Surviving Quarantine

Today marks five weeks since I’ve been working from home and
boy oh boy…has it been a blast!...she said sarcastically. Now before anyone
gets offended, let me say that I am beyond grateful to have the ability to do
my job from home; I recognize not many people have that option. But I cannot
pretend that it hasn’t taken a huge toll on my mental and emotional health. Especially
since I didn’t exactly love my job to begin with. The thought of bringing the energy
of an overbearing, micro-managing supervisor into my home was unsettling from
the jump. The idea of doing my job with a third of the resources I typically
have available to me from my couch…or bed…or dining room table was not
appealing to me in the slightest. I was so anxious and overwhelmed and that’s
even before you factor in the nerves and concerns I had regarding the health
and safety of myself, family and friends. But instead of complaining…well after
complaining….ok, ok in between complaining…I started to brainstorm ways to
combat the stress and anxiety of it all.

First thing’s first; I vented…A LOT…and to anyone who would
listen. I talked about how overwhelming this all was. I vented about how this
virus and the subsequent quarantine has interfered with so many things I had
planned and in doing so I was able to realize two things. One: LITERALLY
EVERYBODY IS A BIT OVERWHELMED RIGHT NOW. So essentially I had to tell myself
to suck it up. Two: by venting and being transparent I was able to allow light,
and love, and laughter in to replace the feelings of anxiety and worry; even if
it were just for a moment. 

The next thing I did was find a distraction, but not just
any distraction. I needed to find something that would be beneficial and
helpful to me in the long run. My first resort was to write but I’ve had quite
the writer’s block up until now so that was out. Maybe about a week into
quarantine my good friend sent me a link for an R&B and Yoga night and I
had done Pilates before so I thought, why not. Little did I know that was the
distraction I needed. I figured yoga would be a healthy way for me to re-center
my mind as well as get this weight up off me, honey! It’s only been about two
and a half weeks but trust me when I say the 20-25 minutes I spend doing yoga
is the highlight of my days.

The last thing I’ve been doing to survive quarantine/working
from home is simply focusing on the positives. It’s been five weeks since I was
thrown into this “new norm” with no time to prepare my mind…five weeks of not
seeing my favorite coworkers…five weeks of not being able to hug and kiss my
family and loved ones…five weeks of not hearing “can I put in another drink
before happy hour is over”…… But also five weeks of receiving love and support
via texts, phone calls, dms etc.…..five weeks of creative virtual happy hours
and brunches (shout out to Zoom)….five weeks of the sun still rising and the
moon still setting…five weeks of the birds still chirping….five weeks of life,
precious precious life. Choosing to focus on that means that when I look back
on this time five years from now I can look back with a grateful heart. I hope
you can too 😊