I don't want to say that this quarantine is what opened my eyes to the importance of outlets, but I definitely remembered how big of a role outlets played in my mental health since all of this craziness started. Outlets can be anything you want them to be, and just like the other things that you do with your life, no one can tell you what outlet to choose. Sure, some outlets that people pick may not be the most constructive in the long run... (to each their own), but on here I want to talk about outlets that will positively benefit you and maybe even help you to learn new things about yourself.
Through this whole quarantine, I feel like it's being thrown into everyone's faces that if you don't come out of this looking better than you did before then you didn't make the most of your quarantine. First off this is a load of you know what, (I'm trying to watch my mouth on this blog but I am telling you now that I don't have much of a filter and I curse as a way to enhance what I'm saying not to direct it at people), because just like you don't go telling people when things were normal that if they don't spend their summer bettering themselves then your whole summer was a waste of time, a time like this doesn't need to be used for that either. Now I understand where people are coming from as far as the fact that we all have more free time and all, but just because we have free time it doesn't mean that we have the time to be busting our asses in our home gyms and making sure that when this stay at home order ends we reveal the abs everyone is expecting. I for sure know that the only 6 pack I'll be showcasing is my 6 pack of whatever beer or mini wine bottles I'm throwing back at the beach, ok?
In all seriousness though, just like I mentioned in previous posts, you never know what people are dealing with until you know, and during this time, "free time" means out of work and trying to find ways to get by for some people. This "free time" can be for people who live alone and are losing their minds after months of only having their cat to talk to or barely being able to see their family and friends. For all of our front line workers who are having to find different places to live and really be separate from their friends and family because they are putting other people's lives before their own, they don't see that "free time" the same way some of us might.
In the beginning, I was having a really hard time adjusting to my online classes, then my computer literally died (RIP), and I was having a hard time dealing with all of the changes of my senior year at home. I was trying so hard to make sure I got my workouts in but I have very little equipment and was so scared that I wouldn't be able to have my cut go the way I was planning on (since I stopped my bulk very close to when this quarantine began). It was scary having to just adjust without much prep time, and I couldn't even get myself to get out of bed many days. But then, I forced myself into a routine which included my outlets, I thought of this idea that I'm sharing with you all now, and I pushed myself to find ways to make myself happy or distract myself even if it only worked for a few hours.
I started with working out. Now when the quarantine first started I was SOOOO into the home workouts. I was making it work, I was sending vids to help my friends, doing facetime workouts, and the whole fam was even getting involved. The closer I got to my finals week and the workload building up the workouts got shorter and my start times got later, which at that point in time I excused and moved on. Then it turned into that I could squeeze a workout in between my classes, or just do it when I'm done, or I can just do it tomorrow, then the next tomorrow came, and the next, and you get the point. By then I had gone a whole week with barely even getting myself to go places other than my bedroom and my kitchen, and it hit me; my outlet was what was missing.
Now this is just one example of the outlets that I chose, I also ran away to Tim's when I needed to get out of the house, colored (don't knock those adult coloring books until you try them), started my own business, sang around my house and even made up some songs, reconnected with old friends, edited my insta highlights, found some podcasts, reorganized my room, cleaned out my closet and took pics to share clothes I wanted to sell, and I watched a lot of James Charles videos when I should have been sleeping. I'm not the most creative person in the world when it comes to artistic outlets, but you can always order some paint by number activities off of Amazon, try and draw some of your favorite scenes or role models, paint a new decoration for your room, the list goes on.
I can't even express the importance of finding an outlet, but I will say if you find an outlet you need to stick to it. In today's world we are so stuck in this idea of instant gratification, yet we expect so much out of the products we purchase or the routines we put ourselves into. If it's something that is going to change you and help you, it's something you need to see through and work on while working on yourself. Just because I listed a bunch of outlets doesn't mean that you need to choose from one of them, but if you're having trouble getting up to start your days, I strongly suggest finding an outlet to look forward to and it will help you to take up time in your day and hopefully distract you in all of this down time. Don't listen to what everyone on Instagram is telling you you SHOULD be doing in this time, find what feels right and something that you look forward to either doing in your day or ending your night with, and please share with me what you've decided to do and how it's working for you.
Decide for YOU what feels best for YOU!
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