it all. You don't have to hide it. It's okay",

That's what I feel like saying to the whole characters in the story because there is so much pain in life and suffering is a part of it, you don't know why you are here, why your life is like that, but you are expected to endure and just move forward. It is so hard, life is so hard - and at times, I don't know why people don't vocalize it enough. You know, if only people share deep conversations more, we probably won't feel that lonely going through all this.

Maybe I'm at this lowest phase in life at this moment and watching these messed up people makes me feel seen and understood. Maybe that's why I felt so much when I watched it, I don't know, I need to thoroughly introspect that. 

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There are also a lot of interesting things to explore :

• The title of each episode, read here for details
• The artwork that was shown in the intro of every episode
• The sculptures made by Joji
• The choice of songs

The trailer doesn't do justice, just watch the series :

Kids : Sofi and her Arts/Craft Activities

As an artist, I have many sponsored art materials, and I know I don't really make as many artworks so I shared most of my art materials with Sofi. For the past 2 years, she's been playing a lot with various colour materials: pencil colour, water colour, crayons, markers, highlighters, acrylic paints, poster markers, poster paint, etc.

I know it's a bit too much for a 4-year-old, but most of the art materials are mine but she loves them to be on her table instead:

She started colouring around the age of 1.5 years old, and she loves to do it almost daily. By the time she is 3, there are so many fully-used colouring books around. We can't even catch up in buying more colouring books. One thing I make sure of is that she needs to finish colouring the whole page before turning to the next page. So there's no unfinished page.

Perhaps I also need to start teaching her to use blank A3 paper to draw from her imagination instead? 

Links to my fav art materials for toddlers :

• Stabilo Woody - love the chunkiness and the vibrant colours
• Stabilo BOSS Highlighter - yes, I know most people use highlighters for studies, but these highlighters set is so much fun to use with a toddler, chonky and vibrant, easy to clean
• Unicorn Poster Paint - also chonky, so easy to fill up a large paper, feels like crayon but more buttery, more colours here

One thing I noticed about toddlers is they have a small attention span so using tiny-tip pencil colours is a bit too slow for them. Use chonky colours instead. Also, painting is also fun for them (not for us to do the clean up later though). 

I learned that making them do art is good for strengthening their attention span. Imagine looking at a 3-year-old painting at her desk for 30 minutes straight, undisturbed. It's, an amazing view. I never thought she can be that focused while painting.

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Anyway, for the latest 3 weeks of her school holiday, I bought her a set of Kumon's first-step workbooks. Sofi is almost 4, so I want to hone another motor skill which is to cut paper and paste. She tends to be more crafty & artsy so using scissors would be a great skill to add. As an anxious parent, I started with basic kiddy scissors without the blade (but she manages it just fine).

In this set, there are 12 workbooks suitable for toddlers 2+, mainly on these topics: Let's Color, Let's Cut Paper, Let's Fold, Let's Sticker & Paste. Each book contains 40 sheets. It is a nice school holiday activity for toddlers >> Kumon Workbook Set Here <<

In the first few books, all activities were guided. I need to explain, help, and guide her in the learning process. The Kumon's colouring book section is a bit too easy for her so she didn't like it that much.  I think she loves cutting using scissors the most (probably because it's a new tool for her) and she took a few weeks to master the skill. Now she can do all the activities in most of the books by herself. She will sit in front of the tv, watch Peppa Pig, and do the cutting activity all by herself. She can also cut and use glue to paste. She doesn't like the folding part yet so I'm keeping those Kumon's folding books for the time being.

These are all the books that she already finished in a month :

And here are the paper activities that she cut, paste and stick (I put them in a box) :

I also don't force her to do activities that she doesn't feel like doing, for example remembering the alphabet, or tracing them. She has her own desk and art supplies, so most of the time, she chooses which arts/crafts activity to do herself. 

Other tips : She also has a big file that I use to keep all her artwork from school so she can see them back when she wants to (so I don't have to stick it on the wall). I also bought her cute luggage, that's where she can put all her stickers. So she won't stick stickers all over the place :

Links to more activity books :

• Gakken Activity Books (useful & visually nice, but too fast and only can be used once)
• Usborne Wipe-Clean Activity Book (this is one of Sofi's fav, she reused this so many times)
• I Spy Learn & Go (nice illustration but less activity than the Usborne one)
• Busy Book (locally made, nice illustration, not Sofi's fav)
• My First Sticker Book (nice to play, until they stop sticking up on the pages)

As you can see, I love buying her books. I always experimented with different kinds of books: colouring books, sticker books, busy books, activity books, etc. Personally, I think by 2 years old, kids are ready for their arts and crafts activity - fully guided. 

