I am writing this article thirty minutes after getting my call that I am released from quarantine. I am feeling so many emotions: happiness, relief, fatigue, free, and confusion about what I do now. For the last ten days, my routine has consisted of waking up at noon, laying in bed, attending class on zoom, laying in bed, eating at the most random times, and laying in bed. If you do not know me, then you should know this is the opposite of what my usual routine is. I like to move around, eat meals at appropriate times, and I actually rarely take naps. Quarantine really introduced a different lifestyle to me, and while I was crying pretty much every day, I learned a lot about life through these last ten days. You're probably thinking, "What could she possibly have learned in quarantine?" The things I learned were things I thought I already knew, however, being isolated from the world showed me how much I love life and the people in it.
Your friends will always be there for you, even if you are infected and no one should be around you.
When I got the call that I tested positive, I immediately thought about everyone that I will not be able to see. It is the first month back at college and I already had to be isolated from my favorite people. These people make me so happy and I just was mad. I was mad that my roommates were infected. I was mad that I was infected. I was mad at this whole situation because I could not control it. When we all found out that we had to quarantine, our friend, Macy, left us a goody bag outside our door full of our favorite candy. It was a small present, but it was the first indication that it was going to be okay. It showed that our friends were still there, just at a distance. What was so crazy was that I did not realize how much I missed my friends until I would FaceTime them to see their faces. It showed me how much I value these people and how much they cared for me.
Your body sometimes needs the rest.
At first, I hated quarantine and being infected because I was always tired. I just wanted to lay around. I couldn't even find the motivation to put my dishes in the dishwasher. I was already trying to get back on my workout grind, and then I got infected and could not go to the gym. I would wake up every morning with a plan to work out or even do yoga, but I then would lose that mindset and not leave the couch. Now out of quarantine, I have my motivation back to get my body back in shape. However, this usually would bring me down, but I have never felt more rested. I am not someone who usually takes naps and I usually run on 6-7 hours of sleep. In quarantine, I would sleep until noon and I never felt guilty. I believe I needed this rest. I needed to take a break and get back in tune with my sleep. Yes, it bothered me that it felt like I wasted a whole morning, but I also know that I will not always sleep like that. I knew that I would get back on my schedule and that it was okay to be off of what is normal.
It is not the end of the world if you miss out on things.
I started quarantining the weekend before sorority bid day. We were still in the middle of recruitment, which was on zoom, but I knew that I was not going to be able to celebrate bid day like everyone else. Even though I was not alone and I had my roommates, I was upset that I was not going to be able to experience the week after bid day either. I remember last year when I had just joined a sorority and I was meeting everyone for the first time. It was absolute chaos, yet it was exciting and just full of happiness. I was upset for my bid day buddy, who is a new member that I would be basically be navigating throughout the week so she can get the full experience. She would have another person as her buddy, but I wanted to be that person. This past week was hard because I had serious FOMO. I would call my parents basically everyday crying or complaining, even though there was nothing they could do. In the back of my mind, I knew it was ridiculous, but it was something that was important to me. Sitting here writing this as I already have plans to see my friends this coming week, I realize that it is not the end of the world. Yes, I missed out on fun events, but will they come again? Yes, they will.
If you are in quarantine, use this time to focus on yourself. Use this time to think of things you are upset about and think about how you can turn those around in the situation. It is hard, but it will be over soon. You will be happy again. You will see your people again. Hang in there.
