Life In Qaurantine Is Our New Normal?
I am not even sure what day of lockdown it is because honestly I have not been keeping tabs. I know that my lockdown days is almost at one whole month now because I have been at home since before it was officially announced that we HAVE to. I know we are frustrated, uncertain, stressed and some people are maybe the complete opposite of all of those emotions. Video calls, working from the couch or be, dressing up to go grocery shopping and virtual birthday celebrations is now what we call the new normal. What a time to be alive, am I right? On the bright side we will all go down in history as the generation who stayed at home and saved humanity from the couch. Jokes aside I know that this time at home which has now been extended by the South African government sounds like the most awful thing in the world for some people. Almost feels like that in the blink of an eye the world has just come to a stand still.
All This Time At Home
I think social media has put a lot of pressure on people to be super productive during this time. I am here to tell you to not let the internet or social media tell you what you should be doing during this time. If all you did was binge watch Netflix while someone else did a workout, cooked a meal, finished all their work and is making you feel bad about yourself then switch off your phone! I have spent a lot less time on social media this year as it is one the goals I set for the year. Just because I am at home now does not mean I should now be scrolling for hours on end. We are all human and I am here to tell you that you should spend your time however you want. People are spending an awful lot of time on social media now more than ever. It is so easy to be influenced by what others are doing this can be positive and negative. For example is it just me or was there like a whole week where everyone was making banana bread? So bake, cook, workout, learn a new skill or find a new hobby do whatever you want with the time given to you. Just make sure to not be too lazy and to also get your work done. Find your balance, it is different for everyone.
I honestly spent the whole first week and a half doing absolutely nothing. As a result I was moody, unmotivated and just felt awful. After that I decided enough is enough and I need some structure and routine or I am going to lose my mind. I am not saying this works for everyone, I am someone who needs to plan and have a set routine. I know other people like taking it day by day so just do whatever suits you. There is no rule book on how to live during a global pandemic. To tell you to stay positive is so clichè. So I am here to tell this is not easy for everyone, you are not alone. We are all in this together. So be kind to each other – from a distance of course. Not only to the stranger in the grocery store but also to your family or whoever you are quarantined with.
A special thank you and appreciation to all the health care workers and anyone else who puts their life at risk to help others during this time. ❤️
Muslims In Quarantine
Being a Muslim during this quarantine is such a blessing in disguise! Imagine we got almost a whole month at home before the holy month of Ramadan. We have time to prepare our bodies, minds and souls. We don’t even realize how blessed we are. My family and I have spent more time reading Quran and even fasting on certain days together. It is making me more and more excited for Ramadan which is just one week away. I hope to spend my time more wisely and be even more grateful for all that I am blessed with.
My Time In Quarantine
I am not really someone that gets bored easily. I can easily occupy myself, one of the perks of being an introvert I guess. One would think that being at home is every introverts dream. Except for the fact that we actually have to deal with extroverts energy aka my sister. So this quarantine is really teaching us to be patient with one another. I have online classes that I do five days a week which has been keeping me very busy. I am actually busier than usual because I am also baking, cleaning and spending time with my family while also trying to have time off. I am just grateful to be able to still learn and do my course work that I enjoy so much, from the comfort of my home. Not going to lie, I do however really miss my routine I had gotten so used in the last two months.
I used to be someone that spent an unhealthy amount of time on social media. That has obviously changed aged as I have realized how bad it is for my mental health and just my happiness in general. This quarantine has just proved how much I have grown. I simply cannot be on social media during the day anymore. Everyone is bored at home so the content often becomes repetitive snd there’s only so many pictures of pets and baking that I can see in one day. I no longer allow social media to consume my time and will not let it influence me anymore. I make sure to limit my time spent on these apps and only watch stories of a few accounts that I know will not waste my time and I can actually learn from. I want to read and learn more about topics I find interesting and let me tell you that Instagram is not the way to do that. Also please only read news from reliable sources especially regarding this global pandemic. Do not pass on incorrect information and don’t believe every single things you read on social media.
That is all from me for today. I hope that this time at home is beneficial to all and that you are hopefully not losing your minds. Together, we will get through this. We just need to be kind, helpful and optimistic with ourselves and each other. Please stay safe, take care of yourself and stay at home! Thank you so much for reading, I hope you found at least one thing helpful or even if it was just some food for thought. I also added a poetry section to the blog which I will be adding to very soon 🙂 I have so many I just need to decided which ones I actually want to share to the public lol.
Thank you for reading!
Lotsa Love, Jahan
Jahan's Journal 