Days have turned to weeks which have turned to months, 5 months to be exact, of quarantined living. There have been times where I’ve found it excruciating, like I was trapped and didn’t have anywhere to escape to and I had a few weeks where I was barely holding on to my “typical” sanity levels, but for the most part, Covid living has been treating me pretty well. In fact, I’ve learned a number of lessons within the past 5 months alone from this experience that I’m sure I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.

10 Life Lessons I Learned in Quarantine

1. Creativity is therapy

Being at home everyday has been tough, despite being a homebody. It’s been a little tougher having a kid who needs to be entertained and cared for throughout the day within close proximities. To pass the time away, I’ve had to come up with activities for us to try and do together, like painting, creating collages and baking the trendy banana bread; I’ve started to take my own photos using my iPhone and a self timer app; and I’ve started to do the kids hair weekly, giving her fun and bright hairstyles to rock.  Doing each has been calming and relaxing. I’m able to disconnect from the everyday stress and just focus on making something look nice.

2. Get out the house and connect

I don’t think I’ve enjoyed the purity of just being outside since I was a kid. After being in the house for the first couple of weeks in quarantine then stepping outside to take a walk, it felt like the heavens opened up. The breeze was nice, the sky was crazy blue and the flowers were gorgeous. It really brought to light just how much we take the usual for granted. I thought staying in the house would be easy...and it is for the most part...but I’ve missed more than I thought I would. I’m not one to leave the house much. In fact, I’m very much an introverted homebody but I can honestly say that I thoroughly miss meeting up with my friends in person and venting about the day to day or getting together and laughing with family on game nights. It’s clear you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.

3. Define what quality time means

Like I mentioned earlier, the kid and I have a lot of time on our hands and we’ve been spending practically all of it together.  At best, before Covid, Ava and I would have 10-15 hours together during the week plus the 48 hrs of the weekend where I’d be distracted by having to cook and clean. The quality time I thought we were sharing then has nothing on the thoughtful time that we’re sharing now. I thoughtfully come up with activities for us to do that I think she may enjoy. I am more present in how she interacts with new experiences vs. just watching her favorite TV shows throughout the day. I’m her Pre-K teacher for crying out loud and I can confidently say none of this would have happened if the shut in order hadn’t been put in place and if I were still going into the office everyday.

4. Structure is a necessity

Now I already knew I liked plans and checklists and I’d use them to keep me accountable, but being at home all day, every day, has made that even more clear. In my pre-norm, there was a designated area for everything. Home was home and where I relaxed, work is where I communicated with adults and felt productive and the gym is where I exercised and cleared my anxiety. Now, in the new-norm, home has to be all of that which caused the days to blend together. There was no end, just regular naps. Now, routines are what are keeping me together. Having a morning routine to refresh and having a more or less set schedule with the kid and a night time routine for bedtime has put the value back in my day.

5. Don’t let circumstance define the situation

I started to experiment with taking my own pictures on my phone using a tripod, self timer and an editing app and I am loving every minute of it. Beyond that, I used to think I could never take my own photos because I didn’t have the time to do it nor a nice area to shoot. I was waiting on the day I could finally hire a photographer to take photos for my website and my content. With all this time on my hands, I started to play around and low-and-behold, I started creating greatness. Okay maybe not greatness, but at least pictures that I’m proud to post. I put my iPhone on a tripod and stepped right outside my front door...and my moms...and started capturing my looks and designs. I stopped creating excuses and figured out how to use what I have to get what I want.

6. Having multiple forms of income is a necessity.

It is very clear how being dependent on one form of income can be risky to your wellbeing. Especially if you’re dependent on someone else to employ and pay for your livelihood because if that’s gone, you’re SOL until you can replace it.

7. If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.

Something I say all the time and yet didn’t follow myself. As I write this, I can say that I’m blessed to have not been laid off from my 9-5 but no one knows what tomorrow brings. In an ideal situation, I would have had my resume and portfolio up to date, ready to show at a moment's notice. Instead, because I was so comfortable with my job and had no foresight of things being turned on its head, I’m over here playing catch up. Don’t be like me. Stay ready everyone.

8. Activism looks different for everyone.

When the protests initially started, I felt a few different types of ways. The first was wanting to care for everyone going through pain, despite the pain I was going through myself; the second was feeling overwhelmed by all the content on my feed; and the third was feeling like I wasn’t doing enough to support the movement since I wasn’t physically going to the marches in Los Angeles. All of this left me feeling crippled until I came across a post that laid out the different ways people can support the cause because not everyone has to be on the front lines. There are people meant to caregivers, visionaries and disruptors and then there are people like me who are meant to be storytellers/artists. When I came across that, I began using my creativity as a bridge from the past to the present and how I interpreted what was going on but make it fashion. Beyond that, I signed petitions and learned to use my dollars to donate and I also intend to support more black businesses regularly.

9. Don’t be afraid to shine your light, brightly and boldly.

Recently, two people who I hold near and dear to my heart have begun to reap the benefits of what they’ve been sewing for the past decade and some. And while I’m excruciatingly proud of them and am supporting them where I can, I can’t help but think what might have happened by now had I not been doing a lot of career soul searching and just did the work. Then I proceed to step away from the ledge and remind myself that my journey is my journey and I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be on it and also get fired up because closed mouths don’t get fed.

10. Stay disciplined.

I need to be confident in what I’m doing and keep my foot on these necks! No but really, I had intentions of being disciplined in 2020 and it’s time to get back to that.

Have you learned anything about yourself during the shutdown orders? Share your lessons in the comments.

If any of these lessons touched your soul and you want to remember them for a later date, pin this post to one of your self growth boards.

#MJConsistencyChallenge