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As for reading, I try to make it a habit to read before sleep time or downtime (around 6 pm+). I let her choose her books and read for her. I started reading to her when she was 3 months old, and I always surrounded her with books so I guess she's used to it by now. At this moment she is still in the 1-5 simple lines per page era. I bought a lot of books that are too advanced for her, so usually, she isn't interested. Picking up the right book is also a learning process for me. 

 

Moving-forward :

• I think having a cellophane tape dispenser will help her in cutting the tape, instead of having to rely on me to cut the tape for her
• Plus, I think I can now upgrade her kiddy scissor to a proper kid's friendly scissor (with blade)
• And I will buy a blank A3 paper for her to draw

Little Things 262 : In Saying Good Bye

 

• Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away at 71, he was an amazing musician and film composer. Here are some of my favorite songs composed by him: Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence and Solitude. I use his songs to write.
• Bookdepository is closing on the 26th of April 2023, after more than 15 years with us. This is where I bought most of my physical books online.

Both are sad news. 

With shortness of breath / I'll try to explain the infinite / And how rare and beautiful it truly is that we exist - Saturn by Sleeping at Last

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I have a playlist called Wordless, which I use mostly while writing:

I guess it helps to be in a 'certain mood' because when writing I need to be in my subconscious space and songs can trigger this part of the brain. Some people meditate, some sleep on it, and some practice visualization, for me, listening to music helps me block out the noise. And caffeine definitely helps too. 

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On random note :

• I want to remember today.
• I'm currently taking Google's UX certificate and I'm resting from doing the first sprint project (perhaps continue tomorrow morning for an uninterrupted session). I'm curious to see whether I manage to finish the course, I've finished several classes on Figma at Skillshare this week and want to try out a formal certificate. Tua2 sambung belajar ada rasa tepu sikit wotak. But can read this when you start your lesson. Before this, I used this doa whenever I start a new classic lit (sbb berpeluh2 baca classics tak paham mende) :

O Allah! There is nothing easy except what You make easy, and You make the difficult easy if it is Your Will.

 اللهُمَّ لا سَهْلَ إلا مَا جَعَلتَهُ سَهْلا وَ أنتَ تَجْعَلُ الحزْنَ إذا شِئْتَ سَهْلا 

Allahumma la sahla illa ma ja’altahu sahla, wa ‘anta taj-alul hazna idha shi’ta sahla

Run : Running Phase 2

I'm jumping on a running track again after 5 years of running hiatus. 

I started running in 2012 and I stopped running in 2018 (after I got pregnant). There was a phase when I ran so much in a year and there was a phase when I slow down on running because I can't get pregnant. I don't know whether it was scientifically related, but I finally got pregnant with Sofi in 2018. (Yelah, tukang urut mokmekmokmek saying I shouldn't run that much if I'm trying to conceive but I was skeptical). Dah la underweight. I actually got pregnant after my 1st 'sengkak' session after a while and during that time the massage therapist said my 'peranakan dah jatuh ni, awak aktif sangat'. Then 2 months after the session, I got pregnant with Sofi, Wallahu A'lam.

In 2012, I started running because I was preparing for my 30s. I was 25 and I felt like it was a perfect number to start running. Now roughly 10 years later, I already reached 36, I think I should continue my old mission to keep on running. I really want to do a long walk and hike soon, so I think running would be a good exercise to prepare for that.

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I still have some issues with running :

1. The issue with having low blood pressure. 

I am more prone to feeling dizzy and light-headedness. I always feel like I was going to pass out when I run too fast. My go-to running pace is slow or fast-walking. I also limit my run, the farthest run I did was a half-marathon, twice and I think it works for me. Even when I'm running, I can't suddenly stop, tie my own shoelaces and continue running straight away. Normal bp: Ranging around 120/80, mine is usually below 110/70, sometimes even lower than 100/65. That's why a high-intensity exercise like HIIT training isn't suitable for me, byk moment nak black out esp kalau ada tunduk then bgn.

To deal with this: Limit my running pace, I read that to help raise my bp, I can drink a cup of coffee in the morning. Extra salt would help too. But I've been having low bp for as long as I can remember and feeling lightheadedness or fatigue are a norm for me. 

2. The issue with running in daylight.

I am also prone to migraine and headaches. It took a while to connect these two: sun/bright light + run = migraine. So when I go longer run (more than 10km), I usually develop migraine: like someone hitting on the back of my skull, and additional nausea on top. After I connected these two, then I stopped running in daylight and entered night run (in events). But then migraine can be triggered by so many things. So it is hard to really pinpoint on solely one thing. I did a night half marathon once then I also got a migraine that night. Long run = migraine? 

