Welcome to my page! I’m so excited to be finally writing my first blog post and I’m really happy to have you here!
It’s been on my heart to start this blog for a while now so to actually be putting fingers to keyboard feels historic.
Before I fall even further into my feelings here, let’s get into today’s topic.
So you know how we’ve all been stuck inside way more than usual? And words like “lockdown”, “quarantine” and the term “social distancing” have all become part of our normal vocabulary (not forgetting about Zoom which, let’s be honest, none of us knew about before 2020!)? Well as horrible as it is to remember that the reason is because we are in the throes of a worldwide pandemic that has been taking so many lives, there are still SOME positives that can come out from what is, in essence, a very sucky situation. So here are FIVE important things we can take from almost a year of on-off lockdowns that should be carried with us for the rest of our lives, even once this ordeal becomes an all-but-forgotten memory:
Our Health Needs to Always Be a Top Priority
If your vitamin game has been strong these past few months, you are definitely not alone. Something about a deadly virus ravaging the world really encourages you to eat your greens and take your vitamins. Particularly the immunity power trio: vitamin C (for preventing infections and shortening their duration), vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin we all know and love that supports general immune function) and zinc (to produce new immune system cells).
I saw a quote on an Instagram post that said something like this: it’s only when you’re really sick that you realise that there was only really one thing that was truly important…your health. And it’s so so true because even when you think about all the things you love and hold dear, your family, your friends, maybe your job or business, your hobbies, none of those things can even be enjoyed if you’re dangerously sick with your life at stake. At such times, the only focus becomes getting better, and how much tighter you’ll hold onto all of those things you do love once you’re okay again. So it’s important for us to take care of our health as an absolute priority; physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and everything in between.
If you’re stuck for what to do, why not get your body moving with a home workout? Pamper yourself with a face mask and an at-home manicure (Disclaimer: skincare and manicures are not only for us girls so I’m talking to the fellas here as well!) Watch your favourite show and grab some snacks. Self-care is important for maintaining our overall health and wellbeing and shouldn’t be overlooked, especially not now.
We Need to Connect with Those We Love
Whether it’s a regular Zoom call with the grandparents or a socially distanced walk with your best friend, times like these show us that we need to do whatever we can to nurture the relationships we value. No man (or woman) is an island. And even the most antisocial of homebodies I’m sure will agree that this year has challenged the very core of all of us that would have previously identified as introverts pre-pandemic (I say what I’m about to say with my full chest: I personally will never, NEVER again call myself an introvert or homebody after this! I just wanna go to a wedding, or a dinner, heck I’ll even settle for a kid’s birthday party at this point! Just anywhere that has people I don’t live with there and that isn’t. my. house.)
One thing is for sure, whether your ideal evening is at a crowded bar with 15 of your closest friends or you’re on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, vibing by yourself in your room with your playlist going, some scented candles burning and your journal, one thing is for sure; we need to connect with our loved ones every so often in some way, shape or form. There is a part of every single one of us that thrives in community so don’t neglect that part of you. Have a longer chat than usual with your neighbour. Go for a walk with your family. Call that friend you’ve been thinking about recently. You’ll be surprised at how much a chat with an old friend can lift your spirits.
Showing Gratitude is Important
Not gonna lie, it seemed pretty trivial to me to clap for the NHS outside of our windows at 6.00pm on a weekly basis rather than the government doing more meaningful acts of appreciation like increasing public health funding, improving NHS workers’ pay, and implementing services that would cater to their mental health needs. Mental health in particular should have been a major priority for them considering that frontline workers were and still are constantly seeing people suffer, die and be completely alone in their last moments because of Covid-19, which undoubtedly takes its toll. I can, however, appreciate that despite the clap gesture being (arguably) misplaced, it reminded us of the importance of showing people gratitude in general and, more specifically, letting those on the frontline know how much we appreciate them putting themselves on the line for the sake of our health and safety every single day. Even if it’s a simple “thank you, I appreciate you” to the shop worker that served you on the tills during lockdown or a quick chat with the postman as he drops off your 476th delivery since March, let’s find a way to show appreciation to each other during these crazy times.
A Means of Escape is Very Much Necessary
Has your and/or your family’s screentime also gone through the roof? I don’t know about you but I find that I am relying so much more on my favourite shows (particularly comedy shows) and also great reads to get me through these countless days at home. Especially with two little kids that have SOOO much energy and nowhere decent to put it! Balancing motherhood, wifehood, work-from-home life, and the overall emotional rollercoaster that is not being able to see the loved ones we don’t live with, and not being able to visit the places we’d usually go to under normal circumstances, is no easy feat. With these things in mind, a bit of escapism can help in temporarily allowing us to forget our current reality and be transported into a whole other world where the pandemic thankfully doesn’t reside (unless you happen to be reading a book or watching a show about a pandemic, in which case, do you enjoy suffering?)
I’m currently loving watching episodes New Girl (series available on Amazon Prime) for one of my means of escape. I actually watched it years ago and stopped before completing the series but forgot just how funny it is 😀 I’m also reading an amazing book at the moment called ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ by Tomi Adeyemi that I haven’t yet finished but is already my new favourite book. It’s taking all of my restraint to savour it and not cram it all in in one evening! (On that note: stay tuned for a future blog post on my favourite series, movies and books to help you get through what’s probably going to be another very long year).
Find and Fuel Your Passion and Purpose
Excuse me while I get a little bit deep on this last point. This past year has shown that no one on Earth knows tomorrow. A lot of us probably wouldn’t have believed it if two years ago, we were told that at some point, the whole world would be plunged into a social darkness never seen before in modern history, and that the entire world population would be taking refuge at home in light of the eventual slaughter of millions of people at the hands of a diabolical virus.
But yet here we are.
If there was EVER a time to find what you love, it’s NOW. Life is too short to be in a job you hate and living for the weekends alone. Don’t get me wrong, I know that sometimes you have to work a job you don’t necessarily enjoy as a means to an end while working towards what you actually want to do. After all, bills need to be paid and mouths need to be fed, even if it’s just your own, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t sit down and make a proper plan for how you can get into doing what you truly love.
What are you good at? What sets your heart on fire? What does the world need? And what can you make money doing? If you can find something that answers all of these questions then you, my friend, have struck gold. And if you can’t and you don’t have answers to these questions yet, that’s okay too! Ask the people around you what you’re good at! You’d be surprised how many people only realised their purpose and potential after speaking to their closest friends and family. But first and foremost (speaking to my fellow believers in Christ now), ask the Lord and watch Him show you what He has planned for you and direct your path.
So these are the 5 things that we should take from this…experience shall we call it (can you tell I’m trying to avoid using the ‘p’ word again?)
I’d love to know which of these 5 things resonated with you the most and whether there’s anything you would add to this list. Let me know in the comments down below and thank you so much for reading.
If you made it to the end of this post, you’re a real one! I see you and I appreciate you (check me out, demonstrating point 3 in action :P)