Thirty-seven days and counting…
If quarantine has taught me anything, it’s to be careful what you wish for. Right before the world locked down, I prayed for just a day or two of solitude with no responsibilities or interruptions. I think God took me a little too seriously…
The first week or two were fine — how could I complain about being able to work in my pajamas from the comfort of my own home? But as the days turned to weeks, my attention span, mood and motivation started to dwindle.
Does anyone else feel like they are reliving the same day over and over again, trapped in an endless stream of days spent indoors with little to look forward to?
I had a really low day last week — one of those days where I couldn’t muster up the motivation to even get out of bed. I stayed in my pajamas all day, struggling to focus on my job and counting down the seconds until I could go back to sleep. I had a terrible case of the quarantine blues. At first, I felt guilty for feeling so low when others have it so much worse than I do. But then I realized that life isn’t normal right now for anyone and having the quarantine blues every once in a while is OK.
Since that day, I’ve been trying to find the good in what, most of the time, seems like a bad situation — the quiet moments I wished for and I know will eventually fade away; the extra time to work on myself and the things I am passionate about; my reignited appreciation for the outdoors.
Here are some of the thing that bring me joy and are keeping me sane during quarantine:
Writing in my journal and for my blog
Working (I’m blessed to still have my job and also have my side business)
Exercising
Exploring the outdoors
Cooking and baking
Reading
Watching movies and shows
Listening to podcasts
Calling my family
Spending extra one-on-one time with Andrew
There’s no telling how long we will have to live in a world where staying six feet apart is the norm, where birthday parties have turned to birthday parades, where grocery stores have one-way aisles, where every blonde girl has suddenly turned brunette. But, until we can safely hug our parents, meet friends for brunch and venture outside our homes without a mask, it’s important to seek the good, no matter how big or how small the good is.
What are you doing to keep yourself preoccupied while social distancing?