I know, you're tired of hearing it and in all honesty so am I. But today I'm writing about this pandemic to relieve my stress, anger, and sadness. Also for all my viewers to have something or someone to relate to in these hard times. I'm going to rant for a second before I get to golden stuff. Just continue reading! I promise it will make sense in the end:).
Here's my Rant
At the beginning when coronavirus was new and not in the U.S I definitely downgraded it. I thought that people were stupid to freak out over something that appeared to me as a common cold. The flu seemed way worse to me and I thought the world was over-reacting. At this time, I took the virus way too lightly.
Not to sound dramatic, but this sickness has cause a lot of anger and inconvenience for me, my family, and my friends. If you don't know me well, let me tell you a little about myself. I'm 18 years old and a senior in high school. Most of my life I have struggled with clinical depression and anxiety (read My Journey Through Anxiety and Depression blog post to learn more about it). That being said, social isolation is very hard on my mental state. I feel like my senior year as be taken away from me. The anxiety of not knowing if I will have a senior prom, a graduation ceremony, or being able to continue with my travel plans pains my heart.
My family had our first cruise planned over spring break this year. Unfortunately it has been cancelled due to COVID-19. I also have been saving up for a humanitarian trip to Guatemala during the month of June which is has also been cancelled. Graduation has a possibility of being cancelled along with prom and senior dinner dance...all due to COVID-19.
A few short days ago I received some heart breaking news that I will not have my last school dance company concert. It was my last chance to preform with my team and do what I love. I have been working very hard on my solo and my group pieces only to have it be stripped away from me.
Basically my point to you is that all of these cancelled events have left me with anger and sadness in my heart. And I know I'm not alone. I have heard and seen so many other people in the same or similar situation as me. I want you to know that you are not alone.
Stay Optimistic and Positive
I'm very surprised to find myself writing this post right now. The first week of self isolation was awful for me. It felt so dark and I didn't want to get out of bed. My anxiety spiked to the worst it has been in many years. I didn't feeling like dancing, playing my guitar or blogging, which are all things I'm very passionate about. I decided after that first week of gloom and depression that I needed to be doing productive work and things that make me happy.
Online school has been hard to adjust to, however the only way we can grow through this is by adapting. My younger sister is a sophomore in high school this year which means she has a lot more classes than I do. It has been so hard to see her struggle through her school work while everyone in my family tries to help her. Although, seeing this has made me very grateful. I only have three classes that are requiring me to continue my school work at home and I'm very thankful for that.
Quarantine has also given me a lot of time to better and improve myself. I have been doing more personal reading, playing guitar, working out, and eating healthier. All things I wanted to improve on but never found the time too.
Look at this time in the most positive way you can. I'm not always perfect at this and have to bring myself away from the negative thoughts and complaints. Give yourself goals and to-do's. Stay productive and work on things you never found time for in normal life.
Moving Forward
Use this time to better yourself. Find time to do the things you are passionate about and want to improve on. This time will pass even though it doesn't feel that way right now. Stay hopeful and help others along the way. Let others help you as well. Don't feel like this is something you have to live through alone. Everything will work itself out in the end. For my fellow seniors, we will have a graduation ceremony even if it's not until the end of summer or maybe a little different that what we had envisioned. It's very easy to look at all the negatives and events that have been postponed or cancelled, but don't. This is the time to find yourself and achieve your goals.
Activities for Quarantine
Below I would like to share a list of things I have been doing in my time during quarantine to stay productive and entertained. I know I get bored a lot, but when I do I always look back to this list to see what I could be doing to have fun and improve myself at the same time.
Yoga
Finding healthy recipes to try
Baking/cooking
Playing guitar
Dancing
Blogging/journaling
Card or board games with my family
Outdoor run
Hiking
Writing songs
Photoshoots with siblings
Trying a new makeup or hair look
Face mask
Bath bombs
Reading
Netflix
Bike rides
Walks with my family
Canyon drives
D.I.Y's on YouTube
Naps
Redecorating the house
Organizing a space
Facetiming friends and famiily
At home workouts
Be creative and paint or draw
Stretch
Delete unnecessary things off your phone
Limit phone usage
Fill out job or schooling applications
Make a gratitude list
Listen to a podcast
And so much more. These all all things to keep you busy but also better yourself as a person.
Gratitude to You
I know I say it a lot but I really do appreciate every single one of you and your support for my passion of blogging. I now have a goal everyday to write down or say something that I am grateful for. This has helped bring happiness and positivity to my life. Gratitude is the most effective way to stay hopeful and positive in the storms of the world and I am so grateful to be sharing my struggles and hopes with you today.
Love it❤️