I needed this quarantine and Covid-19 would be the last reason behind it.
Making a few things happen at home, amidst all of the things that are happening in the world.
I’m an 18 year old residing in India and the whole nation and its states have been in a state of lockdown since 25th March, 2020. As it might be an interest of common health, it has vaguely come to my notice that we needed this quarantine for far more than that. When the world was normal (if there was ever such a thing), our emotional well-being was somehow directly proportionate to our productivity. Since all the situations that have been arising, most of our productivity is dripping down by each hour of the day. It’s simply a paradise for us teenagers.
Fortunately, before the world changed, I was energized enough to make myself a schedule and follow it through. I was practicing mindfulness since the start of this year and I can say I have been somewhat regular at it. My family and friends were curious about it, with regard of the reason and its impact on my life. I still remember some of my friends were nearly perplexed when I told them that I have been practicing mindfulness and meditation.
The reason, most of it, was that I really wanted to make peace with my own being. This idea of attaching the self-worth with the amount of productivity was not always beyond me. It’s something I have learned through meditation. That every single soul deserves self-love and a secured amount of self-worth.
When the lockdown was fully implemented, my university exams got postponed. It was a really good news for me as I have always been an academically weak student. All my friends and acquaintances were scared and happy at the same time. Few days through the lockdown, I realised that I have all the time in my hand and I can easily do absolutely whatever I desire to. I started with following my morning meditative routine with more glee and going through the day practicing mindfulness with more exciting energy. Whenever I felt unproductive, I just reorganized my emotions and went ahead with them.
Soon, I started seeing results. I started making progress with this project of my personal interest. I started witnessing less or no amount of mind fog throughout the day. I could remember things which I would often usually forget. I started reading Atomic Habits — by James Clear. Using some of its very useful techniques, I shaped my environment, which in turn, shaped my habits. I started paying attention to how I spend my hours of the day. I silenced all the noises around me and started following the voice inside me.
I did the things that made me feel good and stopped those which would harm my self-worth in any way. I started waking up early and began preparing my journal and tracking my progress of each passing day. I took few breaks and dedicated almost all my time to my schedule. I would call it — ‘my list’. From meditation to my personal project, I did everything mindfully and with complete calmness.
With a very few days left before quarantine gets lifted and everything starts to hurtle, I look back at these two months and I realize that I spent them being in a somewhat positive energy. The pandemic is still above our heads, thousands of people are facing it everyday, but during these two months, I was rarely attentive to all these negative situations. All I honestly cared about was my list and my day-to-day routine.
I think this is what the quarantine was about — to notice the minute shifts in ourselves, reflect on them and figure out on how to carry ourselves out from this. Moreover, I hope I make this a pattern and I follow it, and that, I take away something positive from a tragic time like this.
The times are only getting more challenging but honestly, I think personal development and mindfulness kept me statically engaged to my aspirations and goals. Most of us all are provided with ample amount of time in our hands, we should use it wisely in a more life-living way to reduce the friction between us and everything that is not under control.
Hope you’re safe, home and happy !
