Although quarantine has isolated many of us, it has also provided us with an opportunity to focus on ourselves and find new passions and hobbies. Throughout the past few months, we have noticed a rose to the thorn. Here are a few ways quarantine changed us – in all the best ways.
- Kelley
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College is the hardest, most exciting, yet scariest four years of your life. For me, I have always been involved in every club I could. I work a part-time job and have as many internships that will fit in my schedule. You can say that I am a very busy person.
When quarantine began, and I decided to move back home with my parents for two months, I started to slow down my busy life and develop a routine. It was then that I realized I needed to create a routine as soon as I became busy again, as I felt more productive and just plain happier.
Each morning, I would wake up at the same time, eat breakfast, do my schoolwork, then do an hour workout before winding down for the night. It was a constant cycle, every day, for weeks, and I loved it. I am a very organized person and creating a routine in my life helped me feel like I had a purpose. I felt like I finally had my life together.
Now, we are back to the hustle and bustle and I have continued to implement that routine in my life. I am getting more of my work done and have more time for self-care because of it. Thank you quarantine for helping me learn more about myself.
- Hannah
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Quarantine ironically hit me like a bus because it was the first time in living memory I was ever forced to stop. After years of cramming studies, work, extra-curriculars, and social engagements into singular 24 hour days, quarantine meant taking time to just stare at a wall and think. The problem? I’d been numb since quarantine began. I could not force myself to be self-analytical nor could I start any projects that demanded creativity because I lacked the motivation.
I do not remember the exact day that it happened, but at some point, I became driven enough to take a look at an old song I’d written and start working on further producing it. I went into my closet and put down some new vocals. I adapted lyrics and further advanced the production. I loved the song so much that it led me to an epiphany that I should move to release an album.
To take us back a little, I should note that songwriting has always been the way in which I release my emotions. Some of my best friends seemingly internalize nothing. They wear their hearts on their sleeves and showcase a quick wit I wish I had the talent for. Sadly, that’s never been me. I watch on the sidelines, process, and proceed to write songs that reflect the way I feel. At the beginning of quarantine, I could not get myself to write as I felt there was so little going on to write about. Once I began working again, however, the songs just kept coming. I believe, because I’d been forced by quarantine to take the time to think about some issues I’d been ignoring in my life, that made the songs all the more real and vulnerable.
The album, “Maniac” came out on Friday, October 23rd, and is available on Spotify, Amazon, Apple Music, etc. The record is a culmination of retro/pop-inspired songs that I like to call a mix between Amy Winehouse and Lana Del Rey. A mix of urban grit and dreamy soundscape. While writing the album, all I kept thinking was that I hoped when people heard the songs, they would feel something. In my opinion, there is nothing worse than living without any sense of feeling. Without that, what is our purpose here on Earth? If my music can bring a little meaning back into anyone’s life, then I know all the work was worth it.
- Kyra
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Speaking as a person who likes a busy schedule, quarantine hit me like a big yellow school bus as it made that schedule vanish, but the open time gave me a lot of time to reflect on what my life had become and whether or not I was happy with it. I soon realized that I was settling for the life that I had and wasn’t happy about it, which led me to the decision of transferring schools.
Being the ambitious person that I am, I applied to transfer in mid-June without telling my parents or anyone for that matter because I decided that I needed to make this choice on my own. I was soon accepted to CU in the first weekend of July and accepted my admission just three days later. I eventually told my parents and they weren’t too thrilled about my decision, but they knew no matter how much we talked about it, I was never going to change my mind.
After accepting, I spent the next three weeks finishing my transfer process, packing up all of my things, shoving them into my parents’ car, and taking a little road trip to Colorado. The next two weeks were spent looking for apartments near the campus, and after a short two-week search, I soon moved to Boulder. The school year started soon after and I’ve been here ever since.
So, quarantine changed me because it helped me realize that I needed change in my life. I had always stayed in my little bubble before, but the time I used to reflect helped me break out of it to create a new, wild adventure that I am completely happy about. I won’t regret this decision, nor the time of the dreaded quarantine that helped me make this change. Now we are somewhat back to the swing of things, I haven’t pulled any tricks like this one lately, but I’ll keep you posted for when I do.
P.S. In case you were wondering, my parents now tell me that I’m a little too ambitious, but they do support my decision, and we facetime once a week.
When we had the chance to slow down and tune into ourselves, we discovered great things. From recording an album to realizing we needed a change in our lives and routines, it all turned out for the best. How did quarantine change you?