Things 2 Weeks of Quarantine Has Taught Me

I have officially been in self quarantine for 17 days now. During this time, a lot has changed in my life yet sometimes I feel like not much has changed. Going through these times has taught me some serious lessons and I thought I would share them with you guys!

Before I get into what I have learned so far, I just want to say I expect to learn much more with the time to come. We are in some strange times now and in my professional opinion, we will be in this situation for much much longer. I hope to post another one of these later down the line, but this is just what’s been going on in the initial shock of this.

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1. Everyone’s situation is different. Don’t try to understand it

This is something I always try to be mindful of when looking into the world. It can be so easy to jump to judgment (which I am so so guilty of) when we forget that no one looks at the world the exact same way we do. That same concept applies to this pandemic. No two people are going to react the same or understand the same. This is much more confusing to the average person than it is to a medical professional. It is much scarier for people who have lost their jobs or have to try to find food they can buy on their WIC checks. We have to be understanding even if we believe people are putting themselves at risk.

Yes sometimes people are just ignorant to the situation, but some people are just trying their best. We don’t need to justify why people act the way they act or do the things they do during this time. All you can control is the way you understand this, the way you act about it, and how you can move forward in this time.

2. People will believe whatever they need to believe in that moment

This has been the thing I have seen the most both within my personal and my professional life since the pandemic started. I’ll be the first to admit that I judge the people who don’t take this seriously or who don’t take the proper precautions during this time. Like I said before, some people don’t have the resources to understand, but some people just genuinely see this as the world’s biggest inconvenience to them!

If you want to believe this will end soon, you will believe it. If you want to believe this will end your business, it will. If you want to believe this will bring you and your partner closer, it will. You will never change someone’s mind, but you can help change their mindset. I hate seeing people looking at this as an inconvenience or a life ending event. Yes, it is a horrible time, but we can only do our part to help control the spread and otherwise all we can do is try to look at the good in this situation, stay positive, and work our butts off to get through this. If you want to believe otherwise, you will.

3. A little kindness goes a long way

I’ve noticed so much that the little things bring the biggest joy during this time. I’ve been running a lot around my neighborhood in the mornings during this and I always try to say hello to my neighbors. Now, my neighborhood is not particularly nice people usually. No one normally talks to each other or plans things together, but now I see everyone smile at me as I run and say hello. One man even see’s me everyday I run (I run at the same time every other day) and cheers me on! Giving a helping hand or just a smile makes all the difference during this time.

4. A schedule will keep you sane

I am a very schedule oriented person. I honestly think a schedule runs my life, but when this hit I felt like my life got flipped upside down *cue fresh prince song*. For a week I didn’t know what to do and I felt lost and all over the place. Then I sat down and wrote out a schedule for myself every week (I usually do this on sundays for the following week). I put a new daily routine into place that I could follow that was similar to what I had before the quarantine, but modified for my no commute no more life. Instead of getting up at 5:30 everyday, I get up at 6. I still exercise in the morning, I do my daily gratitude practice (which I have stuck with for 6 months now) and I start work by 8:30. It keeps me happy and on track to make the most of my days.

5. Clean space, less anxiety

I’m sure there’s some scientific thing behind this and maybe this isn’t for everyone, but when my space is clean my anxiety drops. I have to have the room I’m working in be extra clean to make sure I can focus and not be stressed about cleaning up the mess. Just keeping the house clean will help you with your sanity. I know a lot of people have been binge cleaning or organizing and I think it’s because we have to spend so much time in our houses finally that we realize how much it contributes to our sanity that our spices look nice 😂I have not organized yet. I did deep clean my washing machine, but just try to make 10-30 mins a day to clean up your space. It will make your days a little less hectic.

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I’m sure once this whole thing is over, I will have a lot more to say or maybe not, who knows! All I know is that I hope you guys are staying safe, staying home, and staying healthy!

Cheers!