Everybody’s stressed. And that’s an understatement.
People are getting sick, losing jobs, losing hope. And the reality is, this is likely to get worse before it’s better.
I’m in a very fortunate situation right now, and don’t have to worry (too much) about my health or finances or basic needs, but even for the most fortunate we’re dealing with a longterm series of unknowns.
So while we’re at home –– likely for the next few months –– it’s important to stay healthy. For me, this includes at-home workouts and vegetables. But it’s also about mental health and emotional wellbeing.
The first step for me was figuring out my mindset. Am I going to be depressed and anxious during this? (probably) Or am I going to set goals and try new things and take time to better myself? Realistically, it’s probably going to be a little bit of both. But knowing that I’ve decided to use this time to self-improve means that I always have a goal to fall back on, even on my lowest days.
But now that I’ve painted and re-painted my nails, read a poetry book front-to-back and baked a loaf of bread (from scratch, using yeast, worst experience of my life), it’s time to get into the deep stuff: skincare and self-reflection.
As I’m sure you know by now, most of my self-reflection is done through writing so I’ll be doing a TON of that. But I also want to branch out. I want to paint and draw and learn to accept the fact that I’m not very good at either. I want to listen to podcasts and hear what people have to say and maybe try to say something myself. I want to learn how to meditate and shut the heck up for once.
And I want to learn how to be comfortable on my own.
Time by yourself can be scary and I mostly try to keep myself occupied so I don’t have to face the fact that I’m alone. But alone doesn’t have to mean lonely, and I hope to use my “social distancing” time to do something a little more fulfilling than just distracting myself all day.
Because yes this is a scary time, but I can’t let myself live in fear of the unknown because that’s what life is. It’s unknown and it can change at any second. And that’s what all of this has shown.
So I hope you aren’t taking this lightly, but I hope you aren’t being too hard on yourself, either. And if you have any tips, tricks or things to try, please share. If we can come out of this more conscious of ourselves and our impact on others, I think the time in quarantine will be worth it.
With love and a six-foot radius,
Jacklyn
All Who Ponder 