Wellness Wednesday
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

what I have gained from quarantine

5/20/2020

 
Picture

The current pandemic is something that no one asked for or chose. Naturally, it feels easy to lament about the freedoms that we have lost and the negative impact of isolation on our wellbeing. And that is fair, we have lost a lot, and these frustrations and feelings of grief are valid. But today I am choosing to focus on any positive aspects taken from this challenging experience, be it lessons, insights or gratitudes. 

Here are five things that I have gained from quarantine:
  1. A healthier relationship with exercise. I used to only exercise when I had a full hour to go to the gym plus the time needed to get there, change and shower. When I didn’t have that time I would just do no exercise at all. Now I have learned to not think about exercising in such black and white/ all-or-nothing terms. I have developed the mindset of “something is better than nothing”. Now I do a ten or 20 minute workout YouTube video when I don’t have the energy for a full hour. Or some days I will take a walk outside if I don’t feel like an intense video. Although my workouts are not as long in duration or intense as they used to be I am getting more workouts into my week, feeling less dread about starting my workouts and sometimes I even enjoy it.
  2. An appreciation of alone time. I now feel comfortable taking more time to myself. I have not lived alone during quarantine, I have not even spent one full day alone. But the limitations of quarantine has given me more opportunity to take walks alone and enjoy spending that time by myself listening to a podcast or simply just enjoying the scenery.
  3. An appreciation for social communal events. Birthday celebrations, graduations, staff meetings, pot lucks, family dinners, concerts. The shared energy and comradery that can only be felt in a shared personal space is something that I will never again take for granted.
  4. An appreciation for physical touch. Simply being able to give a hug to a close friend when I say hello or goodbye is now something I notice. Before these hugs were just pleasantries but now they mean so much more. 
  5. An appreciation for the freedom to be spontaneous. Being able to stroll into a restaurant last minute, decide on a whim to book a vacation, or simply being able to just stop by the mall to check out the stores are all things that now take deep consideration. Now we need to plan our outings and the number of times that we leave the house so that we are prepared with masks, and sanitizer. We now need to be aware of our bodies in relation to others so that we are constantly at a safe distance. I will no longer take the spontaneity of the past for granted. 

What have you gained from quarantine? Are there any lessons that you have learned or gratitudes that you no longer take for granted? Let us know on our Wellness Wednesday Twitter and Instagram platforms or in the comments below.
Image used under Creative Commons license. 
CLICK HERE for the source.

Comments are closed.
    Picture

    Author

    Jessica is a member of the clinical wellness and learning support team at FLEX Psychology. Jessica started Wellness Wednesday out of a desire to provide further opportunities for her clients to extend their wellness journey to all avenues of their life. You can learn more about Jessica by clicking here or by learning more about her and the clinical team at FLEX Psychology by clicking here.

    Categories

    All
    Change
    Exploring Psychotherapy
    Self Care
    The Mind
    Wellness In Media

    Archives

    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019

    RSS Feed

    Image Copyright

    Wellness Wednesday uses a combination of original, licensed images, and images used through non-revocable creative commons license.

    While Wellness Wednesday is a non-profit project, we restrict use to Creative Commons licenses that allow sharing, modification, and commercial use under the terms of Attribution (providing appropriate credit), this license, and notification of any changes made.

    Images are reviewed twice yearly to determine if sources have been removed. While the agreed upon license provided irrevocable rights to use, we chose to remove these photos to avoid any possible misattribution and confusion regarding the nature of the initial license agreement.

    You can read more about Creative Commons licenses by CLICKING HERE.

The information provided on this site is educational in nature and does not reflect therapeutic advice.  Use of these resources are intended for self-help purposes only and are not reflective of a therapeutic relationship with Jessica or any guest author.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact