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Being forced to stay home, even for a day, can be a nightmare for some of us. We feel like someone has clipped off the wings of the free bird we believe ourselves to be. But, what if we have been constantly running away from something, while we fool ourselves, convinced we are free?
And maybe being forced to stay home can teach us how to step out of our imprisoned minds.
Stay Home and Find Internal Happiness
After days of the lockdown, I have learned that the world can be a beautiful place. That we have complicated it unnecessarily. Always going somewhere, buying things we don’t need, walking around like a headless chicken in a mall, it is all a means to find happiness where there is none. Personally, I love going out to a bar for drinks or to a coffee shop to relax. I like working out in a gym, and every time I have tried to exercise at home, I have hated it and quit after a day. I am not one who loves staying at home. But, that is exactly my point.
Embrace Discomfort
Perhaps we are so accustomed to running away from discomfort that we don’t bother fixing it.
This lockdown is showing me that it is possible to feel as satisfied sipping on coffee at home, on the same chair on the terrace or on the same couch in my room.
Embracing discomfort means being okay with the initial negative feelings you might have if you have to stay home or do something you don’t enjoy.
Once you can do that, you can grow to start enjoying what you didn’t earlier!
It is possible to feel as happy sipping on wine or making cocktails with loved ones, just as it is going out for an evening. It is possible.
Create Your Energy
We have to just create that space, that energy.
Rather than escaping everything, cultivate the energy of what you love with what you have.
While I am a huge believer of spaces and the vibe a place gives, escaping a place when there is really a problem internally will not help. Not knowing WHAT exactly is working for you is not helpful.
Stop Running After Outside Things
Even when you don’t need to stay home anymore, maybe that is the most important lesson to remember: stop running after things outside.
Everything is already inside.
If you are not happy inside, then explore why not. Compare it to when you are happy and try to spark the same energy in yourself. Don’t just quit or give up because it is not working.
Read: The importance of loving yourself and practical ways you can show love to yourself (no masks and bubble baths).
Learning About Yourself
Try Different Things
While you stay home during the lockdown, try different things.
Test waters and see what works for you. The key is, experiment with
an open mind (the same positive energy you have when you are out).
For example, one night have a game night and make margaritas. Another night play music and have shots. Another night sit around sipping on wine and chatting. Or grab a beer and a bucket of popcorn and watch a movie. But don’t complain because you aren’t “out”.
Quit the Blame Game
For me, it is so easy to blame the gym or blame the facilities. If I don’t like working out at home, I will try gym A. If I don’t feel motivated there, I will blame the gym and switch to gym B. And so on, and so forth. But if a place doesn’t give you good vibes, you can rewire that instead of running away. So even if gym A sucks, if you start doing your favourite workout there, you will slowly start to enjoy it. But of course, for that, you need to figure out what type of workout brings you the most joy.
But those are just two aspects of our lives. If you are unsatisfied with work, there is no point running to another place. Figure it out internally. If you are unhappy with your city, don’t run away. Understand what is bothering you, and identify that it might just be a mental block. At the same time, not knowing WHAT exactly is working for you is not helpful. And escaping a place when there is really a problem internally will not help.
As you do this, this lockdown will teach you so much about yourself. With no options, at home, I can figure out what I am. Just me. I have no other options, nothing to blame, nothing to switch to. There are no variables.
If you are unhappy, blaming a situation and trying to run away will not
help.
Questions for Getting to Know Yourself
So ask yourself: Who am I with no external influences, factors, and variables?
What will I do? Will I do an HIIT, a yoga video, or a dance video? Left alone for days, do I prefer drawing or writing? With no one making random plans with me, who do I actually miss or want to call? And with no one to see, what do I like dressing as? With no schedule or routine to follow, when do I like to wake up and sleep?
Figuring out the answers to these questions will improve the quality of your life drastically.
Have you felt you have rediscovered a hidden part of yourself by staying at home? How is this pandemic affecting you and your self-awareness? Share in the comments below!
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This lock down was just what I needed. I wanted to relax and enjoy my own company and discover myself.
And I’m gkad I have.
Love your blog
Yes! SO many of us need this slow time! Thanks a lot! Much more content coming up! 🙂
Yay. Can’t wait for them…
I am enjoying the quarantine a lot actually!
I work from home and save so much time and energy.
🙂
Great tips and a great post!
😀
Me too! thank you! Do stick around because there will be a lot more content coming up 🙂
One good thing about this lock down is its forced me to slow down. Great tips in this post. Thank you.
So glad to hear that! Thank you!
I love this — so well written and good points that will keep me thinking. Thank you 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
This lock down has definitely created a time for me to really focus on my mental health and set myself some new goals. You never actually know how important self care time is until you give it to yourself ? thank you for sharing such a wonderful post
Exactly! Like sometimes when you are really hungry, you don’t realize until you start eating. Glad you liked the post 🙂
These are some great lessons. I really do hope that people take a step back and acknowledge the little things like this. It has really put a lot into perspective… I know, for my husband and I, we’ve realized that we can live on less. This situation forced us to readjust our budget and spend less, as we had less coming in. That being said, we realized that we didn’t NEED everything that we were spending on before as we’re comfortable now without it. We’ll definitely be looking at spending differently moving forward.
That is exactly what I felt too! We have been so brainwashed into consumerism, when in reality, we don’t need much to be happy. Love that you and your husband are being mindful about money! All the best!
This post is really amazing, I’m now realizing how much this time at home has helped me grow and accomplish things I never thought I could do/would have the time to do. Some days I just want to sleep all day but as I’m working on building better habits — losing my days to depression naps has GOT TO GO!!
Anyways, great post! It’s comforting to see something positive come from something so negative,
xo Bri
I am so glad to hear you are working on yourself! That is lovely, and it is where everything begins! <3 Don't be hard on yourself, if you do need some days off, though. Lots of love your way!
Like!! I blog quite often and I genuinely thank you for your information. The article has truly peaked my interest.
Thank you so much for your kind words! Means a lot 🙂