To deal with this: Run at night or at the gym.

3. The issue with running in a crowd.

I love the solitude of running, so running in events with a crowd doesn't excite me that much. So I prefer running alone with my music.

Anyway, I will add low/moderate intensity exercises to match my health condition: weight training, yoga, long walk, or hiking. My aim has always been a constant fitness activity turned into a habit, I don't have any mountain to conquer. Lagipun I use running as some sort of therapeutic activity. 

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How to run again after 5 years hiatus?

1. Do mild yoga stretches/weight training a week before to prepare your body - ✓
2. Update your playlist - ✓
3. Start with a short run (around 3 km) - ✓
4. Follow a training schedule - ✓
5. Nerd up and record your journey - ✓

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Running Playlist:

I updated my running track because I'm starting a phase 2 running journey. 

The start song is Worthless by d4vd because when you start running after a while you will feel bad and rasa macam rempeyek tengik, but the end song is Dawn by Dario Marianelli & Jean-Yves Thibaudet as a sign of new hope. It's an hour playlist, by the time you enter The Album Leaf, that's the cue that it's another 10 mins+ or so, and you can start to slow down. 

Happy running!

Image credit : Ave Calvar

Little Things 261 : Acupressure Mats

 

What's the deal with acupressure mats?

I got my acupressure mat around 2 years ago as my birthday present from my little sister. I requested it. I asked for the one that Anzen sold, it was the one that I found that is visually appealing but it was a bit more expensive than other acupressure mats in the market. 

Acupressure mat therapy involves stimulating pressure points on the body, it got little spikes but they shouldn't puncture your skin if properly used. It can help with tight muscles, neck-shoulder-back pain, headache, relieving anxiety, stress, or tension - because it calms you. It increases blood flow, improves blood circulation, and releases endorphins (the happy hormone) as a response to prickly pain. 

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The one that I have :

The cover is made of premium cotton linen: hypoallergenic, moisture and dust-mite resistant. It is also antibacterial and 100% biodegradable. The pillow inserts are buckwheat husks, and the inner cushions are made with 100% eco-friendly coconut coir. Should be able to last 20 years.  

But Anzen no longer sells this acupressure mat (website pun dah down, tah apa jadi). 

The ones that you can find online are so colourful and not that visually appealing (*okay at least for me, if you don't mind colourful spikes then you are good to go). This is the closest that I found, but you do your own research ya. 

I used it throughout the phase where I was often in pain due to neck, shoulder, or back strain every so often in 2021. Before that, I spent thousands on chiro and physio sessions. I stopped going to these sessions a month after I got the mat. I know it doesn't sound convincing here but this actually worked for me. Every time a strain starts to form or I feel anxiety accumulating, I would lie on the bed for 20 minutes. Then it gets better.    

What happens *to me during the 20 min session :

1.  I lie down on the mat on bare skin. Cover my eyes and my upper body because it gets cold.
2. The first 5 minutes is the grounding phase, where I try to maintain a calm breathing technique, if I'm not calm enough my body will be tense, and laying on the prickly things will be painful. So I need to calm down. Need to be consciously pushing yourself to a calm state, or you'll be uncomfortable during the whole session (no phone, no audiobooks, no chatting).  
3. After I survive the 5 mins, I will feel my back heating up. I guess the blood flow improves. I will have a serene and calm feeling. I usually fall asleep. No more tingling or prickly sensations. 
4. Then my 20 mins is up and my alarm will ring. 
5. I roll to my side and contemplate my life. 

No lie, you will feel the warmth spreads on your back and the serene feeling is surprisingly very calming. 

 

Results may be different for each person, but it works for me and as someone in my 30s, I use this to maintain my physical and mental well-being. It works in calming my anxiety, in calming my tense muscles, and in avoiding strains. I use it for the past 2 years as my go-to solution every time I feel my muscle tensed up. 

I always always always recommend acupressure mats to people complaining about recurring back/neck pain because muscles when it is tense and not treated, it will become strained and so painful you'd be crying for pain medication. So to avoid that, just do proper body maintenance. 

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Not suitable for :

• pregnant people
• use after a big meal
• long sleep
• if you have an open wound
• if you are using blood pressure medication
• if you have any concerning medical conditions, please refer your doctor.

 

Duration (don't do all in one session):

• Back: 20 mins
• Neck & shoulder: 10 mins
• Belly: 5 mins
• Feet: 2 mins

Note: If you are up for a holistic alternative medicine approach, this is your cue to try an acupressure mat. I'm just tired of painkillers and paying thousands for chiro/physio sessions. So I found an alternative that works for me. It's been 2 years and I'm glad I tried this. Hope this helps !