OPINION: The quarantine chronologicals of a 20 something year old
I was thankfully given the opportunity from my internship to travel to Washington, D.C. during this year’s election. I not only had to watch the polls closely, but my health as well, I basically needed to stay on top of everything given this year’s curveballs.
For this fall semester, I was given the opportunity to intern for a League of Women Voters, a voter advocacy organization, and since I began working with them I have been giving out voter and election information for Americans across the country. This internship couldn't have come at a better time because this year’s election was, to say the least, interesting. The majority of my internship was online and this was the only time I had to be physically there, and it was such a chaotic time with both COVID-19 and the election.
Of course, my family and friends were concerned not just because of COVID-19, but also due to the possible outcome of the election and how people would react. I was willing to take the risk. I couldn’t miss out in this type of opportunity, and I knew that if I was careful enough I would be fine. In the end everything did turn out fine because I not only did I get an opportunity to sightsee in D.C., but I was in D.C. when the election results were announced and saw the streets of D.C. turn into celebration once it was confirmed Joe Biden would become the 46th president of the United States.
Coming back to Chicago I already knew I had to self quarantine for two weeks for moral reasons althoughI was tested for COVID-19 before leaving D.C. and the results came back negative. I actually never minded quarantine. I used this time to reflect and really focus on myself and be able to give my tasks one on one time.
Making your own schedule for the day puts a lot less stress on a person, and I always told myself since the beginning of my quarantine days (back in March) to take advantage of these types of opportunities because they’re a blessing in disguise. Therefore, that’s exactly what I did this time around. Thankfully my job, internship, and school is all online so that made things much easier. I wanted to focus on things that are better for my mind in order for me to put my best effort forward in these fields. I was always about self care and always believed it comes in different forms to people. My self care routine for this quarantine focused a lot on the mind, body, and soul.
For my mind, I’ve been trying to teach myself how to cook, and with the help of Pinterest and TikTok it’s actually been a lot of fun. I learned how to cook different dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and even how to make ramen differently.. Something else I’ve been doing for my mind is giving myself enough time to work on my assignments. The way I work is I love to research and annotate my notes on the research I did. Therefore, with some help from time management, I layout my work the best way for me and therefore my assignments get my best effort.
In terms of body, I have been making my own workout routine and finding what best works for me so I don’t lose a sense of motivation. I was also able to take my dog to a dog park not too far from my house and it works out for both of us because I get my dose of the outside world and he comes back home tired. Of course, a lot of face masks and spa aspects play into this as well.
The soul part is actually the best part because for me that just consists of things that make me smile. One of these things is watching a lot of my favorite childhood movies or shows and thanks to Disney+ this is possible. I stay intrigued, in part, because of the nostalgia, and since I’m older I have a new perspective on what I’m watching and pay attention to the messages. I catch sunsets with a sunny D in my hand, but of course , from the safety of my car because you can never go wrong with a pretty sky and it serves as a reminder that everyday things can truly be uniquely beautiful.
All in all it’s all about your perspective on the situations you’re in because the way you enter into a situation is going to to reflect the way you come out of it. Also taking things day by day is essential in times like these because nothing is permanent and we shouldn’t be basing huge decisions off temporary emotions. As long as we take care of ourselves as a person, then we are able to take care of the things around us.