Tag Archives: quarantine

Productivity During a Pandemic

I’ve been in quarantine for two months now, and it is not going the way I expected. When it first started, many people (myself included) saw it as an opportunity to be productive and do things we hadn’t had time for during our everyday lives. Friends told me about their big plans and I read about famous novels and plays that had been written while the authors were quarantined, and it put a lot of pressure on me to finally write a novel. This was my chance, after all. I’d never get another stretch of time this long off work, so if I didn’t do it now, I might never do it. The immense pressure I felt had the opposite effect it was meant to, and I still haven’t done any creative writing, but that’s okay.

I’ve talked about this before, but I really don’t think pressure is a good motivator (at least not for me). I also feel that my goal of writing an entire novel that would (hopefully) one day become a bestseller wasn’t very realistic, and that made it even more difficult to do. I’ve never written a complete novel before, so it is already a daunting task without the added pressure of having to do it before quarantine ends.

Quarantine itself has also been a strange experience; initially I was too stressed to accomplish anything, then I overcame my anxiety and focused on finishing my final projects, and since then, I’ve spent most of my time relaxing. I do feel like I deserve a break; I did just finish my degree after five grueling years, after all. Plus, as I stated before, I’ll never have another stretch of time off like this – it’s possibly the only time I can spend months relaxing until I retire, so I might as well take advantage of it and recharge before I start working full-time (whenever that happens – there aren’t a lot of jobs available right now, for obvious reasons). For these reasons, I have come to terms with the fact that I am not going to write a novel during this time, and I’m okay with that. I still have the rest of my life to write, after all.

So, since I won’t be accomplishing the one big, unrealistic goal I wanted to accomplish, I set my sights on a few smaller goals, and focusing on those has made me feel much better. I had a few realistic goals for this time: I wanted to work out consistently, I wanted to start writing on my blog again, I wanted to grow my nails out (I compulsively pick them – it’s a bad habit I’ve had for years), I wanted to talk with friends more, I wanted to rewatch some of my favourite film series such as The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, and I wanted to read (as an English major, I’ve barely done any pleasure reading since I started my degree, and I wanted to get back into it).

None of these goals were crazy, unachievable things, and that made them easier to accomplish. Plus, I kept them vague – I didn’t plan to post three times a week on my blog or read 25 books, and this vagueness also helped. I could accomplish these goals at my own pace, and any effort I put towards them counted as an accomplishment, which made me feel better about it and encouraged me to continue.

I can proudly say that I have accomplished each of my goals, even if only to a small extent. I’ve been working out every other day, I’ve been writing blog posts about once a week, my nails have grown, I’ve talked to all of my friends (some almost every day), I’ve rewatched most of my favourite film series, and I’ve read two books and am halfway through a third. These may seem to be small accomplishments, but I’m proud of them nonetheless.

I think making a few smaller, more realistic goals is better and easier than having one or two big, unrealistic goals, and the feeling you get when you accomplish the smaller goals may push you to keep going and work at one of your bigger ones. Even if you feel like you haven’t accomplished anything during the last few months, I encourage you to look back and try to name two or three accomplishments, no matter how small they are. This will help you realize that you have not just been wasting your time, and will make you feel better when you look back on this time. Though, of course, there is nothing wrong with not accomplishing anything – in fact, relaxing could be seen as a sort of accomplishment, or at least something that’s good for you.

Basically, don’t beat yourself up over not achieving that Big Goal you had – it’s totally fine to use this time as a break, and small accomplishments are still valid and important. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else or put unrealistic expectations on yourself. This is a tough time for everyone without the added stress of being productive, so don’t let that weigh you down – just do whatever is best for you.

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What I’ve Been Doing in Quarantine…

This has been a crazy year for everyone. I could go on about how devastating this time is and all the unfortunate consequences of COVID-19, but instead I thought I would share some of the positives that have come from my experience in quarantine.

I’ve Been Getting Crafty!

Something that I have really enjoyed doing in quarantine has been crafting! I was always crafty growing up, but as I got older and life got busier, that hobby slipped through the cracks. Some projects that I have enjoyed are doing water colour painting (super easy and fun), reverse tie-dying my clothes with bleach (click here for a tutorial), and knitting (an easy way to pass the time while watching tv)!

I’ve Started Working Out Again!

I have always loved having a workout routine, but when university classes demand a lot of my time, I found it hard to stay on track. Now that I have a lot of time on my hands, I have decided to get into working out again! On sunny days, I like going for hikes around my neighbourhood. Other days, I have been enjoying at-home workouts. I am currently on Day 19 of Chloe Ting’s 26 Day Hourglass Program (highly recommend Chloe’s videos)! Having the schedule that Chloe put together makes it super easy to follow and gives me no excuses to skip working out.

I’ve Been Journaling More!

