Over the last year, many of us have been spending more time alone due to the pandemic. I, myself, live with both my parents so I’ve been isolating at home since March. Although it may seem exaggerated, it has kept me and family safe and that’s all that matters. In the beginning, it was very fun, I had time to watch shows, bake and spend time with my family. Then, boredom started to hit home and I found it taking a toll on my mental health. I had friends that were going back to school and I knew that they would be making memories without me for a whole semester. In order to get rid of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), I needed to become my own best friend.
Create a Morning Routine You Enjoy
I started off my waking up and drinking lemon water. It sounds small but it made a tremendous impact on my mood because it made me wake up. The citrus flavor got me out of my groggy phase and made me alert. I would drink my lemon water while looking out my window and watching the trees move, clouds pass by and people walk their dogs. I find myself most reflective when I’m looking at the world around me. I’d journal and make a protein smoothie.
Work on Self
This is the most important part for me. When you are in isolation with less distractions, you have to be more aware of your thoughts. For me, I found myself dealing with a lot of negative self talk, specifically about body image. I decided to no longer take any excuses for not being the best version of myself physically or mentally. Overall, I realized that I’m never going to have this much time to really work on myself. I started going to the gym everyday, walking in the park, reading books and doing a lot of meditation or prayer.
Be Gentle with Yourself
I found myself working in cycles of motivation. Sometimes I would be very high functioning and other times I felt down. Especially with the negativity on the news about the death toll or political turmoil, it can be overwhelming to say the least. It’s important to feel everything and let it take its course. Sometimes we don’t realize how the daily news makes us feel until we let it fester for so long it becomes too much. In those times where things become overwhelming take deep breaths, watch your favorite show, eat your favorite food, listen to music in the shower or FaceTime your friend.
These are the three most important steps when starting the process of becoming your own friend. After you complete these, you know what to do in order to begin a life where you are the center. Whether that’s cutting people out of your life who fester negative energy or make you develop bad habits, or communicating better with family members, there’s no way to make this process easy. Some weeks will be better than others but the outcome Is worth it.