Life Realizations this Quarantine (Year-end Blog)

 

Welcome to the last entry of our monthly blogs this 2020. Truthfully, I have never been this active in blogging, I usually post two or three blogs every year but because of the community quarantine, I managed to be productive in writing and posting blogs.

To post many blogs this year is such an accomplishment for me. Writing is not easy but when you love what you do, what seems to be hard will be easier.

In this blog, I am going to share with you my life realizations that changed my perspective about things I used to ignore. 

This year gave us difficulties and it gets tougher every single day thus making it this far is something that we should celebrate. 

A quick message for you, I know  you fought a hard battle this year, you think you're not gonna make it, there are times where you wanted to give up yet you remain brave and courageous to face everything. Please know that you didn’t experience all of that for nothing and I am proud of you for making up until this point of the year. 

Just a reminder that all of the things you went through this year had a divine purpose which you’ll know in time.

This quarantine changed not only my life but everyone in the world. Staying at home for nearly a year to keep everyone safe has changed our lifestyle. New hobbies formulated, talents enhanced and I think we have also become skilled in doing household chores. We all went through a big adjustment and a lot of us struggled to cope up with everything.

When the lockdown and quarantine started during the month of March, I never quite expected that it could last until this day but this year is full of surprises and twists that happened in a least expected way. 

 

I am certain that everyone of us surely realized something while being stuck at home, laying down, resting and becoming productive. This year didn't only give us difficulties but also thoughts to ponder that brought us into some life realizations.

A famous phrase says, "Experience is the best teacher." 

But, experience without realization can be meaningless. I guess, one of the greatest lessons we can have was our realizations. It can mold us into a better person.  

Therefore, allow me to share my life realizations during nine months of being quarantined. 

I’ll list down my nine life realizations to also symbolize the nine months of lockdown:

1. Focus on things you can control.

During this hard season, there are a lot of things that are beyond my control; this virus, the cancelled/postponed plans, the current situation and the worst part here is that my emotions are becoming out of control. 

I hate being sad about something I can't control because it makes me realize that I can't do anything about it but cry. 

When the lockdown started, I honestly cried about it, thinking about the events that could possibly happen this year if the virus didn't ruin everything. 

But, then again, I can't control the virus. I can't control the current situation. I can't control the plans that need to be delayed or cancelled.

If there is something I can control, it is my mind, the way I see things and the way I perceive it. Hating to cry over those matters and to preserve my mental health, I chose to think logically rather than rationally. 

My emotions can be out of control depending on what I feed on my mind. If my mind is full of negative thoughts, my emotions will also result in negativity. And,  if I can allow negative thoughts to enter inside my mind, why can’t I do the same with positive ones?

I can't change the situation but I can change my mindset towards it.

2. Focus on things that matter.

Before this pandemic started, I used to spend plenty of time doubting myself and my capabilities but during quarantine, I have come to realize that to create progress matters more than doubting myself since I will only plant a seed in my mind that will rot my views in life.

In our journey, there will be distractions along the way. Temptation to get you out of your goals. Criticisms to destroy your confidence. Discrimination to make you feel unworthy. 

These things matter in a negative way. If we focus more on these things, we will lose our direction. 

Let's keep our heads up high. Focus our sight on the goal. Focus on things that matter and those are — improvement and progress. 

These temptations, criticisms and discriminations? They will only matter if they have something to help with our improvement. 

But if their job is to weigh us down, no thank you.  

 

3. Live in the present with acceptance.

The uncertainty of the future contributed to my anxiety. The past doesn't help as well because it only made me think about the things that should have been. 

But, this year made me accept things as what they are.

Acceptance. This is the last stage in grief. One thing about grief is it never goes away. One day, you think you’re fine, you think you can get through a day without grieving for a loss but then again, you’ll find yourself crying over and over. That cycle never stopped.

During quarantine, I found myself crying and missing my mom more than ever. We spent this year by staying at home, it’s hard not to miss someone’s presence which we wish we could feel during this pandemic.

If there is a way I can live in the present without worrying about anything is to accept what has already happened and to accept what is about to happen. 

