Everyone has experienced different circumstances over the past few months, but for all, life was put in pause in some way. This sudden change may have been difficult, stressful, scary, and just different than usual. Self reflection after unprecedented times is an important part of growing. Realizing what you have learned, no matter how minor, during darker times in life is crucial. Using what you learned in those darker times throughout the rest of your life will make you stronger. Taking the positives out of those times will increase the quality of your day-to-day life. So, I decided to share the top 3 things I have learned while in quarantine. But, I urge anyone reading this to reflect upon themselves and at least take mental notes on the things you learned these past few rough months.
1. Self Care
This is a big one. I think these past few months have forced me to be more independent than ever. Having a set schedule or routine for school or working over the summer is usually what takes up my time and keeps me busy. If it’s not school or work, it’s usually hanging out with friends or family and going out. All of this was put to a pause and I was forced to stay home with barely any responsibility. Having nothing to do all day messed up my sleep schedule and I started to have bad eating habits. I became addicted to Netflix and Tik Tok. There was a solid 3 weeks where I had no energy to do anything actually productive or bettering for myself. I would see other people on social media starting daily workouts, taking online classes, doing remote internships, and I would just feel bad for myself. It was very unhealthy for me, but I eventually snapped out of it and started small. I started by fixing my sleeping schedule and actually waking up in the morning and getting ready for the day (even if I wasn’t doing anything). I would wash my face, brush my teeth, and make myself breakfast. This already was a huge improvement because for at least three weeks, I wouldn’t be waking up until 3pm and I would just never eat breakfast. This made me feel significantly better, so I started to try and do some workouts. The workouts were kind of inconsistent, but I started spending more time outside instead. I’d play basketball in my driveway or go for bike rides around my neighborhood. I started actually getting dressed for the day instead of being in my pajamas all day. I stopped eating so much junk food. And, I just always found at least one productive thing to do everyday, whether it was rearranging my room, cleaning out my closet, or helping my parents out around the house. Finding one thing to get me out of bed and to feel productive was empowering. I started to care less about the people I saw on social media and started to focus more on myself and how I could find the energy to do anything. I realized that it’s okay if I’m not doing everything I can to make use of all of the time I had to “get ahead” in life. Being stuck at home for such a long period of time is tough. It’s okay to feel discouraged, but it was not okay to compare myself to what others are doing and I am glad I realized that. Everyone will go at their own pace and there is nothing wrong with that. I found minor ways to better myself during quarantine and it led me to appreciate myself and the time I had at home a lot more.
2. Dealing with Ignorant Friends
I discovered so many of my friends’ true colors throughout this quarantine. Their ignorance and their selfishness. It was so sickening to see some of my friends hanging out in the middle of a pandemic and constantly complaining about wearing masks. I had a 7 person group chat on iMessage full of the people I thought were some of my best friends from home, and there would just constantly be messages about how the country needs to open back up because it’s “not fair” and that the government was just trying to control us. It was sad because I thought they were better than this. I tried my best to explain why things needed to be closed and why people had to social distance and wear masks, but it would just lead to arguments about politics. I care about my friends a lot and I believe that it’s a friend’s job to educate their friends and help them to be better, but once it got to the point where some of them tried turning things around on me and making me seem like a bad friend, I stopped. It got to the point where a few of them made a whole new group chat, not including whoever disagreed with their opinions. There was a few times that I’d be (indirectly) called stupid for following rules and accused of being “fake” for not hanging out with them. Every time, I would explain that I am staying home because I don’t want to take part in spreading the virus even if I have a low chance of dying from it myself. It seems they never understood that, and just thought I didn’t want to hang out with them because I didn’t like them anymore. This all made me see them so differently, and I tried my best to fix things but they never showed any sign of them listening. They continued to hangout and complain about masks. So, I just stopped trying and I stopped making the effort to reach out to them. I stopped because it started making me upset. The lesson I learned from this is to not just cancel your friends or anyone when they don’t agree with you, but at least try to explain and educate them first. Once it starts getting to be too much and becomes personal and not even about the issue, then stop. Stop putting in so much effort and see if they put in any effort themselves. If they don’t, then you know where your friendship stands. I ended up with only one really good friend from that 7 person group chat, and our friendship is the realest I’ve had.
3. Cooking and Skateboarding
I would say these are two hobbies I picked up during quarantine. Maybe not truly hobbies yet because I don’t do them regularly, but I do thoroughly enjoy doing them in my free time. I started cooking with my mom throughout quarantine and it was so enjoyable and really satisfying. We cooked some of my favorite Filipino foods (kare kare, adobo, bistek, caldereta) and even baked some pan de sal. It was a really fun experience with my mom that I never really found the time to do before quarantine. I definitely want to learn all my mom’s recipes and cooking tips before I have to move into an apartment on campus. Cooking would be a really fun hobby that I’m glad I started over quarantine. Skateboarding is something I found to be really relaxing and enjoyable as well. I actually use a penny board which is like a smaller plastic skateboard, but it’s the same concept. I would skate down my road at sunset and it was really nice. I’d put my airpods in and play a chill playlist as I skated around and it was great. I fell a few times and actually broke my phone when skating once, so I learned to stop skating with my phone in my back pocket or my hand. Anyways, these are just two examples of fun things I learned over quarantine that are starting to become hobbies of mine. Cooking and skateboarding helped me get through what felt like forever during quarantine.
After reflecting upon the things you’ve learned during the tougher times, make sure to keep using the things you learned in your daily life! All the things you learned, no matter how minor or major they are, will help you in the long run.
