Another week down, and here we are! I love writing this post to share with you guys – one of the nicest parts of my weekend and definitely something I get a lot of fun and peace from. Let’s have a look back at the past seven days in my life and what I’ve learnt from it.

What went on in my doctor life…

I think that, while the COVID-19 pandemic continues, I’m going to leave out this section of The Weekly Balance for now. I can’t share the specifics of my day to day work – its not appropriate for many reasons, but confidentiality is the main one. I would also guess that many of you, like me, enjoy taking time to switch off from all things pandemic, and I hope these weekly posts might help with that a little. I hope you guys can understand that, and thank you! I am continuing to share COVID-19 update posts on my Instagram at least once per week – you can check those out here.

What I’m thinking about…

As we’ve somehow managed to reach the end of June, marking halfway through 2020, I’ve been feeling very reflective on the past six months. We have come so far from when we first began to learn about the novel coronavirus, Sars-CoV-2, and still we find ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic. We are trying to navigate a new, drastically different way of living each day, and that’s a lot to take on board, especially with everything that’s gone before it. In Ireland, as I write this we are beginning a new phase (Phase 3) of easing our restrictions on the 29th June, and of course, no one has a crystal ball or knows for certain what will come in the next six months. All we can do is take each day as it comes and keep on doing our best to protect ourselves and our loved ones from COVID-19.

I think with all of the above said, it’s important to remember too that as far as we have come, we have further to go, and minding our mental health is really important. Staying connected with family and friends, online and (once the guidance of your local health authority and/or government is adhered to) in person, helps us to talk about how we’re doing and feeling with all of the change we’ve had to embrace in recent weeks. A problem shared is a problem halved, don’t forget that.

What I’m reading…

The last book I read was Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. This novel tells the stories of two central characters, a female and male protagonist, called Ifemelu and Obinze, respectively. Both grow up in Nigeria, and fall in love as teenagers, finding a strong connection to each other from the moment they meet. Once young adults, they both want to move to the West to see what life they can build there. Ifemulu moves first, to America, with a plan that Obinze will follow. Ifemulu finds academic success in America, and begins to write what becomes a hugely popular blog about race and her observations and experiences as a non-American black woman living in the USA. Obinze however, does not manage to get to America, instead finding himself living an undocumented life in England. The story of the lives of Ifemulu and Obinze unfurl throughout the course of the book, from their separate lives in the West to their return to Nigeria.

This to me was a book not just about romantic love, but also the love of family, and of friendship. And love aside, the book dives deep into the experiences of Ifemulu and Obinze as a black woman and man respectively, living in developed countries where the vast majority of people are white with white privilege. Adichie also explores loneliness as a recurring theme throughout the book, which Ifemulu and Obinze both experience at home and abroad, as they struggle with their reality compared to the lives they envisioned. I loved this book – I took my time reading it and really enjoyed settling into the story, becoming absorbed in it each time.

My current book is Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge, which I’ve just started this week as I continue to educate myself more and more on anti-racism. I’m very much looking forward to reading more of it.

As always, let me know what you’re reading in the comments below!

What I’m listening to…

My favourite Podcast from this week was the latest episode of The Food Medic Podcast, with science journalist Angela Saini, author of the books Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong and Superior: The Return of Race Science. This episode was a Part 1, in which Hazel interviews Saini about her book Inferior, discussing the effect of sexism on scientific research. I’ve been really enjoying Hazel’s latest season of her podcast and look forward to tuning in again next week!

What I’m watching…

This week I started the television series Killing Eve, which I am four episodes into on Season 1 and loving! It is a show that absolutely hooks you in – I’m also a big fan of Sandra Oh as a Grey’s Anatomy fan!

Recipe of the Week

The recipe I’m loving this week is my Dark Chocolate Oat Energy Balls – a quick and easy recipe to whip up, and ideal for snacks for a new week ahead! You can find the recipe here.

And that’s a wrap for this week gang! If you want to get in touch, you can find me @theirishbalance on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. I hope you have a lovely week ahead folks – remember, stay informed with the advice from your local health authority, stay safe, wash your hands, keep your distance and be kind!

Ciara 🙂 x