7 Habits I Learned In Quarantine

COVID pandemic put the world on hold. But is it necessarily a bad thing? Not for everyone. I feel very positive and encouraged seeing all the positive vibes around internet - realising that I am not the only one who appreciates this difficult time. It is the time to take a better look at our lives, rethink our priorities and make a step forward towards a better future.

Here are 7 habits, I (re-)discovered in the past 12 months. Some were completely new, others just got lost in everyday tasks. Let's take a closer look to the each of them, shall we?

Loving Nature

Nature became my best friend. With all the restaurants and shops being closed, together with my husband we chose to entertain ourselves with daily walks outside. As a weekend trip destinations we would choose mountains, parks and observation towers. I was surprised how many undiscovered places were within 30 min drive from home or even closer.

Gardening

My love for nature grew so much, that I had to plant it. And it keeps growing! The feeling of seeing a new life born is breathtaking. I am amazed how fragile those plants are in the first few days and how fast they spread their leafs in order to grow and survive. As strange as it may sound, my plants teach me how to be patient and look for sunshine even in the darkest of days.

Appreciating Food and Drinks

I thought I know how to cook, until the quarantine started. That was the time when I realised there is so much more. I started trying recipes I never found time for. Every time trying to challenge myself even more. I thought to myself, that if somebody else can do it, why can't I?

The main challenge for me was to learn how to prepare meals I love, but for some reason I never tried to cook myself. Probably I thought they were too complicated, or required some special ingredients that I don't have. But during the time of quarantine I finally encouraged myself to give it a try. And the result was amazing! I learned how to make pizza, ramen, curries, granola, tacos, bread and so much more... Everything from scratch by using only fresh ingredients. And the best part - I don't plan to stop!

The real motivator for me was the Meal Plan by FitnessBlender. This plan kept me aware about my choices and served as a base for my personal weekly meal planning. As a result, I eat healthier, save a ton of money and have a bigger smile on my face.

On top of that, discovering several food related documentaries, such as Street Food, Chef's Table and Down to Earth on Netflix allowed me to gain new perspectives on behind the scenes of food making.

But what about the drinks? After visiting a wine museum in a beautiful Chateau d'Aigle I was inspired to learn more not only about wine, but about other drinks too. I realised how important it is to match food and correct drinks together. They can complement each other and bring out totally new aromas and combinations of flavours.

I also discovered a YouTube channel How to Drink, where I keep learning about the recipes, history and culture of drinks. I am trying some recipes too, but there is still a long way to go.

Taking Care of Myself

Daily exercise, skin care routine, work-life balance and sleeping hygiene were all the familiar terms for a long time. But the real understanding and especially the implementation of those methods came to me only in the past year.

I invested some time to learn what is good for my skin. Personalised regimen builder and skincare guide by The Ordinary were very helpful. My objective was to take care of my skin on a daily basis. Only after some time I realised how effective are the ingredients I use. They allowed me to control blemishes, uneven skin tone and breakouts. All the things which I considered to be norm for my skin.

Sport - you would hear about it everywhere. And there is a good reason why. Four months into doing 5-min exercise routines (almost) every morning I can tell that I never felt this good about my body. I simply do 5 minute warm up routines from different YouTube channels. My favourites are FitnessBlender, Pamela Reif and Quick Fit Fun.

I love good, long and cozy sleep! I bet everyone does. And there are some things to make it even better. Here is what I do:

• Let some fresh air in. Before going to sleep, I open my windows for 10 mins. It helps to cool down the room and brings more oxygen for our rest-craving brains.
• Practice the routine. The time which I spend preparing to go to bed is as important as the sleep itself. So, I try to keep it simple and similar every day. It involves my skincare routine, taking my daily vitamins and drinking a lot of water.
• Reduce screen time. In order to do that I moved my phone charger from my bedside table somewhere further, where I can't reach it. And I placed my book close instead. Now I read a page or two instead of scrolling through endless number of posts on social media.

What I also learned in the last year, is that every person is unique and therefore something what works for me, does not necessarily work for somebody else. It is also a part of the reason, why I am sharing my experience. Talking about sharing - let's jump to the next habit!

Sharing and Caring

Quarantine encouraged me to share my discoveries with the rest of the world. I got a chance to reflect my mind more. As a result I realised, that if the things I have to say are beneficial for at least one person - it is worth sharing.

I started putting my knowledge and personal experience into articles on LinkedIn, personal website and Instagram channel, dedicated for interesting facts from medical school.

Learning and Growing

I used this last year to embrace the hobbies and tasks which were left somewhere behind because of my busy schedule. As a result I have several new napkins, renewed second-hand chairs in the balcony and a new skirt in the wardrobe. I am planning to continue learning and trying to sew more complicated projects in the future.

Another habit which I developed in the time of lockdown is self-education. As many of us I have several books to read and online courses to do. Finally, the time has come, when I had no excuses to dive into things which were on my to-do list for way too long. I am very proud of finishing several online courses on Udemy, reading multiple books, discovering insightful YouTube channels and deepen my German knowledge. Here are some of my favourite discoveries from last year:

• Book: Level Jumping by Mike Simmons. This book taught me how the corporate culture can make the business grow. It also showed me, that people are the most valuable asset of the company.
• YouTube channel: Valentina Brega - Make Things Happen. The channel about self growth, motivation, inspiration and discipline. It showed me how much can be achieved, if we work smarter, not harder.
• Udemy course: The Complete Digital Marketing Course by Daragh Walsh. This course has everything you might expect from the digital marketing course and a little bit more.

Connecting People

Finally - it's time for some fun. My last Gewohnheit is about using the advantages of Quarant?ne to bring people together. I was inspired by a friend, who organised weekly online Pub quiz and gathered together all the friends, whom I didn't see for too long.

I took advantage of this time and made our family gatherings more interactive than ever. With the help of several online platforms, I turned a simple discussion of a daily life into an interactive online game. There are million ways to be creative, but here are some tools I used:

• Bingo Card Generator. With this tool it's very simple to create custom design bingo cards, featuring not only numbers, but also words or even emojis. The Generator has a great online playing platform, which makes the game even simpler for the host.
• Google Drawing. Or any other online Zeichnung Software will do the trick. I used this blank canvas to make the Pictionary game. Every member had to draw an object or a scene and others had to guess it. The first one to guess scores the point. If you want to practise - let AI guess your drawing at QuickDraw by Google.
• Canva. Online design making tool, which unlocks your creativity. I've made so many great designs there! I've made online birthday cards, invitations to e-parties and slide decks for various games such as "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire" and many other things. Even the title slide of this article is made on Canva!

That was heck of an overview... It seems like I got a chance to try and learn so many things. And one thing I know for sure - it is just the beginning!

What about you? Do you also have a looooong to-do list? Let me know in the comments bellow what are the biggest challenges you face and what do you do to make things happen!