What does this title even mean? You know, I’ve got no clue. But basically, I’m sure we’re all too familiar with the negative impacts that quarantine has had on the world, our lives, our relationships, and our health, physical and mental. Despite all of the negativity that this period of self-isolation has brought us, there are certain parts of my life that these times have changed for the better. Today, I’m going to bring out those ~optimistic~ qualities and recount all of the positive impacts that quarantine has had on my life. I hope this makes you guys a bit happier, and this is definitely a subject that y’all could think on as well. Stay safe, stay healthy, and wear your masks, everyone! There is still a pandemic going on, so make good decisions and don’t forget to cherish your friends and family. Without further ado, here are 10 good things that happened during quarantine.
During quarantine I…
1. Got all of the opportunities and more
In the winter, I was putting all of my faith and summer plans on this one internship that I ended up being painfully rejected from. Thus, I found myself without summer plans and any way to fill them. But, that actually ended up doing much more good than harm. Due to the pandemic, all of these amazing virtual opportunities ended up rolling in that I am beyond thankful for. These internships and volunteer jobs gave the work experiences, knowledge, and connections that I would have never gotten without this period of self-isolation. I also have to mention how they were all really fun, too. Saying a quick bless for modern communication and Zoom for making these kinds of opportunities possible.
love u @ google meets
2. Met some dang cool new people (and reconnected with other ones)
With the aforementioned sweet opportunities, I met and worked with some really cool people. Some of them were people that I knew of from school but never talked to, and other people were from across the country or even the world. These people were some of the funniest, kindest, and most hardworking people I’ve ever met; I’m so glad to call them my friends now, and I would never have gotten the chance to get to know or even meet them if not for quarantine.
Not only did I make some brand-new friends, but I also reconnected with some old friends that I haven’t talked to in a while. We were good friends in middle school, but now we go to different high schools, and I missed them. Since a lot of people were reconnecting over quarantine, I started texting with them again; I also got together with some of my old middle school friends in a Zoom call together at the beginning of quarantine just to talk. It was really nice talking with them again, and it makes me sad how we drifted, even though it’s a natural thing that happens in friendships.
3. Spent much-needed time with family
During the normal school year, I spent almost all of my time at school or studying, and my parents were working at the office. With all of us now working and studying from home, we get to spend a lot more time together. We eat lunch and dinner together every day and go on walks together after dinner. It’s been really nice to have all of this time to spend with my family, and it’s something that I’ll definitely miss after I get really busy with school again (less than a month to go *screams*).
Shots from nightly walks
4. Became a multitasking fiend
This is such a freaking true statement because my gosh did I overload myself with commitments this summer. Since I got so many cool opportunities, I was suddenly busy with the work of all of them. In mid-June, there was a week where I woke up at 8:30 am, had SAT prep class from 9 am until 3:30 pm, did internship and volunteer work during my lunch break, did my SAT prep homework, worked out, ate dinner, went to meetings, and did more internship work until midnight. I was happy that I had work that I could do, but I was so overworked and stressed. However, as the summer went on, my work became (much) more manageable, and I got a lot better at balancing multiple commitments and remembering to eat well and exercise. This is a skill that I’m definitely glad that I was able to learn, and it’s going to help me out big time in the fall when I have to balance school, extracurriculars, and work.
5. Re-embraced my inner bibliophile
Basically, I got really into reading in 7th grade since one of my new friends was a big fan of books. I stopped reading in 8th grade, but got back into it in 9th grade because my English teacher had an amazing class bookshelf and always recommended us books. In 10th grade, I stopped reading until around February, when I essentially hid out in the library because I didn’t want to talk to anyone (oops). I checked out An Ember In the Ashes and absolutely fell in love. Since I finished the series, I began reading YA contemporary romances and did that for a lot of quarantine, but an unexpected connection over my favorite book series with a friend that I haven’t talked to in a while led me to getting back into YA fantasy. Overall, I’ve been binge reading ever since quarantine started and I have no plans to stop anytime soon. Why have a real life guy when fictional guys are knights in shining armor but even better? Some of them even have magic powers. Check out my favorites list for some of my favorite reads.
