I’ve always found it hard to set time aside for myself. I give too much time to relationships, friendships, jobs and hobbies and often forget to take some “me-time”. Well it seems like I have no choice now. We’ve all been told to stay indoors and social distance and our worlds have completely changed. This is the first time in years I have been living at home with my mum and I feel like a teenager again. I know times are hard on many but for some of us it’s like going back in time to our younger carefree selves, sleeping in our naive childhood bedrooms, being served home cooked dinners (my mum is turning me back into a carnivore) and spending hours playing video games or watching silly shows like ‘The Simpsons’ or old childhood favourites on Disney+. All we can do during this terrible time is, cherish the simple things. This might be the last time I live at home and spend such quality time with mum or my poor little dog, Charlie, who is getting older. Always look on the bright side, take this time to remember what you should be thankful for and spend some time with yourself.

For me, alone time is often scary. I like to spend time with my friends, interact with my co-workers and meet new people. You may feel the same if you are naturally extroverted like me. I need to get better at putting my phone down and just being alone with my thoughts. I feel the need to be constantly connected with people, find out what they’re doing, how they’re feeling and build on my relationships with others. Social media is a blessing during this time, it’s easy to still feel as close to your friends as we were pre-pandemic. I check in with my friends daily and that constant communication is really helpful especially when everyone is so full of worry and anxiety during this uncertain time. We laugh till all hours on video calls, learning more about each other as each week goes by. Communication is definitely not lost, but for me I find it too easy to become reliant on other people to make me happy. This is a great time to work on your relationship with yourself (as lame as that sounds). This will look different for everyone. Taking an hour a day to put your phone away, go for a walk or a run, do some yoga, read a book and be alone with your own thoughts. Figure out what it really means to be you. Your friends and family will help you during this time, but you also need to help yourself.

I haven’t been overly productive during the past few weeks in isolation. I have just tried to maintain a healthy daily routine. Wake up, do 20 minutes of yoga, wash my face, eat a good breakfast and start my day working in a clean and bright environment. I spend my evenings relaxing, doing whatever makes me happy, a walk outside, a dance class, video calls with my friends or watching crap TV with mum. I’m not planning on learning a new skill, inventing something spectacular or getting ripped, while isolating and nor should you. It’s enough just to stay afloat and continue living life as normally as possible. If you have spare time, do things that make you happy that maybe you haven’t always had time for. I have been baking and cooking a lot more which really relaxes me. It’s something I often don’t have time for but now that I’m at home and mum has much better baking equipment than me, I’ve taken it up again. I haven’t had the time to squeeze ballet classes into my busy life the past few years but recently I’ve been able to do classes online which has really reignited my love for dance. In ways I feel blessed that I’m living through this period. It has given me the time and headspace to revisit the things I love.

Surround yourself with positivity. Social media, the news and gossip in group chats can really weigh you down, but only if you let it. If you feel yourself getting bogged down with bad news, simply remove it from your life. You have the power to choose what you consume. I like to stay up to date, so I will watch the 9 o’clock news and then completely switch off from all things corona related. I’ve been having really strange dreams and my mind feels constantly awake even when I’m asleep. Does anyone else feel like this? I’ve put it down to being on my phone before bed and consuming to much information during the day which keeps my brain thinking even when I try and shut off. This week I’m going to try reduce my screen time during the day and do a half hour of yoga before bed to shut my brain off. Everyone is different, but I think these small things might really help me.

When I feel sad about the situation I like to remind myself that, we will all come out of this improved humans, not because we over exerted ourselves trying to learn new skills or do more than is expected of us, but because we stayed at home and showed empathy and compassion to those who need it. We now have time to assess the important things in life, protecting those we love, protecting those we have never met and protecting future generations. We have to act selflessly during this time, even if being selfless means chilling at home with your favourite book and a cup of tea when you’d much rather be out partying. It is a small favour to ask. When this is all over our hearts will be so full of love for each other. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and this is a lesson we have all learned during these troubling times. Parents will be reunited with children, lovers with one another and friends with friends. I will hug my friends each time I see them as if it will be the last, as I have learned, it very well could be. I will think long and hard before I dismiss a coffee date or a drink with friends and not let my anxiety get in the way of great moments.

This time I have taken to learn more about myself has been invaluable. I have learned what makes me happy, what I need in my life to be content, which friends are positive influences in my life and what family and home means to me. I needed to pause, to reset, learn what is important to me and I feel like I have. This can be a beautiful and miraculous time for us all if we just embrace it.