Taking a Time Out During the Pandemic

We’ve all heard what’s going on in the world. I want it to be something that you can read and not feel anxious, mad, sad, etc. We’re all adapting to this new change. I know it’s something that we’ll probably never get used to – the feeling of uncertainty can be consuming. Somehow knowing that the whole world is in this together, makes me feel a little less anxious. I know that it’s out of my control and these circumstances are not direct results of my actions. In a strange way, I feel united because the whole world is in this.

Time Seems to Slow Down

I find reminding myself to take things one day at a time helps me deal with what’s going on. Also, I think making the best of things and being positive is helpful. I know it can be hard to not be negative in a time like this, but I want to look back and think I did the best I could with a good attitude. I believe that thinking positively will bring about good fortune. We’ve also learned to be extremely creative – whether it be FaceTiming or Zoom get-togethers with friends and/or family.

If I’ve learned one thing about myself during this time, is that I live in the past or the future. What I mean by that is I dwell in the past and look at the good, bad, and different opportunities that I had (mostly career-focused here). Yes – I miss going out and the normalcy before quarantine (let’s call it BQ) and I sometimes find myself reminiscing on those times. I also live in the future – always planning my next day, segment, email, etc. I was born in a hurry so I’m always rushing to the next task. Now I’ve realized that I’m not always able to rush to the next thing on my agenda. As a matter of fact, I feel like things are moving in slow motion and I’m forced to slow down and live in the moment.

I know we’re always saying “I don’t have enough time to do that.” Well now is the time! I still find myself making excuses. But if I clear the clutter out of my head and just do what I’ve been wanting to do, I feel much more accomplished. I feel like I’ve actually done something productive! I know that I just said that I’m living more in the moment. But if I still plan out my day and have some sort of routine, I find it helpful to get these long-waited projects accomplished. And they don’t have to be put-off projects! They can be everyday things – like working out, writing, creating new content, etc.

Missing Out?

I also find myself (still) feeling like I’m missing out. Am I missing out on certain opportunities during quarantine? Am I losing out on creating more content or networking? I try and address these concerns the same way that I have in the past, and just remain focused and what I can do now. I’ll also jot down notes and ideas that I feel I should be acting upon, and then plan to do them accordingly. I remind myself that I can’t live my life feeling like I’m always one step behind, or missing out on the current social trend or whatever it may be.

I know I don’t talk about prayer often, but I do find myself praying a little bit more. That’s led me to wonder if God is trying to send us a message. (I don’t want to sound too philosophical here). Climate change had been in the news and people were advocating for the world to start modifying our way of life – maybe this is it. I just read that March 2020 was the first March without a school shooting in the United States since 2002. This really had me choked up… In a strange way, maybe this is what we’ve been praying for. A way to change our world – a major wake-up call to stop what we’ve been doing and change our way of life. I really hope that it teaches us to be kind to ourselves and one another.

Moving Forward

We’ve always asked for more hours in the day, and now we’re being granted our wish. Take this time out and make the time to really take advantage of your life. If I’ve learned anything during this whole thing is that I can’t control everything (like I typically feel like I can do), but I can control what I do during the day and how my time during quarantine is spent.

Links to what I’ve been doing with my time: