They say that the journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step.

One step sounds doable. It sounds manageable. But to a girl who was lying down on the couch for the first month of quarantine, one step seemed impossible.

When I was writing my blog post for my one year in quarantine reflection, I had to dig up my past journal from March 2020. (By dig up, I mean, try to remember the last place that I hid it because of the constant fear that one of my family members will find it.) I’ve journaled in the past but it was always a struggle to be consistent with it. One day journaling about my 7th-grade break-up here. Another day about high school graduation there. The problem with this is that this type of journal only documents the extremes: Me feeling down in the dumps or me feeling high as a kite.

February 2020 is the first time I started consistently journaling every single day.

In the beginning, it was just a place for me to track my might-do list. But now, more than one year later in March 2021, I realized that this also serves as a time capsule into my daily life during a global pandemic. Below, I share some of my actual diary entries, motivational quotes, and an inside look at my mindset from Feb. 2020 and the tumultuous first month of quarantine. I also included 5 habits that I gradually implemented since then. I hope that some of these can resonate with you:)

5 habits that I’ve implemented: (over one year)

1. Reading for 5 minutes a day (Set the bar low)

   Okay, I admit that I don’t do this every day because I’m an extreeeeemely slow reader. It also doesn’t help that I occasionally highlight and take notes on post-its too But nowadays, there are so many ways to read beyond physical books. There are audiobooks, articles, journals, etc. We live in a digital age that doesn’t require us to travel to a local library and check out a book that will most likely be past-due. Take advantage of that.

   I only recently discovered the app Libby and you guys, it’s been life-changing. They have a shit ton of ebooks and audiobooks and it’s all accessible if you have a library card.

2. Write. Journal. (or whatever you wanna call it)

It doesn’t matter if you write a few sentences or a few pages. Journaling has allowed me to transfer my thoughts onto paper. This process allows you to process all the millions of thoughts that are competing for your attention. When you do this, imagine that you are transferring the burden onto that sheet of paper so you don’t have to carry it with you in your head anymore. You will feel 5 lbs lighter. Trust me.

3. Notice the trigger

This process inevitably comes with being more self-aware about your own behaviors and habits. Our minds operate on autopilot for many parts of the day. Ever picked up your phone to look up something but somehow ended up sharing a cute dog video to a friend on Insta? That’s the power of autopilot y’all (And that damn Instagram algorithm.)

Scrolling on social media was an awful habit of mine. Whenever I get bored, unmotivated, or uninspired (my trigger), I noticed that my thumb automatically clicked open the app (the behavior) for an instant hit of dopamine. I ended up deleting the app and for a while, it took every muscle fiber in my body to not install it again. Admittingly, there were times when I’m on the toilet and I downloaded it again “just for a few minutes.” (We all bring our phone to the bathroom, don’t @ me) But little by little, the desire to scroll wasn’t that compelling anymore.

Now, whenever I noticed my trigger (boredom, lack of motivation, or inspiration) I get up and do something else. Whether that’s switching to another task or just tidying up my workplace, I trained my brain to not reach for social apps for a form of medication.

4. Consume fulfilling content

At the beginning of the pandemic, even the act of turning on the news took some mental preparation. Rising infection rates, death rates, politics, and more all stirred up a lot of emotions that did more harm than good.

Instead, I turned to the abandoned books on my dusty bookshelves and podcasts. I used to say the excuse: “I don’t have time to read.” But in March 2020, all I had was time.

5. Practice gratitude and small wins.

This pandemic really shed some light on my priorities and values. Practicing gratitude helped keep me grounded in what I had previously taken for granted. I’m grateful that I have a safe and warm home, family, friends, and just the privilege of being healthy and alive.

Writing down small wins of the day also helped expand my definition of “A win.” Sure, landing your dream job is a win, but so is getting out of bed before noon, taking a walk around the neighborhood even when you didn’t feel like exercising, literally anything that makes you feel just 1% better than yesterday counts as a win.

motivational quotes that (sometimes) got me off the couch:

When a major win is just getting out of bed that morning…

Looking back…

I’m thankful for my former one-year-ago self that I decided to document this. So much has changed and I’m happy that I am in a better place and headspace after riding this covid wave for a year now. How has this past year in quarantine impacted your daily habits and mindset? I would love to know:)

If you’re interested in a more in-depth view of my year in quarantine, check out my previous blog post here: one year in quarantine: a photo journal series (+ 10 things I’ve learned) Talk to you there.

Note: A lot of these quotes I’ve randomly pulled from podcast episodes I listened to, an Instagram post on the explore feed, or just from my own thoughts. I wrote down some of the sources so I know where to reference them in the future (aka now) but most were just intended for my own personal use. If you know any of the sources, please email/DM me so I can give credit where credit is due!