I started a journal last year but found that I hardly ever wrote in it. During quarantine, I’ve enjoyed documenting my thoughts and doodling. It is a nice break from being online all the time and I’m excited to have it to look back on in the future. The COVID-19 crisis is such a unique time in history that it will definitely be interesting to look back on. Let me know if you guys would like a me to write a “how to start a journal/inspiration” post!

I’ve Been Reading Books!

Another hobby that I enjoy but never seemed to have the time for before quarantine. I tend to get really bad headaches when I spend too much time looking at screens, so it has been essential for me to find some off-line activities to keep me busy during the pandemic. I plan on making a post about book recommendations soon, so look out for that!

I’ve Cleaned/Re-Decorated My Room!

Some of you may be rolling your eyes at this one. Don’t worry, I’m not here to be your mother and tell you to “clean your room!” However, I have personally felt a lot more at ease when I got my bedroom set up to my liking. As you’d expect, I have been spending a lot of time in my room for the past couple months, so it is important to me that I enjoy my space. First, I painted some art pieces for my wall that make me happy when I look at them. I also got some plants that help liven up the space. De-cluttering has also been important for me, so I’ve put a lot of my non-essential items in storage to keep my room looking open and clean.

I’ve Been Trying Out New Hobbies!

This is the perfect time to try learning new things. Today, my boyfriend and I decided to start learning how to code. It has been very fun learning something new and bonding together. And who knows maybe we will be programmers by the time quarantine is over?!

I’m also planning on doing some cooking. Since many of my favourite restaurants are closed right now, I am looking forward to trying to recreate my favourite meals. I made this recipe this week and I would highly recommend for an easy dinner (5-minute Mediterranean Bowl).

I’ve Been Watching Lots of Netflix (obviously)!

Probably the most common quarantine pass time, but I had to include it. I’m working on a Netflix recommendations post, but feel free to let me know if you guys have any suggestions on what to watch!

I’m Taking Things One Day at a Time!

Everyone is coping with this situation differently, and I understand that not everyone is going to be positive during this time. But, I hope I have been able to share some ideas of what can help keep your spirits up while you’re at home.

Let me know in the comments how you guys have been dealing with quarantine!

Disclaimer : the images used in this post are not my own. They are stock images retrieved from pexels.com

Life in Quarantine

Over a month ago, when COVID-19 ramped up significantly and caused my classes to go online and my jobs to close, I made the decision to go back to my hometown and quarantine with my family. I’m so glad I made that decision, as I can’t imagine how I’d be feeling if I was alone in my apartment right now.

Temporarily moving back home has been pretty weird. The first few days, I just worried about everything going on, but I slowly calmed down and tried to be more positive. I started adjusting to my new normal, and now I’m completely used to living here. I truly never thought I would live with my parents again, but this is a pretty unusual situation, and at the end of all this I will be heading back to Vancouver, although being there will surely feel different.

My initial plan while staying here was to be extremely productive and do everything I’ve never had the time to do before, but I quickly realized that that was not going to happen, and that’s okay. I needed to relax and focus on my mental health for the first little while before I could think about doing “productive” stuff. I watched movies and tv shows, I spent hours on reddit, I talked to friends constantly. It was actually really nice to have a break – I think I needed it. Life has been pretty crazy, with COVID-19, me finishing my last semester of university, and my post-graduation plans being thrown out the window, at least for the time being. I needed to just unwind and take a break.

Now that I feel sufficiently relaxed, I’m ready to start being productive. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself – I initially planned to write an entire novel while in quarantine, but the pressure to do so caused a lot of anxiety that led to me being too scared to even start. I’ve since made my goals a little more realistic, and have subsequently started working out, started reading again, and started writing blog posts again (guess I’m doing pretty well so far). There are a few more things I’d like to do, including video chatting with friends, as I’ve done this once so far and found it much more enjoyable than talking over text, plus I would really like to talk to people other than my immediate family. I would also like to do some creative writing, but this time, I’m not going to put as much pressure on myself – I don’t need to write an entire novel, I can write short stories or slowly start writing a novel without pressuring myself to get it done right away. I think if you put too much pressure on yourself, it impedes your ability to actually get things done (or maybe that’s just me).

Apparently, we have at least another month of social distancing left until things go back to “normal”, and in a weird way I am grateful for that, as it means more time with my family and more time (hopefully) being somewhat productive while I actually have time to do everything I want to do. Nobody knows how long this will last, but it’s important that we all take care of ourselves and our mental health right now and do what is best for us, whether that be accomplishing nothing at all or being super productive. We also need to show empathy to others, as not everyone is lucky enough to relax at home and not have to worry about their loved ones. These are truly extraordinary times, and hopefully when everything is said and done, we can work to make this world a better place.

Stay safe, everybody.

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