Although quarantine isn’t a situation any of us would have chosen, it doesn’t have to be an entirely negative experience. In fact, with the right mindset, you may find unexpected benefits in these long months of isolation. For many, quarantine has given them the opportunity to be better versions of themselves by establishing exercise regimes, eating healthier, and accomplishing personal goals. For me, quarantine gave me a lot of time to reflect, which made me view my life in a new light.
Here are the five lessons I learned in quarantine, and perhaps they’ll give you a new perspective on how you’re living your life too:
- Be yourself
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I’ve always been self-conscious about the way I look and how others perceive me. I used to hide myself in hoodies and sweatpants because I was too afraid to wear form-fitting clothes. However, I realized that other peoples’ opinions should not define who I am. Life’s too short to be self-conscious and realistically, most people won’t notice my new shirt, or that I’ve started wearing jeans. A few days ago, I even mustered up the courage to buy the clothes that have been sitting in my Hollister cart since July!
Maybe it’s your turn to ‘carpe diem’ and buy the clothes you have in your shopping cart, or wear that bright red coat hanging in the back of your closet. It’s okay if you’re too scared to wear it out. You can slowly build up your confidence by wearing it when you go outside to pick up your mail or in your house.
- Appreciate the little things
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Quarantine has made me realize how I took human interaction for granted. Simple things like studying in the library and going to the mall are no longer things I can do without worrying about my health. Now, I’ve started to spend more time with my family by playing ‘Mahjong’ with them every Saturday night and appreciating the extra 30-minutes of sleep I have on Mondays because my classes start later that day.
Perhaps now is the time to start appreciating the small things in life by connecting with the important people in your life. Consider going on family walks, cooking for your family/roommates, or simply spending more time with them.
- Live like there’s no tomorrow
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Being an inherently shy person, I’ve always been hesitant to take risks. In hindsight, there are many things I regret not doing; from missed leadership opportunities to befriending classmates, the fear of leaving my comfort zone held me back. I regret not going to one of the banquets/semi-formals in high school because I thought that I was going to have prom (but it got cancelled). Seeing other people sharing moments of them having the time of their lives on social media made me question if I was really living the way I want. Now, I’ve begun to take more risks by reaching out to meet new people and to not overthink about initiating conversations with them.
- Learn something new
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During quarantine, I’ve been baking and cooking a lot, which has helped me rediscover my culture while simultaneously strengthening my relationship with my family. I’ve discovered many authentic Chinese dishes and desserts that my parents haven’t eaten since they immigrated to Canada; it’s amazing to see their faces light up when they see the dish they haven’t seen in years!
- Take care of yourself
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Finally, the advice we always give but rarely take: take care of yourself. During quarantine, I began to do things to improve my health. I started exercising by doing YouTube workouts (Chloe Ting’s workouts are hard, but they’re worth the pain!), investing in self-care (I am now obsessed with skincare), and fixing my sleep schedule. Although it was difficult to motivate myself to exercise in the beginning, and I slacked off for a couple of days, I pushed through by crossing off the days that I exercised on my calendar and repeating the motto, “No pain, no gain.” Now that school has started, it’s been harder to stick to my exercise routine (especially during midterm season), but I try to start my day with at least 10-minutes of exercise before settling down to attend my virtual lectures.
Do your body a favour by eating right, exercising daily and sleeping well. You’ve got the time to put into it, and I promise that the effort you put into caring for yourself will be worth it.
I hope that by the time quarantine ends, we will find that we grew in unexpected ways. Maybe you will pick up a new instrument or learn how to code. Perhaps, like me, you will savour the special small moments in life, appreciative for what you have. The beauty of life is that we get to choose how to live it, so let’s put this extra time to good use. If there’s something that you’ve always wanted to do, but you were too scared to do, do it now. Many of us are still young, and life’s too short for us to waste it away. The possibilities are endless – all you have to do is take the first step forward.