So it feels like we’ve been in this pandemic for years, and even though it slowly feels like it’s coming to an end, we can’t be sure when this will all be behind us. That’s why I spent my quarantine trying out new interests. I’m not completely sure how these trends started, but suddenly I felt like I was seeing dalgona coffee and bread on each and every one of my social media accounts. I was originally going to rank my favorite quarantine trends, but then I realized that each one impacted my life in a different way! So, I chose my favorite five (in no particular order):
- Dalgona Coffee
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The thought of even drinking coffee never came across my mind. For me, I didn’t like how bitter and almost tasteless it was and I really only enjoyed the overly sugary drinks like frappuccinos and caramel macchiatos. However, I kept seeing it on my “for you” page on Tiktok and I finally caved in and bought a whole jar of instant coffee from Trader Joe’s. My opinion on dalgona coffee? I love it, and I’m not ashamed to say that I am still drinking it every single day. Whether it’s the foam to liquid ratio or the actual coffee flavor, I’ve now gone through 3 jars of instant coffee in the past five months. It’s a routine for me to wake up, drink some water and make my “coffee.” I have to first have my instant coffee in order for me to start talking to anyone or do any work. Recently, I did try the classic coffee stuff again, like cold brew or espressos, but I still strongly dislike them. I think I’ll stick to my dalgona coffee for now!
- Baking
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Because of quarantine, I could not go out and enjoy my favorite desserts and foods as much. Therefore, I had to rely on grocery shopping and start making my own food. There was a point where I think I was on “baking TikTok.” My whole feed was filled with food, ranging from desserts to dinner recipes. I started baking your basic chocolate chip cookies, but they turned out … not like cookies. However, I can proudly say that I can now make a range of foods from crinkle cookies to full dinner meals. I love making a variety of foods, especially desserts, to deliver to my friends. But, apparently, the electricity bill doubled because of my constant use of the oven, so my baking is put to a pause for now.
- TikTok
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Ah, the infamous TikTok. I don’t even know where to start. The app seemed to just appear one day, and suddenly, everyone was on it. I’m ashamed of the total number of hours I’ve spent on this app throughout the whole quarantine. I think the element of surprise and unexpectedness from not knowing what the next video is really drew me in. On top of that, TikTok seems to really know all my hobbies and potential interests. The app has now become a source for almost everything: cooking recipes, editing tutorials and even my news.
- Self-Care Activities
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For the past 19 years of my life, I feel like I really have not focused on myself. Yes, I feed my body good food, I relax by watching too much TV. But I haven’t really relaxed, if that makes sense. I recently started getting into journaling and yoga, two activities I tend to look past and perceive as boring and useless. I have incorporated these two into my morning routine, usually choosing one of the two. Journaling and yoga have allowed me to stop and appreciate what is around me. Journaling has allowed me to really think about my feelings, express my emotions, and just take time for myself. On the other hand, yoga allows me to not only stretch and relax my body, but to also calm my mind and let go of everything I have to do that day for a few minutes.
- At-Home Workouts
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I have always relied on the gym to workout, so I could eat lots of good food without guilt. I only occasionally tried at home workouts or YouTube workouts, in general, and mostly relied on the treadmill and machines. A month into quarantine, I realized I had gained a little bit of quarantine weight and decided to start working out. Coincidentally, Chloe Ting started to trend on TikTok. People were obsessing over her two-week shred program, but every time I saw a video, I just shook my head. For me, I hated that program. I actually tried it at the beginning of the year. Personally, I did not like the fact that we were doing the same videos every single day, and near the end, they were not as tiring. Now, I have been doing either Lilly Sabri or Pamela’s Reif program for the past few months, and all I can say is that they are not as easy as I thought. I would be sore for several days after some workouts and I found myself holding onto my arm and butt as I watched the timer slowly count down. Regardless, I do appreciate how much effort they put into creating these workouts and videos and never realized how hard they could actually be.