10 Things I Learned About Myself in Quarantine

Back in March when we first heard about Covid-19 and were told we would have to partake in a 2 week quarantine, no one thought much of it and gladly complied with the stay at home order because, after all, it was only 14 days… fast forward to October and here we are, still in quarantine for the most part, although with a few more privileges and daily life has taken on a whole new look. Although there are undoubtedly countless mournful and terribly sad situations and circumstances that this pandemic has brought with it, there are also many blessings and chances for self-reflection that many hours spent at home has given us.

As I was reflecting on what I learned about myself during quarantine over the last 7-ish months, I was amazed to discover that some inherent ideas and beliefs I had about myself were in fact not true at all and if forced to, I could learn to appreciate things I never considered before.

Without any further ado, here are 10 things I learned about myself in quarantine, in no particular order:

1. Contrary to what I believed to be true for my entire life thus far, I am actually quite the night owl! Seriously, who would have thought?! If you knew me before quarantine, you’d agree I was a grandma, going to bed by 10P at the very latest and never making it to midnight, not even on New Year’s Eve. Well, here we are present day and I routinely stay up past midnight, watching Alone with my husband and indulging in a late night Yasso bar. Most of my newfound appreciation for the witching hour is due to the fact that I don’t have to wake up to an alarm clock. With my work being pretty slow and my husband not starting his shift until 3P, we get to snooze until we are ready to wake up, which usually is between 8-9A. Funny how your sleep patterns change when your body can dictate when you go to bed and wake up!

2. I am not actually a breakfast person. I know many say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but ever since I was a kid, I have never been hungry when I wake up and it takes me a few hours to wake my appetite. Quarantine has allowed me to feed my body when it’s ready, often enjoying breakfast foods around 11A or 12P post workout.

3. I think the biggest discovery of them all was realizing that I am perfectly content being a stay at home dog mom, rather than a career woman. I’m not gonna lie, when I was first furloughed on April 1 and went from deadlines, client calls and constant emails to absolutely nothing, I was freaking out. I could never have imagined being happy and fulfilled without a career, but as time went on and I settled into my new role at home I came to love my routine. I found new joy and accomplishment in completing tasks around the house and just being a playmate to our little Lexi Bear. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely look forward to the hospitality industry picking back up again in 2021 (fingers crossed) and will be thrilled to have events to work on again, but until then I am surprisingly not as stressed about this little break as I initially thought I would be.

4. My prime workout time is 10A, not 6A or 6P like I previously thought. I always marveled at the people filling the 10A gym classes and never could have imagined feeling motivated at such an “unconventional” hour of the morning, but here I am, loving my mid-morning workouts, which allow for a slow wake up, walk with Lexi, review of emails and more before picking up any weights.

5. I love going on walks. Whereas pre quarantine I often skipped the assigned LISS and replaced it with a higher intensity option such as the stair master, the closing of our apartment gym really forced me to realize how enjoyable outdoor walks can be. Now a days Lexi and I easily get our 10K steps in and look forward to our time in the fresh air every day.

6. As much as I love all things Trader Joes, quarantine has shown me that I value ease of access more than the products they sell, hence my new found appreciation of Walmart Neighborhood Market. Whereas our Trader Joes has the longest lines imaginable (we live in the most family friendly area of San Diego and everyone loves Trader Joes), Walmart Neighborhood Market’s lines are always manageable and their selection of fresh produce, etc. is plenty for my husband and I. I have always been more of a one stop shop type of person, but these days I will gladly make a stop at Ralphs, Target and Walmart just to avoid standing in super long lines (don’t worry, my new stores have lines too, just not to the extent that Trader Joes does), and while I know my multi store grocery trips probably amount to the same amount of time I’d spend in line at Trader Joes, it still feels more productive to me so that’s been my new approach.

7. I am not much of a reader. Don’t get me wrong, I love reading, but for some reason this quarantine has me doing anything but settling down on the couch with a good book. I’ve been enjoying having a TV show or podcast on in the background as I do house chores or play with Lexi and just haven’t found the motivation to open a book. I’m hoping this changes at the weather cools and cozy afternoons become a thing because my reading list is long and I really do need to dive in.

8. There is nothing better than a slice of fresh baked bread! Pre quarantine when life was hectic and time scarce, I would always resort to store bought sandwich bread, savoring the homemade loaf slices when I went to visit my parents. Quarantine has brought with it ample free time and thus endless amounts of homemade bread for my husband and I to devour. We usually go through 2-3 loafs a week and we both agree that we can never go back to the store-bought alternative.

9. I love Postmates! Pre quarantine I literally never used Postmates or any other food delivery service, but man if there’s one thing this time at home has taught me it’s the value of front door ice cream delivery!

10. Friendships and quarantine don’t mix well. There have been numerous friendships that I valued and worked to upkeep pre quarantine, but once this pandemic took hold, sadly many of these connections faded as people went their own ways and focused on other priorities. Along the same lines though, friendships that were solid pre quarantine grew even stronger during this time and I am happy to say that the friends that are in my circle currently are the ones that I see my husband and I growing old with.

Lastly, although this is not news, quarantine reinforced the fact that I am truly an introvert at heart and that I am perfectly content not seeing anyone other than family for weeks on end. I love that this challenging, yet rewarding time has given people around me permission to just be, without agenda, schedule or timeline and that we have been able to indulge in hourlong phone calls, family game nights, long pup walks and more, all of which I believe would have been cut short had life not been forced on it’s knees due to Covid-19.

I hope that you too can reflect on the past months and realize that while there are many things wrong with the world around us at the moment, this unprecedented time has also forced us into uncomfortable territory and shown us that there is more to us than we always thought there was.