I’ve come to face the reality that we will not be returning to Wake Forest to finish out our semester. The whole world is adjusting to this new reality that COVID-19 has presented us, and we as students are coming to terms with the fact that the daily lives we’ve built and learned to love are, just like that, gone. Or at least suspended until the fall.
But like many Wake students, I’d grown accustomed to a pretty rigid routine–one that I’d grown to love, one that kept me on track, one that in a way became a part of me–and with such a quick transition away from that, I was finding myself filled with anxiety and worry. What am I going to do without thousands of resources at my daily disposal, from the gym to the library to the Pit, that allowed me to thrive?
But the most troubling thought that I’d been having was one about identity. Who I am at Wake and who I am at home are different people, not because I change or act differently as soon as I hop off the plane at LAX, but because I’m shaped by my environment and the people around me, and none of that is the same. The clubs and classes that fuel my interests and passions are 2,000 miles away, as are the people that both help to motivate me and form my sense of identity. Who I am in the context of that group and setting is different from my identity at home, although I remain the same individually.
So, I’ve decided to lean into it, and it’s transformed my last week of quarantine. I’m focusing on all the ways to utilize my environment here, focusing on how it’s beneficial, focusing on how to use this very strange time to continue to grow and develop while being physically stagnant. Yes, I’m giving up a lot by not being at Wake, but I’ve gained a lot too, including the opportunity to rebuild old relationships, work on home improvement projects and reorganizing, cook in a real kitchen, and learn new skills I simply didn’t have the time or resources for (plus access to my car is a BIG bonus).
For me, utilizing this time starts with a schedule, a rebuilding and remodeling of routine. It was important for me to keep many aspects of my life at Wake, while carving out time for projects I can only do here at home.
Two important things I felt I needed to have set times for were classes and workouts, so I have my video lectures and exercise lined up every morning for a few hours. It gives me a sense of normalcy, and on top of mimicking meals I often get at the Pit, home started to feel a bit more like home. But after that, it’s time to focus on projects that make the most of your time in quarantine, ones that help you develop in some way and give you an outlet for passions you don’t always get to express. I’m very hands-on, so I was super excited to remodel my room and do some home improvement projects that my parents will never get around to, like refinishing the cabinets. I also have time each day to read a book I’m interested in, something I hardly get time for at school.
In the end, it’s about seeing this time as an opportunity, rather than a roadblock. Yes, it interrupts your “normal” life, but this is your new normal for the time being, so don’t let the chance for growth pass you by. Just because you feel stuck and stagnant, doesn’t mean you have to be.