5 Things I've Learned During Quarantine

How do you stay calm in a situation that disrupts your calmness?

We've settled into the new normal, and even though it's still unsettling at times, this is our normal.

Instead of focusing so heavily on when this 'new normal' will end, I've found taking things day by day and focusing on how I will come out of this stronger mentally, physically, and emotionally has helped me feel better. A lot of people have reached out on Instagram DMs on how to cope with anxiety and fear over what's happening in terms of the coronavirus. They feel restless, discouraged, unmotivated, and lonely more than ever. 

Something that helps me get out of that mindset is for every negative thought that comes into my mind, I think of a positive thought to accompany it. Disregarding or distracting myself from the bad situations is like putting a Band-Aid over a wound.

You're only covering it up for the time being, but the wound is still there.

 I've noticed that in the long run, it is better to face and accept the bad, and learn to move forward from it. 

I've been more accepting that there are days where I'm going to feel lonely.

There are days where I'm going to cry more.

There are days where I'm going to be unmotivated and not productive.

Of those things, I've also learned a lot more about myself during this time.

1) I haven't been getting the proper nutrition I've been needing.

Just like we are mentally getting ourselves used to quarantining for longer periods of time at home, we don't spend a lot of time thinking about how our bodies also react differently in these situations. For me, I've noticed that I was lacking certain parts of a well-balanced diet, such as fiber and protein. Being home and eating home-cooked meals made me realize that my body has felt differently being home in North Carolina than in New York City.

2) When my body gets stressed, I break out with hives. 

The first week of quarantine, I felt this enormous pressure to be on top of it with content. I was putting my body under stress and noticed that my body's way of coping was breaking out with hives. Now I know my limits of when to stop putting pressure or stress on myself and when to press pause. Luckily, this quarantine is really helping me deal with that. 

3) I have a better workout routine in quarantine.

The first week of quarantine, I was feeling all sorts of emotions. Not being able to go to a gym reminded me of how privileged we are to be able to do that. Gyms, hair salons, nail salons, parks, movie theaters... those are all luxuries. I love working out with equipment in the gym. Not having that forced me to try other at-home workouts. Now, I have a more established workout regimen. Every day, I'll rotate from dance workouts to running on my home treadmill, running around the neighborhood, my own floor workouts to even playing tennis. It's been exciting changing it up daily and finding new ways to stay active. 

4) When I'm not in the right headspace to see or hear something, I'll press 'mute.'

Not because I have something against a person... but because that's what I need for myself.

Even I've hit certain times during the days when I wanted to just exit out of social media platforms when I come across another post talking about the coronavirus. It happens. 

I think it takes putting ourselves in more situations that make us uncomfortable to know what it is we want to gain from the situation we are in. Coming across coronavirus posts reminds me to keep staying informed on current events, how/where to help, and how we can continue helping one another. If we put it in the perspective that this repetitive talk is a reminder to keep ourselves in check, then it is more likely to lessen the anxiety and mental instability that comes from it. 

5) Just because you are socially distant does not mean you should stay quiet in a pandemic.

I recently read an article that mentioned, ‘this is not the season to be quiet. This is the season to be more communicative.' 

With more and more people forced to work online and staying virtually connected, I've felt that there have been stronger connections made in the past month than in the past year. Thankfully with technology, we've been able to communicate on devices to social media apps to remote conferencing services like Zoom, Google Hangouts, and more.

With all this time we've gained from doing our part and staying home, there's also so much to gain from this situation. This is the time to start cleaning the area of your house you've been putting aside for so long. This is the time to start that workout routine you've been brushing off. This is the time to reconnect with people you haven't had the 'time' for. This is the time to set your priorities straight.

What are 5 things you've learned so far from the quarantine?