4 Lockdown Stories: Realizations and Hobbies we (re)Discover during this crisis
We all have different experiences during this lockdown, but all our realizations and discoveries may be similar and somewhat relatable wherever we may be in the world.
Here are 4 stories from the Philippines during this pandemic.
BECOMING A PET DADDY
“I was living in the metro for quite some time as a relocation project by my employer. As soon as we were advised to work from home, I was welcomed with two adorable puppies: Yuki, a 3-month old Pomeranian, and Yuri, a 2-month old Shih Tzu.
On a daily basis, especially on rest days, I’m usually too lazy to get up. However, having them has definitely progressed my sense of responsibility. I feel like an instant dad since then.
Since this just happened in a snap for me, there has been a lot of things I have learned and discovered from myself. From choosing a name, waking up earlier than usual just to feed them breakfast, walking them around the neighborhood, training them every now and then, playing in the afternoon, and sleeping late at night. It has definitely changed my lifestyle.
Having pets around has definitely given me a lot of work and fun at the same time. This quarantine season has opened a lot of funfilled activities for me. There are a lot of first times and a lot of enhancements towards myself. Helping them grow is also a growth for myself.“
Sammy
@mrsammydoo
mrsammydoo.wordpress.com
REDISCOVERING MYSELF ONE STEP AT A TIME
“As the world is more united with this invisible war, we have been put in quarantine to do our part in this strategic plan towards victory. Although this is an option that we do not want, but it is our best option to do so for now.
Being in quarantine made me feel boxed in and limited in all aspects; well, compared to my previous normal, and I’m sure others do too. It is a moment on where we feel helpless and in some cases, even broken. For some, it is a time to discover new hobbies and re-discover old hobbies, but as for some other cases, it is a time to really re-discover themselves.
I belong to that group on re-discovering themselves.
During this time in quarantine, I have rediscovered a painful past that I buried deep within my subconscious mind about a year ago; my anxiety. With a quick sudden change from my previous normal and with a person who follows schedules, my world collapsed. I have been needy and clingy to the people around me. I have been desperate to make social interactions with other people. I have been feeling the urge to suddenly go to places that I could usually go freely without any violations. And that is when I started losing myself.
Little did I know that my anxiety was slowly building and slowly resurfacing out of my subconscious mind and slowly started to make me overthink to the little things. I kept myself busy by doing the tasks I do outside at home through social media. Nothing happened. It was until I had a moment and felt the urge to breakdown and disconnect from everyone, even to my family.
So for the time being in quarantine, I have decided to find myself once more and slowly take on my sanity one step at a time by always asking this question “What makes me, me?”
Quarantine is a battle strategy in winning this invisible war, and another battle strategy of winning myself back. I’m Vincent, I have my problems, and I too shall win this personal invisible battle of mine. Peace.”
Vince
@beancentie
REDESIGNING YOUR SPACE TO BE INSPIRED EVERY DAY
“It’s been more than a month since Enhanced Community Quarantine is implemented in the Philippines. It is hard for us to go out because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We get bored inside our homes sometimes. Most people spend more time watching Netflix, dancing on Tiktok, or posting of Instagram stories. Meanwhile, it is a perfect opportunity for creative people to showcase their artistic skills during this quarantine through making art. Art is not only for creative people but also for everyone. We can express our creative juice in different ways like sketching, painting, digital art, calligraphy, and art decoration.
I want to share with you my current hobby during this home quarantine.
Three weeks ago, I changed my room color into something raw. Having white walls inside my room is kind of boring sometimes. So I looked up a lot of room ideas on Pinterest and Instagram, I saw tons of minimalist room designs that are perfect for small spaces. Especially designs that maximize the area with less expense. I also want to design my room into a concrete artsy style. That’s why I chose the color gray as the main color palette of my room. My room renovation is perfectly designed for my daily lifestyle while on quarantine.
You can explore different room ideas online. You are free to design your room aesthetics as long as you’re feeling contented about it.
At this time of home quarantine, you can start improving your own space into something new and fresh. I believe that if you have a good space to live, you can do things so much better. Upgrading your space will make you feel productive and inspired every day.”
Aldrin
@aldrincore
aldrincore.com
REALIZING MY OLD HOBBIES STILL MAKE ME THE HAPPIEST
“During the first month of quarantine, I was determined to make my time productive and full. I’ve been working so much (more than 12 hours a day) and I’ve been doing a lot of things such as exercising, learning online courses, trying new recipes, and continue learning Spanish. I was trying to distract myself from what is happening and just fill my day with activities that I thought were suitable for me.
And after exhausting myself trying to do as much as I can during this crisis, I was burnt out.
I eventually learned to be still and make conscious decisions on what to do on my days.
I find myself doing the things I love even more.
I realized my old hobbies make me the happiest and those familiar activities keeping me sane during this pandemic.
First: Writing
Now, being still and having enough time to focus on things that I like such as writing. I am writing more, not just for my blog but also for myself.
I find myself writing more, and learning how to write better to express what I want to share. I know sometimes, I am afraid to write because I might create mistakes, but now, I am more okay with making mistakes to learn more.
Also, Journaling has been my outlet to express my thought and feelings. It helps me realize my inner thoughts. I’ve been doing it for 10 years and it never fails to amaze me how my thoughts can only express clearly when I am writing them.
Second: Blogging
And since I am writing more, I also put a lot of time recently on my blog, (this blog). I changed my website design, updated my categories, and arranged my menus for easy navigation.
I’ve been blogging since 2012 on and off, from fashion, to personal, to travel, and now, I am evaluating what content I can share to my audience other than travel.
I know my views dropped like crazy because travel is not a thing right now (obviously) but I know I can offer more valuable content other than that, maybe like working online? I am still figuring out, and I am taking my time to do that.
During this time, I am learning a lot of things about myself. I stopped pushing myself to do more and I started to focus on things that I appreciate the most, the things that matter to me.
We all have the same amount of time each day, and we have all the power to decide how we spend it. So spend it wisely because time is fleeting.”
Roneth
@theficklefeet
theficklefeet.com
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Do you like these quarantine stories? What is your quarantine realizations? Share and comment below.
