5 Ways Quarantine Has Helped Me

It's not a surprise to anyone that I really do not like this quarantine thing. I hate being pent up, and I am such a restless person. I kept two jobs throughout college, I worked 50+ hours a week at Disney, and I was known to petsit for up to three families a week. So naturally, getting laid off and being told I should only leave my house when absolutely necessary, as well as most of the places I like going to being closed, has been a huge slap in the face to me. But honestly, and I thought I would be the LAST person to do this, I must say it's been good in some ways.

1. I've had time to take care of a lot of paperwork. After my car was deemed a total loss, I needed a lot of time to talk to my insurance agents, sign some paperwork, find a notary, etc. Having time at home has helped me take care of that. With the world shut down, finding a notary and somewhere to fax my paperwork is proving difficult. I can't imagine how difficult all of that would be if I was still working a full time job.

2. I've had time to spend with Finnegan, and we've spent a lot of time working on his training and socialization (from a distance). I spend most of my days hanging out with him at home, and when it's nice out, we've been working on exploring our local hiking trails. He's learning, slowly, how to walk nicely on a leash, and although we're still practicing our social distancing, he gets the chance to see a lot of people and a lot of dogs, and it's helping him learn how to react to them. We spend a little bit of time almost every day working on his training, as well. He's already good with sit, paw, lay down, stay, and come, so now we get to work on some of the more fun tricks. I'm hoping by the time this quarantine is over, he'll know sit pretty, spin, and maybe roll over.

3. I've had a lot of downtime. With the career field I'm in, downtime can be the difference between a downwards spiral and flourishing. There's a lot of times that I see traumatic things at the vet clinic, and seeing it day after day can really start to wear on you. Having this time off from work is bittersweet in the way that it gives me the time to regroup from what I saw on the daily. Don't get me wrong, I am so ready to get back to it, but it's definitely been refreshing.

4. I've been able to spend some quality time with my boyfriend. Ben and I used to work opposite hours, and then when we moved in together, we were both working two jobs, and sometimes the hours clashed, or one of us would get home right before the other had to leave. Being able to spend time together at home has been really awesome, and I've loved the quality time we've had together. I think you can tell a lot about how successful a relationship can be based on how the couple does locked up together. If that's is true, I can honestly say I think Ben and I will be just fine. If he can deal with my restlessness, and sudden outburst of groans, there's not much else to be worried about.

5. I've had time to reconnect with some of my friends. When I was working full time and part time, it was hard for me to stay in touch with a lot of people I used to be really close with. With this time off work, I've been able to text and call a lot of those people and check in with them to see how they are doing in this ever-changing world. Most of the people I know are in the same boat that I am, and it's really hard to see a silver lining when people around the world are losing their jobs, and in a way, their lives. Being able to remind my friends that I can be there for them, no matter what is going on, has been one of my little silver linings.

Life is hard right now, for not only me, but for a lot of people in the world. COVID-19 has wrecked a lot of havoc in this world, and everyone has been affected in some way. Some people have been hit harder than others, but that doesn't change the fact that everyone is suffering in some way or another. Being pent up and losing my job has been so hard for me, but I have to try to see the good in this situation. Sometimes it's hard to find it, but something good is always there, no matter how deep. Making this list of good things has honestly been helpful for me right now, and it's helping me realize that even when everything seems dark and stormy, there's a light. If you are struggling like so many people, please look for your light. Find the good things that are coming out of this, and if you can't find any, make some. Just a small act of self care once a day is enough to make good things come out of a worldwide pandemic.