Yum, books
6. Overloaded on homemade (!!!) carbs
I didn’t have a good title for this item on the list, but what I meant was that I got back into baking. Since I was little, I’ve been into baking and would bake all the time after school and on the weekends. Since high school, I’ve never had the time to bake, but now I have all the time in the world. It’s been great having this much time to bake and try all of these new recipes, and my stomach is definitely not complaining. I’ve also been able to help my mom cook lunch and dinner, so I’ve picked up my fair share of cooking skills. I wouldn’t call myself a Gordon Ramsay, but I can make a mean fried rice.
Very satisfying quarantine bake: red bean rolls
7. Learned the importance of taking breaks
You know, the taking breaks tip in the online school post didn’t just come randomly out of my head. During that time when I was overloading myself with work and getting stuff done at any free moment, my mental (and physical) health was not doing well at all. I would neglect working out and spend literally every single minute of the day staring at a screen. I was stressing myself out, and I couldn’t fall asleep every night because I was constantly thinking about work. Then, I discovered the positive correlation between watching YouTube or Netflix to unwind before going to bed and falling asleep easily. Before, I wasn’t giving myself any chances to relax because I was worried that I wasn’t going to get everything done. Then I realized that those breaks were necessary for me to be productive and stay healthy. Very thankful that I learned that lesson.
Best breaks ever: OBX
8. Healed (physically and mentally)
If you didn’t know, I tore my ACL (a ligament in the knee) in September 2019 in a volleyball game, and I got surgery in October. During quarantine, I ran for the first time, jumped for the first time, and got cleared to play again. These were the three big milestones that I was waiting for since ten months ago, and it felt so good to get there because the first few months after I got injured were really hard on me. Not only did I get back into normality with my knee, but I also developed much better eating and exercising habits. I used to snack just because I was bored and barely exercise because I was busy with school, but in quarantine I made it a priority to work out every day and snack not to entertain myself, but because I was actually hungry. I’m still working on staying motivated (and not snacking too much), but my physical health has definitely improved during these times.
I also healed a lot mentally during self-isolation. I had all of this time to myself, which did take a toll on my friendships and other relationships, but it gave me time to think and really work on improving myself. I didn’t have any magical personal transformations, but my inner Virgo/introvert enjoyed being able to dictate how I spent my time and hide out in my little bubble. I wasn’t the happiest at the beginning of self-isolation, not entirely because of the pandemic but also because of other things going on in my life, and this time has helped me become a lot happier with myself and with the relationships I was forming with other people. I also made some snazzy decisions that I’m really happy with (see next item), and they probably wouldn’t have been made without this period of self-isolation.
9. Made this freaking blog
I’m probably going to make a whole post about how Mismatched Memories changed my life, but if you told me three months ago that I’d have a blog, I would not have believed you. This blog changed my life for the better and gave me a creative outlet that I didn’t know I needed. Blogging is something that I started only for myself and do only for myself. I don’t try to impress other people, and I’m not trying to get Internet famous. I just have a lot of things I want to do and try, and this is a place I can document them on. I couldn’t be more thankful that I decided to put some of my life on the Internet, and I can’t believe it’s been less than three weeks since I started this blog because it feels like an old friend.
Pics from the places I wish I could go (Taiwan)
10. Learned to never take anything for granted
This is by far the most important item on this list. Never again will I take advantage of being able to go out to the movies with friends, eat out with my family, or give my friends a hug. Quarantine has given me the opportunity to appreciate what I have and made me realize that these simple pleasures should never be taken for granted (cliche but TRUE). Although my quarantine has been pretty light-hearted and I’ve still been able to retain some normalcy, ten good things about these times likely wouldn’t come easily for everyone. I understand that I am beyond privileged, and I’m so thankful that my family has been able to stay safe and healthy during the pandemic. Regardless, life and love and family are so precious and things that I never want to lose, and everyone should fully realize the importance and irreplaceability of them. Have a good one, everyone, and hope this made you a bit happier!
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