To live in the present and to aspire for a change, I must do something today that my future self can be proud of. Worrying about the future will only take away my happiness in the present. I should not worry about something that has not yet arrive.

 

4. Learn to wait for the right time.

When we plan something ahead of time, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will happen on that certain date we planned it. I recently realized this because I came a long way for accepting something that is not yet meant to happen. 

There will be changes along the way but I still believe that there is a right time for everything. Although, it has to be delayed but the important part is it will still happen.

 

In this hard season where it requires us to wait for the right time, let us remind ourselves that God doesn't waste the wait. Someday, we will be proud of ourselves for not rushing things because we patiently waited for the right time.

5. Learn to be grateful over small things.

This year made me appreciate things I currently have. These things we have are temporary, the only permanent thing is the memories we created with the people in our lives. We may lose all our possessions in the world, the days, the weeks and months we spent but the moments we once shared with some people will never be deleted in history. Treasuring the present can bring a big impact in our future.

I can still feel that heavy thing in my chest whenever I remember that we have lost a lot of lives this year. Knowing that some people didn’t make it up until this day breaks my heart but it has also put me in a deep gratitude that I am still here, alive and breathing. Our lives alone is something that we should be grateful about. It is precious and treasurable.

 

6. Never take things for granted.

Linking to the 5th realization, all things are temporary, we might as well enjoy it while it lasts. It’s funny that I used to complain about being in school but I suddenly miss those moments where I’m in school, studying. Ever since this pandemic started, I appreciated the times where I can walk around in town without the need of wearing a mask. Now, I can only look forward to that day to happen again.

We don’t know what tomorrow brings but doing something meaningful today can contribute to what will happen in the future. We can’t turn back the time so live the NOW and make each second worthy.

7. Strengthen your faith and don’t lose hope.

During those times where my mental health was put in a test, I did almost everything to keep my mind off things and one of them is to devote my time to God. I prayed that He will take my anxiety, pain and sadness away but the truth is… He didn’t take all of them away from me but what He did was give me weapons to use in times of despair.

Faith and hope. These two come together. This year gave us a lot of things to feel hurt and sad about that we almost gave up. But, one thing is certain, as long as you’re living, there is still hope for you. Things will weigh you down but outweigh it with your faith in order to succeed.

This world will give us challenges to face. We will stumble in our paths. There are times where we will be tempted to give up. We will be given pain, sadness and fears. All of these have a divine purpose. Instead of asking God to take it away from us, I am encouraging you to pray and ask God to give you faith and hope to fight your battles in life.

I guarantee you that every pain will make sense in the end once you win the battle. We can get through this by faith and hope.

There are still two slots left for life realizations and I decided to give you that opportunity to write your own life realizations this year. Write it down in the comment box, I'd love to read it! 

This is also my way of communicating with you and my way of telling you that your life realizations are valid. 

(But if anyone's curious, my number 8 and 9 would be; allow yourself to rest and make your mental health as your top priority.) 

My quarantine life isn’t that fun and enjoyable, let alone, productive. Yet, I am blogging about this so I can have something to look back in the future. That, once in my life, I have overcome a year full of doubts, uncertainties and fears. It’s sad that 2020 became memorable but not in a good way. We can look back at this year as something sad for it took a lot of lives from us. Some are unexpected and untimely. It’s scary how someone’s life can end in an instant but to think about it thoroughly, this year showed us the harsh reality of life which can bring us some realizations.

2020 is not the best year and can probably be the worst. But, this year undeniably gave me things to be grateful about. I experienced bad days but there were good days too. So much can happen in a year and within 366 days, it’s impossible to only have good days ahead. I can only hope that this 2021, good days can surpass bad days.

Let’s conquer 2021 together and when things get hard, may you never lose hope that things will get better and you can smile genuinely again.

Yours truly,

Clar ♡

(If you have blog suggestions, comment it below so I can note it down for 2021's blogs. I am not sure if I will still do the monthly blog but we'll see :D Show your support to me by following my blogsite! Keep safe and I love you. Know that you are seen, loved, and appreciated.)