Hey my Lovelies,

Welcome back to my blog!

Today I’m going to speak about three Lessons that I learned during my time in self-isolation. Now, I’m no stranger when it comes to quarantining. As a chronic illness warrior, I can guarantee you not only am I a professional quarantine queen but I was also very familiar with hand sanitizer, social distance & wearing a mask way before this pandemic… Just saying!

3 Lessons I learned in Lockdown:

• REST is just as productive as activity
• JOY in the small things of life
• GRATITUDE is key to a happy heart

REST

Doing one thing a day is ENOUGH ❣

During the lockdown, it became apparent to me that people really struggle to enjoy their own company & can’t sit in solitude for too long. Trying to fill a void with many distractions to pass time.

This is ok when you have unlimited amounts of energy but dangerous when you don’t. It causes burn out, which then defeats the idea of doing things you love to fuel your passions & re-energise you.

I even fell into this trap for a couple of months, not because I don’t like my own company but because when I start experiencing mania & a sudden need to do something or have an idea… I’m not stopping till it comes to fruition. I’ve had to remind myself that it’s fine to do one thing a day if that’s all I can manage whilst keeping mentally & physically safe.

Some days, the ‘one thing’ is staying alive … & that’s pretty commendable tbh!

JOY

Who doesn’t want JOY?!

We all want joy whether it’s tied to doing something, experiencing something or just simply being. No one wants to feel a burden of any kind and especially when going through a global pandemic is it even more so important to understand where to find and attain joy.

With constant bad news all around it’s hard to feel joyous about anything that is going on. Even the things that you actually enJOY can become unjoyous, simply because the general energy in the surroundings drowns the goodness out and it can become very easy for you to no longer view a loveable hobby or activity as a positive, but rather, something that causes frustration. This frustration can also be due to burnout which actually ties in with the first lesson I spoke about above, ‘REST’.

I have to say, for me, ‘TRUE JOY’ actually comes from a place within. This is something that has taken some time to reach in my personal faith and connection with God. Recently, I heard something mentioned from a virtual annual convention I attended that hasn’t left my mind, “Circumstantial joy can come & go. A person’s True Joy isn’t dependent on external factors but rather, it is to do with a deep-seated quality of the heart. Godly Joy is not superficial”.

Knowing this has helped me to get through what we can absolutely call an extremely difficult time in history.

This is not to be confused with delusion, as that would be having a total disregard for what is going on in the universe. Having true joy rather helps to keep a healthy outlook on things because otherwise, the world events could engulf you and then it becomes an extremely difficult place to climb your way out of.

So, if you’re wondering, “How can I start to feel joy even now?” You can experience Joy in helping out a friend or a stranger in need, maybe you have something that you see another person doesn’t. Acts chapter 20 and verse 35 says it best, ‘There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving’. You can also find Joy in sharing an encouraging word with someone, over the phone, in a card, on video chat. Another unmatched type of Joy is in the simplicity of admiring the beauty of God’s creation; the birds, the bees, the flowers and the leaves blowing in the trees that can keep you joyful no matter the circumstance or chaos.

READ – JOY in July

GRATITUDE

It’s so easy to feel unfulfilled. This pandemic really ruffled everyone’s feathers, turned the whole world upside and exposed just what truly matters in life. People’s jobs, safety, health and so much more has been challenged and for those of us who were already dealing with health issues as vulnerable ones felt the weight of anxiety upon our shoulders as other people’s actions truly impacted and continues to impact our chance of survival.

As I briefly escaped quarantine after 1 month & 15 days into my self-isolation, I was reminded how much of the simple things I was missing, craving & grateful for… Like, the sun on my skin & the wind blowing in my hair. it was only to go downstairs, as I live in a block of flats but I was happy to finally see outside again (this was in April). When the moment of brief escape finished and I had to go back into self isolation I looked to the things that I could be gracious for inside my little space. Looking out the window and seeing the sky, although i’m surrounded by a multitude of tower blocks I can still appreciate the my ability to see. The access that I still had to home delivery, I was never a fan of shopping so online is my best friend. When the delivery slots got backed up and there were no basic necessities left in supermarkets I was thankful that I had a loved one drop things off to me and make sure I had what I needed to keep going. Access to Zoom, albeit difficult, that has kept me going through the pandemic and is continuing to hold me up.

So for for these few things & a few more I am grateful!

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Have you learned anything during the course of lockdown or had any reminders that you could share?!

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Thanks for stopping by.

Laura,

XOXO