I’ve been in Shanghai for a year and a half now. A lot of things have gradually fallen into place, though there are still plenty of things I need to keep working on.

I haven’t written anything for a while. It’s not exactly because I’ve been terribly busy, but I haven’t exactly been idle either.

Usually, I adjust my mindset pretty quickly. This time, though, it has taken much longer. Since the New Year, there have been feelings I still haven’t quite managed to shake off: a bit of heaviness, a bit of exhaustion, a low pressure that lingers in the background.

Time keeps slipping away second by second, and the days keep passing one after another.

I needed a way to reset myself, so I chose exercise. After working out, taking a shower, and listening to music, I feel more relaxed than at almost any other time.

The first thing I did after coming back this year was move. I haven’t been in Shanghai all that long, but I’ve already moved four times, and there may be a fifth move coming soon. Because of that, I’ve developed a strong dislike for moving. It’s just too much trouble.

One good thing about the current residential compound is that several colleagues from my department live here too, which means I finally have people to exercise with.

Last week, I went to Decathlon and bought a set of swimming gear and badminton equipment. So this weekend became a swimming-and-badminton weekend. On Friday after work, I went to the swimming pool. The weather was still a little cold; in the afternoon, there were even snowflakes drifting for a while in Pudong.

Thinking about it, I hadn’t gone swimming for more than two years. There weren’t many people in the pool, fewer than ten in total. I warmed up a little by the side, then got into the water. It was still a bit chilly. I swam a few laps back and forth, but ran out of energy pretty quickly. This time was mostly about getting used to the environment again. Because of the cold, I didn’t really loosen up, but next time should be better.

With goggles on, I tried diving underwater. Watching others swim underwater from one end to the other made it very clear that I’m still far from being able to do that.

This afternoon, I played badminton for an hour and a half. My level is still quite poor, but I believe that with weekly practice, there will definitely be real improvement. Today was already slightly better than last week, even though by the end my footwork still couldn’t quite keep up.

From now on, the plan is simple: swim once a week and play one session of badminton every week.

Health is the foundation for everything else. I hope I can face each challenge in the best possible condition.