By: Leanna Yu, Editor-in-Chief
Over the past 10 months of isolation, I have transformed my lifestyle, interests, and goals by focusing on improving myself. The positive change I experienced throughout this unprecedented time stems from my ability and choice to stay at home in order to protect others from COVID-19. I’m thankful that I am fortunate enough to learn and work remotely, while using this time as an opportunity to enhance my overall well-being.
When my future-self reminisces about 2020, the first thing that would come to mind about 17-year-old me are books. As a child, I used to love reading short novels about magic and mystery, with some of my favorites being The Rainbow Fairies and Magic Tree House series. Overtime, my filled bookshelf collection got neglected and untouched for over 5 years. It wasn’t until last June that I decided to read my first leisure book during high school: Twilight. What made me want to pick up a book after all those years of disinterest? For starters, it’s Twilight, a “classic” that almost every teenage girl LOVES to hate. As an avid fan of The Twilight Saga (yes, I am proud to admit this), I decided to actually read the original book after binge watching the entire series, because I wanted to relive the story for the first time again. After finishing the book, my reading obsession soared as I downloaded Goodreads, an app to generate library catalogs and reading lists. In the span of six months, I read a total of 21 books and made a podcast of my 2021 book recommendations. Reading has become part of my daily routine to help me feel less stressed and more cognizant and empowered to learn.
The second thing that would come to mind is self-care. I had a realization during quarantine: I want to feel and be the best version of myself on the inside and out. This ideal goal motivated me to participate in Chloe Ting’s viral workout programs beginning in March. Ting’s 2 Weeks Shred Challenge and Summer Shred programs were popular among social media for the first few months of quarantine, which only lasted me about 2 months before I quit. Exercising felt like a chore instead of a privilege. However, I shifted my mindset by the end of 2020 with these random TikTok quotes that now stick with me:
- Day one or one day? You get to decide your choice.
- Most people will be in the same exact place next year as they are today. Don’t be most people.
- Reminder to just enjoy life. We are all people, in the end.
Now, I workout every morning before class starts because I am grateful that I am physically able to and it sets me in a good mood for the rest of the day. I like to remind myself that everything is a choice and I choose to nourish and love myself, whether it comes in the form of reading, exercising, cooking, or anything else! Set goals for yourself, find the motivation to achieve those goals, and enjoy the process.
Despite using this alone time to work on my well-being, I do still feel the gloomy senior year disconnect that is draining the class of 2021. The social interaction with my peers, the community feel of my classmates around me, and school spirit events have been stripped from all of us, especially those who will never experience a fully normal senior year. Because there is not much in our control to return to school, besides doing our part in staying at home, I am now remaining hopeful for the next chapter of my journey. Although disappointed in my senior year aspirations, I have gained something even more special— a new me. By dedicating this year to accomplishing personal goals and future aspirations, I have turned a negative situation into something a little more positive for myself.
Photo Credits: “Pin on monochrome” from Pinterest
