Since the day we went into lockdown, I made a note of how I felt everyday in my diary and how I can improve. It's been a process which has allowed me to break through mentally what I can do help myself and progress during self-isolation.
March was a mixed month; I was adjusting to working from home and adapting to spending more time with parents than ever before. Usually, I would be in the gym, in the office, or out socialising so I would only be in the household for a few hours a day. But since we've self-isolated, I quickly learnt to adapt and communicate my need for space to work in the house and to exercise.
After communicating my needs, I could see a better homelife as we all had hobbies, work or tasks to do in the house or garden which gave us the healthy separation we needed from each other during our time in quarantine. Along with making changes in the household, I also learnt very quickly the importance of staying connected to friends and family who I'm unable to see during these times. I made sure that I have regular check-ins and facetime chats with friends and family, which has helped me feel less alone.
Towards the end of March, I began to create myself a new routine which was balanced and realistic for me to stick too during my time in self-isolation. I work out six times a week through Laura's programme, and I also run 3 to 4 times a week alongside this. I find getting out and using my hour of exercise as a run (6-15k) has helped clear my mind and has motivated me to create more content on my Youtube channel and post more on my Instagram.
Then comes April, a new month but another period of us being separated from our favourite people. At first, I thought I'd be incredibly miserable during this time of year as I knew my birthday was coming up. I looked back at how I felt at the start before all this began, I wanted to go away with my friends and have a meal with my family, but this is something I would always plan myself as no one would ever surprise me. You see I'm that type of friend or girlfriend that plans a day away, a trip away or gets you tickets to see your favourite band but I've learnt that my kindness is one of a kind and that not everyone can be as sentimental when it comes to reminding each other how amazing they are. I don't regret the person I am as that what makes me unique, but in moments like this when all you can do is think about life. It taught me a severe lesson that I should do less for people who don't give back.
I decided to withdraw myself from situations where I felt like my needs were no longer noticed and focus my energy which is driving my creativity and happiness. I've understood that being selfless is a good thing, that I need to remind myself of my values and what I want to do in my life as amongst the craziness of the outside world we sometimes forget what we need.
I found that this month alone, I've reconnected with myself and have built the courage to do more for me. I've created a TikTok account ( username lespoirdemavie25) , I've started to vlog and make more videos for my Youtube channel. I'm sharing more fun content on my Instagram as I want to be that person that people can resonate with when it comes to fashion, body confidence, relationships or life. Matthew Hussey's recent video reminded me that shouldn't be afraid to share something that we believe is important even if it has been written or said before as it hasn't had our input, out angle or story behind it.
I came across this clip, after implementing change to my lifestyle. I acknowledge how different I've felt and how much I've progressed while having time on my own. I've gone out of my comfort zone, I've shown people part of my life during self-isolation on YouTube, and I've opened up about the reality of this situation and my struggles in the hope I can help people.
Going back to my birthday plans, I've baked my birthday cake, I've purchased the food for the afternoon tea, and I'll be treating my mum and stepdad to a curry in the evening as they deserve for being incredibly supportive and patient with me. The day won't be an ordinary celebration, but I'll make sure I have a great time at home and contact the people have made this tough time much easier to manage.
I'm not sure right now what will happen next as we've not had an update, but if we need more time at home. I'll be prioritising my health and well-being, tracking my macros accurately on MyFitnessPal, again sorry Laura. And continue to share my thoughts, feelings and the things I'm passionate about with you all in posts on my blog, Instagram and videos on my YouTube channel.
However, even though this is a reflection of my behaviour and experience. I want to remind you that we all have a choice on how we feel and how we use this time during self-isolation. We can choose to feel miserable, or we can continue living and use the downtime at home to focus on our health, well-being and learning more about ourselves more than ever before. We also need to make sure that the people in our lives that we miss, love and will support them through this. You'd be surprised how much a surprise facetime chat, gift or letter in the post can make a difference to sometimes day right now.
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