Quarantine Resolutions

I'm never usually a fan of these personal life updates. Something about commenting on my own life on the internet feels intimate. Of course, most of us do it on social media anyway; but after two years working in social media marketing, I've learnt to avoid sharing too much!

But here I am, stuck indoors trying to think of what to do to pass the time and prevent the dreaded writer's block smacking me in the face. As the weeks have passed, I've found it increasingly hard to feel like 'me'. The world of Starbucks and no social-distancing feels like an actual dream to me at the moment. My coffee addiction has skyrocketed to new heights, and my attempts to quit smoking have fluttered out into nothing (any tips would be excellent). Mentally I've been coping well, in the last job I got trained as a Mental Health First Aider, which means I know how to spot and prevent a mental breakdown. It seems like a lot of people are actively trying to do the same when you look on social media. Most people feel confident talking about the mini perks in their days and are unfiltered when it comes to talking about the bad days.

Lockdown is difficult, we all know it, but we don't need to embrace the suffering. Over the past month, I've seen influencers, bloggers and businesses bust a gut trying to get the message out that you can still ace life from within the four walls of our homes. You can lay your head to rest at night in the same place that you use to work and allow your creativity to flourish. We should be working out, doing our jobs right and simultaneously fumble together a tangible product of our time at home. It could be a new skill, writing a book, losing weight or whatever you have always aimed to do.

They probably don't tell you to fly though; flying is difficult!

And these people are right. They're preaching gospel truths for their list, but they are still truths. We SHOULD be trying to make the most of this time; it's better for us in the short and long term. Yeah, sleeping in all day or becoming engrossed in animal crossing is fun. But getting stuck in a slump is merely soothing, it doesn't stimulate your emotions or provoke any joy other than lazy pleasure.

This is why we need Quarantine resolutions! I touch on this in a later blog, but the idea of setting goals or creating a COVID-19 bucket list is SOOOO worth doing. What have you always wanted to learn? If you have an impulse purchase laying around the attic, now is the time to dig it out. This is the time for us to feel accomplished for getting out of bed in the morning; let's think on top of the world for doing something new. 

My mentality is that we don't know when this will end; it could be weeks or months before life goes back to normal. But I'd rather not spend weeks trying to fix my sleeping pattern or get the cogs to start turning in my brain again. Despite being on Furlough, I'm keen to make my weekdays feel like any other day. Of course, on weekends, I take the time to listen to what my body needs, I sleep all day and try not to work on my blog (sometimes its just way too tempting!).

I thought it would be a good idea to talk about my Quarantine Resolutions. Just like New Year's resolutions, this list will involve some big things and some small things. But each one is just as important to me. Ticking these resolutions off the list would feel awesome, and knowing I'm already working towards them helps me feel better mentally. I'd love to know if anyone else is doing this or if they're doing anything similar.

Finish my grammar courses

I feel like a lot of the quarantine social trends have taken us back to 2012. Online courses are back with a bang! I can't be the only one getting adverts for Masterclass and the Open Academy, right?

For a while, I struggled with the ins and outs of immaculate grammar. I've always had feedback saying that my writing is brilliant, but I struggled with semicolons and syntax; the idea of not being good at writing (which I love doing) hit me hard and caused a bit of a wobble before my A-Levels. I was also struggling with a bunch of other stuff which meant I already was required to use a laptop during exams. I felt thick. It took me a long time to overcome those issues and the anxiety about my writing. Now I'm ready to prove to myself that I can write and I know my SPAG! So I've signed up to a 120-hour TEFL course which will show I know enough about the English language to teach it as a foreign language. 

Puts a whole new spin on the phrase "If you can't do, teach!"

I'm also working my way through several social media marketing courses for work, but they're fun to do anyway!

Lose Weight

This one has been on the cards for a VERY long time. But does not need explaining as much as the last resolution. I've always been big when I was a kid I had more rolls on me than a Greggs Bakery. At the age of 21, I can safely say I've lost my puppy fat, but I'm not a bodybuilder. I have a condition which is ultimately less painful if I'm within my BMI, so I've got about a stone to lose!

To try and achieve this, I've been eating ridiculously healthy, working out with Joe Wicks daily and jogging a mile and a bit around my local park. I don't own scales, but, I already see a dramatic difference. I must remember to take some progress pictures!

Socialise

I'm so bad communicating with people who aren't in my immediate atmosphere it's unreal. I have messages which remain unopened for months and an ungodly amount of unopened notifications which drive my friends mental. 

Even if I allocate a specific time of my day to answering these messages, I must not forget other people exist!

Focus on me

This is such a vague resolution but oh so important. I tend to try to be as productive as humanly possible (hence this blog post and the fact I'm already a month ahead of my scheduling). As much as I love sitting and working on projects to help me feel better about the state of the world, it's essential to listen to what my body needs too.

I'm currently trying to get out of the habit of overworking myself, especially when I don't need to. There is absolutely nothing wrong with pushing back a day doing work in favour of a few extra hours in bed.

There we go! I hope this inspires you to write up a list of everything you want to do and starting working to achieve them. Let's try and live positively in such a scary time.