March 13 2020 is a date that we will never forget. It marked the beginning of the quarantine that lasted many of the beginning months of the year. The whole world stopped and watched as it seemed like it was the end of time. Every country was suffering and the death tolls grew each day. We all locked our doors and refused to step outside.
On the few necessary grocery trips, we became extra familiar with Lysol, face masks and even gloves. Everyone coped with this quiet time in a different way, either alone or with their partner and family. We made important decisions on who would be in what the CDC referred to as our “bubble” of select people we would risk seeing. The majority of the world felt fear and anxiety like never before. But why do some of us miss lockdown?
Many spent hours on social media, like TikTok, to pass the time. We now connect certain songs with the TikTok trends that were trending during that time and some of us feel strangely nostalgic. 2019 and 2020 were when TikTok gained its popularity and the platform helped the world cope with its trendy videos and familiar faces. TikTok featured whipped coffee, “Tiger King,” Charli D’Amelio, banana bread and a peek inside celebrity quarantine.
I remember trying to dye my hair pink and when that did not work, I gave my locks a purple tint. We replaced workwear with loungewear in our everyday lives, even on Zoom. I created a workout routine along with daily walks with my family, neighbors and friends. My dog, Stella, was liberated from staying inside all day and received extra attention and walks. Being creative was an outlet for many as well. I upcycled clothes, covered my driveway in chalk art and journaled about the crazy time we were living in. My sibling and I became obsessed with puzzles and painting.
Spending more time outside also felt liberating from the hours we spent inside at school and work. We got plenty of Vitamin D and exercise we did not get before. The whole world had the opportunity to show what they were doing in lockdown with the connection of social media. While not everyone had a loving home to quarantine in, it is important to acknowledge the healthcare workers, homeless and unsafe households that suffered greatly during this time in history. The change of routine was beneficial for many, though.
Another side of this confinement led to many good things that emerged that I cannot overlook or acknowledge. My family and friend relationships strengthened as we had more time to talk and bond. I finally had a break from my intense academic junior year and college pressure faded. I became more in touch with myself and nurtured my mental health. I took time to read more from the Bible and reflected more. My family and I tried new healthy recipes.
During this time is when I figured out what I wanted to study in college and discovered my talents. My inner creative self was no longer shadowed by schoolwork and difficult college decisions. This was a time of pause full of new routines, hobbies and free time to spend on creativity instead of math homework. While I would never want to go back to this terrifying year of lockdowns and mandates, many of us miss the way we felt safe at home before going back to school and work which created new anxieties.
Despite the whirlwind of this time, many have acknowledged that these months provided personal growth and compassion. I believe everyone came out of the lockdown with a different perspective on life. Our society uses social media as a way to connect and relate to people even through difficult times as a way to heal. I believe this lockdown represented a cultural shift and a period of time before the reality of living with Covid-19 sunk in. Many, including myself, documented this time and we now look back with nostalgia.