Here's What Over 600 People Are Learning About Themselves During Quarantine
The past few months of quarantine have knocked me on my butt. They have forced me to go inside, take a timeout, and assess how I operate in the world. This has been a time to reflect on my own racism, look at the ways that I am not in alignment with my values, and see how deep my personal strength is without external distractions. To put it lightly, things have been… different.
Yet when I go online, so many people’s social media feeds made it seem like nothing dramatic is going on. They are posting pictures of their family, beautiful hikes, home cooked meals… and nothing about the struggle of this moment in time. My assumption is that these images don’t accurately reflect their internal state. This led to a question: how can I get a true picture of what’s going on for others during quarantine?
That’s why, when I met Amy–– the Daily Haloha founder–– I jumped at the opportunity to ask your community a question.
Here’s what I put out there: What has become clear to you during quarantine?
The Response
I’m honored that over 600 of you from around the globe shared your truth with me and this community. The responses range from funny to heartwarming to despairing. Thanks to Amy’s interns, Rachel Fryefield and Erica Wels, the answers were meticulously read through and sorted into categories. I’ve taken the most popular ones and broken them down for you in this article.
Our hope–– both me personally and the Daily Haloha team–– is that these words help you feel less alone in your quarantine experience. Know that everyone is struggling in different ways right now, and you’re doing your best. (So are the people around you who might be driving you nuts.)
If you need immediate help, please text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor. If you would like longer-term support, check out these free mental health resources compiled by Thrive NYC. Otherwise, read on to learn what folks around the world are learning and struggling with during quarantine.
Slowness Is Beautiful
A gift that quarantine has given many of us is time: time to slow down, to read books, to cook beautiful meals and have long conversations with friends. Our days often have an expansiveness that we haven’t felt in years–– or maybe ever. Here’s what some people have learned about their relationship with slowness:
“What’s become clear to me during quarantine is that this nurturing sense of calm and slowness is so important and nurturing for me - I want to keep doing so even as life speeds up.”
“What’s become clear to me during quarantine is that slowing down & actually enjoying my life by pursuing my passion projects is extremely fulfilling.”
“What’s become clear to me during quarantine is to slow down and appreciate the little things like family dinners, movie nights, morning walks, and patience.”
“What’s become clear to me during quarantine is that sleeping in every day is amazing!!”
If you want to learn how to create a deeper sense of slowness in your life, here are some resources that I recommend:
How To Relax by Thicht Nhat Than
Insight Timer, especially meditations by Sarah Blondin and Tara Brach
Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
Our True Feelings Might Be Hidden
In the rush of day-to-day life, it can be easy to miss how we’re truly feeling. No one has time to feel sad or angry when there are reports to present, events to attend, and all the other tasks that many of us take on in our regular lives. Yet when all of that goes away, we’re left with ourselves–– and how we feel can be surprising. Many people who answered our Haloha question felt similarly. Here’s what some of them said:
“What’s become clear to me during quarantine is that I was moving through life on autopilot and really took things too fast causing unnecessary stress and a numbness to my life.”
“What’s become clear to me during quarantine is how alone I am.”
“What’s become clear to me during quarantine is how much more I want my life to be.”
“What’s become clear to me during quarantine is how little I actually know about myself.”
For anyone who wants to get a deeper insight into themselves and isn’t sure where to start, I recommend these books:
Feminine Genius by Liyana Silver (for women)
The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk
The 5 Personality Patterns by Steven Kessler
There Is Always Room For More Gratitude
Quarantine has made it clear how fleeting life is, and how it can be taken from you in any moment. This has led many people to feel increasingly grateful for the incredible gifts that they have in their life–– and wish that they had appreciated them more before:
What has become clear to me during quarantine is to be more appreciative about every single moment of my life because you never know when it will be taken away from you.
What has become clear to me during quarantine is how precious our "normal" life really was. We should be more grateful for what we have after this is over.
What has become clear to me during quarantine is how valuable life is. And how much I took for granted. And how grateful I am to have a healthy family.
What has become clear to me during quarantine is how many things we take for granted...going to restaurants, seeing friends and family, freedom to leave the house...it's a whole new world now.
Here are some great resources for tapping more deeply into gratitude:
What has become clear to you during quarantine? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
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