Welcome to my first quarantine diary. It’s such an overwhelming time filled with anxiety, change, and transition. I want to take a moment to open up about my experience so here goes nothing.
It’s been a little over 3 months since I left my apartment in NYC never to return again. LOL jk jk. As I write this, I am still not back! Oh how I miss you New York City (but maybe not right now).
When I left I packed for an extended weekend (what a joke). I was leaving because of the corona-virus scare, but I had no idea about it’s severity. I moved in with my long-distance boyfriend in his townhouse in Washington D.C. My life quickly changed, as I started working remotely and living with my boyfriend for the first time in my entire life, and we survived!
It was actually amazing finally being able to be with him “full time”. It was quite an adjustment though going basically from zero to a hundred. It’s not like we had that much personal space, but we did our best to give each other the space we could. For the most part we loved each other’s presence.
Not long after, I was notified from my employer that I was officially furloughed. No job, no paycheck, only benefits…GREAT! Just what I needed! At least I had benefits, I thought. I was so disheveled, and overwhelmed. It was a complete life switch and my routine was out the window.
I felt a large void and emptiness. I quickly got over it, and decided to establish my own routine. After all I was going through aka a global pandemic the only way to keep sane in my eyes was to stay fit and healthy.
I decided I would workout everyday, and eat vegetarian and it really helped me. I mixed up my workouts so I wouldn’t get bored, but I tried at home pilates, yoga, HIIT classes, even sound meditation baths.
We cooked healthy vegetarian meals almost every night. We ordered HelloFresh which came three times a week. So my boyfriend and I always looked forward to learning new recipes and cooking together. Sometimes we would take turns. Also, I basically became a mixologist making all natural piña coladas, margaritas, blueberry infused Moscow mules, strawberry gin and tonics, and more!
During the stay at home order my boyfriend buys a new house and we move! OMG…it was amazing, and I was SOO happy for him, but I also couldn’t believe I had to deal with a move on top of a global pandemic and being furloughed, and not being in NYC.
In order to keep the romance we had “date nights” where we would order out and eat on the porch, or have a picnic at the park nearby. We would even plan “quality time” activities like going on hikes, or long walks.
One morning I got a call from my mom, and we found out that my Dad tested positive for Covid-19. We were terrified. He was already in a nursing home, having been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s for 15+ years now. Nursing home’s have not allowed visitors for months now. I moved home to stay with my Mom and brother to support.
Now I continued to workout with my mom, we would go on long walks together, and I’d even introduce her to my Instagram workouts. She of course would do alternative moves that suited her level. As a family we implemented a vegetarian diet, and stopped drinking for two weeks to work on a cleanse and stay healthy.
My boyfriend comes over to hangout in the backyard but we don’t touch, and practice social distancing. It was definitely a weird transition and adjustment to then go from a hundred to zero with him. I mean imagine being able to hang out with your boyfriend but only from a distance. You see each other but can’t touch. I can’t even imagine what my Mom is going through not being able to even physically be able to see her husband.
This is such an interesting time, but I’m valuing health over all because it’s what’s helping me keep sane. I’ve learned to appreciate the time I have for myself and my family, and enjoy nature as much as I can. I’m tapping into my creativity, and exploring my personal interests more than I ever have before. I finally have the time to think about what I really enjoy like singing and songwriting, and the goal is to not have any regrets.
So I set up a home recording studio in my room, and started writing lyrics and singing songs. I’m hoping I can present you all with something. Something that is near and dear to my heart. Stay tuned!
Thanks for reading my post, “Quarantine Diary- My Experience”! Feel free to share with friends and family. Also, I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a comment below to let me know your thoughts or suggestions, and don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already to keep in touch!
For more fun reads check out my other posts here!
Photos by Julie Papikova
abugheedaa says
Lovely style
Marilyn Hucek says
Thank you!