Quarantine Opportunity Rather Than Challenge

We received word that the stay at home order could extend a few more months. The beaches unopened, stores shuttered, and a general feeling of fear when seeing our families. What if you have family members who are older than 65, or maybe they all have underlying health conditions. The entire thing has posed a real challenge for me mental health wise. Why? Well, my husband and I are very active people. That’s how we cope with our stress. On the weekends we are surfing and out in the sun all day. We used to have daily activities after work, such as playing tennis, working out, jogging, or even driving to the mountains to go snowboarding. I’m an avid snowboarder. We haven’t been able to do most of these things.

I know they say that it’s okay to jog, but the reality I have discovered is that it’s not enjoyable like before. People are rude. Cars run me down because jogging paths in our community are closed. There is a lot I could seriously complain about, but I’m not going to. The purpose of this post was to discuss all of the opportunities I have discovered since my attention has shifted from our usual activities. We have learned how to do home workouts to stay fit and healthy. I have shifted my jogging route to the park instead, and discovered opportunities to use the bars there for mid workout strength training. We now utilize our time better. Things seem more purposeful. This stay at home order has also turned a focus to life priorities. What do we really care about? Since we are forced to work from home away from people and have limited access to the activities that helped us to cope with work stress, now we have to find other outlets.

Some of us hated our jobs. What did we do when we were forced to work from home? Now your work and home space are an environment of stress.

Questions to meditate on:

What calls to you?

What work do you want to be known for?

What message do you want to share with the universe?

What gets you out of bed in the morning?

Are you ignoring the call to do what you love?

Who would you dream of collaborating with? Have you talked to them recently?

What I’m doing to keep the fire alive

I’ve been focusing on creating color books (a project I began years ago). I haven’t had extra time because I have been working more hours than before the stay at home order. My way of coping has involved more meditation and more creating. I take breaks to create something. It’s true that if you continue to create you only get better at doing it. The more you reflect beforehand on what you want to do, the better the output quality will be. I’ve been journaling beforehand, and this adds value to the meaning of the art.

I use lunch breaks to create things. It’s energizing. Sometimes you just need some exercise to get moving again. Work can sometimes throw your alignment off. If you have a regular job and you’re struggling to keep your passion alive, taking small breaks can help realign your creative side. I find a lot of my work is not creative, so I take breaks to exercise and reignite my creativity. Some of my best ideas come when I’m exercising.

Everyone else is focusing on how to make the most of the stay at home order because of the amount of spare time a lot of people have. I recommend this time is a space for reflection. Whatever course you were previously on. Whatever purpose you had before. Question it. Meditate and align.

Reality is a fragile thing that we create.