#37: Sofia Anna Dolin
"Allow yourself the state of hibernation. Don’t force actions when your body craves rest."
#37: Sofia Anna Dolin
Welcome to Health Gossip. Today’s guest is Sofia Anna Dolin, a writer and fashion researcher with a focus on gender stereotypes and the body. She’s in the process of relaunching her blog/newsletter, but has been posting some interesting dispatches on IG… We met at an Abibas film screening in 2023.
Location: London
Big 3: Leo/Sagittarius/Scorpio
What does health, or being healthy, mean to you?
Being aware of how I feel mentally and physically, and acting based on my current state.
How would you describe your current lifestyle?
Tough.
I feel it’s important (for me) to mention that the last two to three years have been very stressful. War, experiencing the turmoil of having my home bombed while my family was still there, relocating multiple times, finishing one dissertation, studying hard to get a scholarship, moving again, and writing another dissertation. That’s not even half the story, but it's enough to understand that I’m mentally and physically exhausted.
Since I was mostly immersed in my academic work for the past few years, I had the luxury (a bit thoughtless of me) of not worrying about having a full-time job, thanks to my scholarship. But now, I’m working in a café for the first time in my life, and at the beginning, I was shocked that my body doesn’t belong to me for eight to nine hours a day. I’m trying to find a balance (I don’t like this word) between my current job, looking for a new one, my personal life, and my creative/professional pursuits. I’ve had a few burnouts (couldn’t move once, my body was in total pain) and now I’m experimenting with routines, noticing when I’m high-functioning, and when I’m not. I’m also maintaining a balanced diet (lots of greens, a variety of fruits and vegetables, nuts, proteins), and observing my reactions to see what works best for me (during the day, if I eat salad, protein, and fruit, I feel energy to work, but if I eat pasta, I feel sleepy, basic things, etc).
How do you start and end your days?
Wake up at 5:30-6am, drink warm water with lemon, then stretch and meditate. Before breakfast, I eat a slice of cucumber or a celery stick to soften the "sugar bomb" of oats with goji berries, a mix of seeds, and fruit (my favourite option is oats made with almond milk, pears, and coconut cream instead of butter). After that, I have a glass of water with ascorbic acid (vitamin C), zinc, vitamin D3, optional Omega-3, and complex B. Recently, I’ve also started taking lion’s mane.
If I have time, I write or work on small tasks like sending emails for 20-30 minutes. Then, I try to leave the house as early as possible — first, to avoid the rush of people on the tube (on my way to work, I like to have a seat and read or edit my texts), and secondly, so I can enjoy a nice 20-minute walk through Hyde Park, starting at the Italian Gardens and heading towards Kensington Gardens. I observe people walking their dogs, who run happily. I think about kinaesthesia and the human ability to feel movement when you see it. I look at the strong trees and ochre leaves, breathe in the cool air, and eat a crisp Cox apple. Recently, the sun was so bright and beautifully reflected in the pond, where people were jogging. I had extra time, so I left my heavy backpack, put on my headphones, played Mikey Enwright and danced for five minutes. If I start the day by doing what I love, it’s easier for me to get through the shift, especially when I feel that I don’t belong to myself.