Let’s Catch Up – Update Since Pandemic

The last time you heard from me, it was a few weeks prior to the pandemic that changed the world. I didn’t plan for a hiatus, in fact I thought I’d have more time for my passions and this blog, but wow, was I mistaken. For awhile, it was quite the opposite.

I’ve been thinking, “Do I really wanna do one of those where I’ve been posts?” Life updates aren’t really my thing, but it also felt weird to just jump back in with a fluffy post after 2 years.

To put it simply: I was burnt out, and didn’t have the mental bandwidth for this.

And since, my life changed, as I’m sure it has for you too.

How I Handled Self Isolation During the Pandemic

When we were first sent to work from home/self isolate, I was excited. Of course then I didn’t know what was to come. This was how I mentally handled quarantine:

From a Social aspect: Like I said, I took the isolation pretty well. I’m an introvert, so I strongly relate to all the memes out there that were saying this was our time to shine! To this day, I’m no longer obligated to small talk in forced situations. This is liberating for me. My social circle’s “fat has been trimmed” down to the bare minimum of people I want to keep in touch with, and those conversations are more meaningful. As far as working in corporate america – I could never set foot in an office again (and really haven’t much since) and I’m SO FINE with that.

From an emotional aspect: Now while I’ve enjoyed all the alone time, the death numbers, and all of the job loss and suffering that went on in the world really did make me incredibly anxious, and it took a mental toll on me. Those were not just numbers to me, those were people who were alive before the virus, and are now gone as a direct result of it. I do not take that lightly, and no one should!

Pros and Cons of Pandemic Life

From 2020 to now, I’ve experienced:

• Deaths of family members and close friends, both related and unrelated to Covid.
• Work drama/stress
• Burnout
• Weight gain
• Anxiety about violence and social injustice in the world

With all of the heaviness in that, I still cannot complain. I’m healthy, and feel very blessed.

I’ve also experienced some positives, like:

• Great overall health
• Moving into a bigger apartment, allowing me to make my stay at home life a lot more comfortable and cozy
• More time to visit family
• More time to read
• Gratitude journaling
• Getting closer with God

Revaluations

Like everyone else, I’ve been reflecting and thinking about what I really want out of life, being more present, and taking care of me.

I’ve also thought about my identity in this space, and how I don’t want to sound like a vapid blogger who just talks about “her routine” in an eye rolly way. I’m wanting to show up a little more authentic, let go of presenting a perfectly packaged post, and straight up, just be more real.

The real me can be put together (in terms of things like meticulously planning out travel and liking to look and dress my best when I’m out), but I can also be a lazy, sloppy bum, who can let the dishes in the kitchen pile up for days.

Blogging and content creating can be SO cringey, and its easy to fall into trends and forget your voice. I’ll be honest with you, I hate reading cliched, corny captions on photos and stories – and sometimes I’m guilty of it. That kind of comes with this territory, and its hard for me to make peace with that! 😆

But here I am, trying this again, and hopefully making it something that’s true to myself and hoping that resonates more.

Thank YOU

And of course, I want to thank you for your support! Over my break, I was still getting views on my old posts, and I’m so grateful for that! I’ve gotten a few messages from you letting me know you miss the content! I’ve also had some not so gentle pushes to get back to it from offline friends and family! 😆 I love you all and I appreciate those pushes more than you know.

If you needed a sign to not give up on something you enjoy, this is it!

Sending big hugs, and again, thank you.