15. Less is more.
I remember when I first got to Florida I was panicking because I didn’t have a lot of clothes or shoes, I didn’t have my good makeup or my expensive skincare products, or my 500 notebooks. And I survived! I got a few more pieces of clothing, but I’m pretty sure I wore some combination of the same 15 pieces of clothing pretty much the whole time I was there. I bought cheaper skincare that actually ended up making my skin look amazing, I didn’t need my notebooks, and I made it. People have so much “stuff” that has no value. Go all Marie Kondo on your things and get rid of any junk. Less really is more.
16. I don’t need to wear makeup.
I have never been one for contouring or wearing tons of makeup, it takes me 10 minutes to do my makeup pretty much the same every single day usually, but I was definitely someone who had to wear makeup to work or to pretty much any place that wasn’t the doctor’s office or the grocery store (and even those places sometimes). Now, I barely wear makeup. In the five months I was home, I think I wore makeup maybe three times and it felt amazing to go natural every day. My skin got even better, too, so that’s a plus. Lately, I’ve just been swiping on some clear brow gel and mascara and dabbing on a bit of concealer before any important Zoom calls or interviews, and I feel like I look the same that I would if I was wearing makeup. It also saves money.
17. Nothing feels as good as some good old reorganizing.
If you know me, you know that organizing things is one of my favorite things to do, but quarantine gave me time to go through so many things that I didn’t have time for earlier and it felt amazing to get rid of clutter and junk. I am absolutely a neat-freak, but quarantine definitely made me even more of one. My mom and I reorganized so many closets and it felt so good to get so much done.
18. Make more time with your friends.
While I also spent quarantine getting better about setting boundaries, I also realized how nice it is to see friends especially when you can’t hang out with them in person. One day, I FaceTimed with a friend while she made lunch just because I missed her. There is no such thing as being too busy for those you love, and while I’m not saying to end up in a one-sided friendship, let your friends know that you’re there for them, and try to make more time for them. Just like I said family is the most important thing, friends are a close second. Make sure they know that.
And on that note, make sure that when you’re making time for your friends, it’s not just for you, and it’s not just for bad news. I’ve had friends who only come to me when they have a bad day, and it’s exhausting to only handle the negative but never get to be a part of the positive. Make sure you’re balancing it out, and being fair to your friends and their needs, too.
19. The most important thing anyone can do is to be be kind.
I would hope that we can all agree on this one. Please, for the love of God, be kind. It really isn’t hard. I don’t care what you look like, what you believe, who you’re voting for, or what your favorite flavor of ice cream is. Everyone deserves kindness. The world could use so much more if it. Send out kindness and you’ll receive kindness back, and the world will be a better place.
Photo by Julissa Helmuth on Pexels.com
Just be kind. Please.
As much as this year has sucked in a lot of ways, I really do believe that even good things can come out of even the worst situations. Maybe that’s because I’m a Sagittarius, but everything can be a learning experience and 2020 is no exception.
What have you learned during quarantine?