5 Personal Lessons I Learned in Quarantine

Happy Wednesday, Wanderers!

Quick question…

Is the world still in quarantine or no? 

Social media has me very confused these days. Half my timeline is still home, social distancing, and in quarantine, while the other half is either in the club or in Tulum.

Anywho that’s not the point of this post…

*whispers* Focus, Atiana

Okay, so we’re officially 8 months into this pandemic, and honestly, y’all, I’m still in disbelief.

Like is this really happening to us?

I’m still waiting on someone to pinch me and wake me up from this nightmare.

Anywho…

How are you doing? What do you think of all of this? How are you handling this “new normal?” Let’s chat about it, comment down below!

As I mentioned here, my quarantine only lasted about 3.5 to 4 months. As the dust of life has finally settled, I found time to sit and reflect on what those few months taught me.

Y’all, listen. Don’t get me wrong, I was definitely dying (or at least feel like I was dying) while I sat at home. However, I am grateful for the mini-lessons I learned during that time, so I thought I would share a few with you

Update: I decided to make this a series. (Yay!) Click here to view my professional lessons. Click here to view my spiritual lessons.

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1. Self-care is non-negotiable.

Whew! This one is at the top of the list for a reason.

DON’T NEGLECT YOUR SELF-CARE, SIS!

It’s so easy to just go through the motions of life, and put taking care of yourself on the back burner. But listen, we need self-care now more than ever. There is just so much going on in our lives and in the world right now to not.

As much as you are consuming, you should be filling your cup twice that much. 

Now, I’ll admit self-care was something I used to over-complicate. I used to think I had to wait to do “self-care” until I had a full-day available. 

Update: That available day never came so I had to make the most out of the little time I had. 

Self-care can be as big or as small as you want it to be. It’s not every week that I get a full-day or even a few hours to just do something intentional so I learned to appreciate the small things.

My new thing is to take a few minutes to myself each day. Some days it may be a simple glass of wine, watching an episode of my favorite show, or a quick dance session to my favorite playlist. While other days (when I have a little more time), it may be a nice bubble bath, walk around my neighborhood, or a trip to Target (IYKYK).

My goal for you this month is to repriortize your self-care. Take a few minutes for yourself everyday. I saw this quote in a journal in Target and I’ve been in love with it ever since.

“How have you taken care of yourself today?”

Create a visual reminder of this quote for yourself somewhere where you can see it every day to hold you accountable.

Here’s an example of mine.

Pssst, need some help in the self-care department? Guess what! I wrote an entire blog post on self-care just for your here!

2. Morning routines are essential

Do you love mornings or are you normal?

I used to be a night owl, but listen as I get older, the earlier my body shut down. By 9:30, it’s a wrap for your girl for the night. And honestly, with this time change, it’s more like 8:00. So I’m slowly growing to love mornings more.

I learned the key to waking up earlier is one, going to bed earlier (duh!) and two, creating a routine.

With a routine, I learned I knew what to expect, how long it should take me, and when I would be out the door.

Your routine = your game plan

I learned when I had a set routine, my mornings became less chaotic and more peaceful. I didn’t walk into work feeling overwhelmed and frazzled. My days became more positive and more productive.

Note: Your morning routine doesn’t have to be very detailed or intricate. It can be as simple as you wanted.

For example: Wake up, pray + journal, shower, make breakfast (and coffee, because obviously), and get dressed.

You may even want to do a quick workout or knock out a couple of task for your side-hustle befor clocking into your 9-5. It’s up to you.

Also note: Your morning routine doesn’t have to look the same every day. You can have a set list of items to pick from and create your own routine for that day based on your mood. You have full control.

The important thing is to create a plan and stick to a it.

Your morning sets the tone for your day. Make sure you start it off right.

Sidebar: If you want a full blog post on morning routines and my morning routine, comment down below and let me know!

3.When you look good, you feel good

*sings* “Sweat pants, hair tied, chilling with no makeup on”

Sis, I know it’s comfortable and I know you may not be going anywhere right now, but it’s time to switch it up.

A spent the first few months of the pandemic bumming it, literally what was a pedicure, hair appointment, or putting on real clothes.

But you know what? I felt exactly how I looked.

It’s true what they say when you look good, you feel good.

Treat yourself, sis.

Get your hair done for YOU. Put on that new outfit you’ve been waiting to wear for YOU (but also, take some pictures and post them on IG because I want to see). Go get a pedicure, the deluxe one. It’s time. Long overdue.

Stop waiting on things to change outside to change your mood. It starts with you and the time is now.

You want an instant mood booster, change your look and while you’re at it take yourself out on a date (eh, maybe just order takeout, that sounds safer right now).

Still working from home? That’s okay. Order some new WFH attire aka loungewear. Need some inspiration? Here are a few of my favorite sets here, here, here, here, here (find the matching top here and cardigan here), here, and here.

4. A positive mindset is everything

I know it’s hard, especially with everything going on in the world but you have to stay positive. 

Fill your mind up with positive thoughts and trust that everything will work out.

For those really tough days, when I can’t seem to shake that negative spirit, I wrote these three affirmations:

As graduation quickly approached in May, I was a mess. The stress of not having a graduation after two years of the hell in which they call grad school AND trying to figure out post-graduation plans/find a job, had me down in the dumps. Literally days of tears.

I tried to depend on other people to cheer me up, but eventually, it stopped working. My happiness started and ended with me. I had to shake that bad energy and poured some goodness into myself.

Feeling down, sis? Maybe even a little hopeless. Change your mindset, sis. 

You know how everyone was talking about “manifest” and “manifestation” not too long ago? Manifest your future, sis. The energy and words you put out into the atmosphere become your reality. Make sure it’s positive.

5. Do what feels right to you

It’s so easy to feel pressured to go along with what everyone else is doing, trust me, I know. But don’t be afraid to go against the grain.

You only get one life, sis. Make sure the one you’re living is the one YOU, yes you want. Do what feels right to you. Go with your gut, it’ll never steer you wrong.

The dream you want to pursue. The job you don’t want to take, or maybe even leave. The person you want to date, or maybe not date. The product you want to launch. The video you want to record. The state/country you want to move to.

Stop letting what other people are doing or saying, stop you from living out the life you want. Silence all the noise and limit the distractions.

Whatever it is, do it. If it feels right to you, do it.

Honorable Mention: Don’t let fear hold you back, launch sis!

That big thing that you’ve been plotting and planning, it’s time to release. I know you may not feel like it’s the right time or you’re ready, but that’s okay. If you just sit on it, I fear you may look up and you’ll be in the same space a year (or two) from now. 

Imagine if you just start today, where you could be by the beginning of the year.

It’s okay if you’ve already tried once before, and maybe it didn’t work out the way you wanted to BUT you now have more knowledge than you did before to make this time go even better (very long sentence, but I hope you get it).

Take those lessons and begin again, sis.

Do it scared. Do it unsure. Do it imperfectly. Do it full of fear. Just do it.

Everything will fall into place in due time.

We need your gift and we need your magic. Release it, sis. We’re waiting.

You’ve been wanting a sign, well here it is.

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Whatever phase of 2020 you’re in – still in quarantine or back to life as normal, wishing you good health and wealth on you and your loved ones! Comment down below and let me know if you’re still in quarantine or back to your regularly scheduled program! Also, while you’re down there, let me know what lessons this pandemic/quarantine has taught you!

Love + Light,