Things I’ve Learned in Quarantine and Changes I want to Make

I know we are all trying to find positives in this situation and this year probably isn’t how we all thought it would go. I personally have been taking this time to reflect on things and try and make positive changes. I’ve been thinking a lot about my life and the way things are and what do I want to bring with me into the “New Normal”

So here are some things I’ve learned in Quarantine:

I love to be creative— this might be a strange one but for the last few years and even when I was in college I didn’t take the time to be creative and have a creative outlet. During this quarantine I’ve been drawing, embroidering, taking photos and making videos; and it’s made me so happy. I didn’t realize how happy I am when creating, I don’t find it frustrating or annoying I love it.
I put a lot of pressure on myself— I realized when a lot of my goals got crushed during quarantine I’ve been putting a lot of pressure on myself. Pressure to be in a certain place and doing certain things by a certain time, and I’ve realized that it’s ok for me to be ok and be in the place I’m in even if one of my friends is doing something else.
The simple things make me happy- being in the sun, listening to music, being with my family and dog make me happy. I’ve been finding new ways to do things that don’t cost money that make me happy. I can read a book or watch the sunset and be happy. I don’t need to eat out or spend money to be happy
I like being by myself— I know I’ve been in quarantine with my family, and I know I can be alone because after my last break up I made sure to be ok by myself before I got into a new relationship. But going through this quarantine, as much as I miss my friends/fiance and hanging out with them, I’m really happy being alone.
Appreciate the little things— I’ve really learned to treasure the little things, wandering the aisles at the grocery store, seeing my grandma everyday, or my commute to work. I’ve been treasuring the memories and moments with my friends and family more. When things go back to normal I don’t think I’ll dread going to the gym or regret making plans because I’m being lazy. I think instead I’ll savor these moments more and hold on to them.

Things I want to Change Moving Forward:

Take time to be alone— Even when this is all over I think it will be really important to keep up this relationship with myself. I want to focus more on being ok to go to spaces and places by myself. While I was living in Japan I became comfortable going and doing things by myself or even eating by myself. When this is all over and its safe to be in the world I’d like to be comfortable doing that again.
Keep being creative— when things get busy again I’d love to make sure I make the time to continue to be creative like embroidering or drawing or writing. I want to make sure I take that time to let that creativity out.
Slow down— When things start up again I still want to work hard I want to remain calm like I am now. It’s so hard to stay calm and keep things slow. I think the stress in the world was so high and now that everyone is in quarantine we are forced to slow down. I don’t want to ramp back up again like that because stress is deadly
Keep moving— I have been working out a bit more in quarantine to meet my goals and I think moving forward I want to continue to be active for my health. I want to at least move around; dancing, going for a walk or walking on the treadmill. Something small just to keep me moving and get my energy up.
Not spending as much— I think before the quarantine started I was shopping a lot more and buying unnecessary food that would end up going bad. During this time I haven’t been shopping and have been learning to wear my clothes in new ways and reworking the same pieces and I love that. I’ve also been learning to use all of my food so I don’t waste it. I think moving forward I will be very conscious of my purchases.