2020 didn’t go as planned for everybody. Other people were hit harder whether that was work related, psychological, economical and so on. I would say that for me it wasn’t super easy but for sure it wasn’t the worst. Although as beautician I wasn’t able to work during the peak of the pandemic, at least I had the boys that were still working so economically we were ok. I had mostly work related anxiety and panic attacks thinking various stuff! From not being able to work at the moment and earn an income to fear that I’ll get sick and need to go to the hospital alone! But this pandemic taught me some things too.
In the Netherlands there wasn’t a period that we were in a typical lockdown like in Italy. We were advised though to stay inside as much as possible. So we went for a walk while keeping distance from others 2 or 3 times per week and go out for the absolutely necessary. Throughout these 2 or 3 months we all slowed down from our everyday hectic life and saw things differently. Personally it helped me clear my vision on how I want my life to be, what things I enjoy the most and what hobbies I want to pursue.
So here are the changes I’ll try my best to do from now on:
- Being home with the boys for so many hours is fantastic and I will miss it when we’ll go back to normal. So I want to find more ways to spent quality time with them in the weekends. We already eat all together and play boardgames but we could also find a hobby that we can do all together. Not gonna lie, it would be challenging as I like very different things from them but we’ll figure it out!
- Speaking of hobbies, I noticed that I don’t really have a proper hobby. My day was either working in the beauty studio or working on the blog/youtube channel. So in the beginning of the quarantine I truly realized that and I was constantly bored! My favourite tune was “I’m bored in the house and I’m in the house bored” hahaha! If you don’t sing that immediately in your head then you should download tik tok! I had plans on learning Dutch this year with a tutor but that failed (for now) so I started learning through DuoLingo and it goes well if I may say so. But learning Dutch is not a hobby, it was a way to spend my time more productively. The hobby I ended up wanting to do is voice lessons. I was always fascinated by people that sing, so once I’m able to meet with a tutor I’ll start immediately! I also want to learn how to sew and ice skate! One thing at a time though and I’ll start with singing!
- Control my anxiety! Before the quarantine I did great with my anxiety and the panic attacks. Βut this year I’m turning 30 and from the beginning of January my anxiety skyrocketed, haha! Somewhere in the middle towards the end of March it was the worst but then I saw a change. It was like I finally realized that some things are out of my control and I’ll have to go one day at the time instead of planning months or years ahead. Of course I still have a plan in my head but I’m not hard on myself to keep it as it is. I thing this pandemic really helped me to see things differently, mature and change a bit my way of thinking. It feels great to change and evolve!
- Travelling is another thing that I miss very much during the pandemic! The change I want to do in this topic is to plan small trips throughout the year, let’s say a weekend nearby, instead of 2 or 3 big ones in the whole year. Small trips, at least for me, help you escape from your everyday life and let you charge your batteries without throwing you off (at least that much, haha!)
- Helped me think outside the box and be more creative with what I have (see photos above!). In the old house we had a small balcony that we didn’t use that much. Once the quarantine started and I couldn’t take photos or film outside I had to do some changes. I learned to see the beauty in every single thing even though it might wasn’t very obvious in the beginning. Also I finally found the style I want my Instagram feed to have. In the past I really struggled with the colours and the vibe but I think I found it!
So in conclusion this pandemic taught me what is really important in life and how I want to live my life from now on. Of course these changes won’t happen in a day, especially the ones that have to do with the anxiety. But progress is all that matters and things will fall in place sooner or later. Tell me how was quarantine for you? Ιs there any change you want to do in your life from now on?
