How I'm feeling in quarantine

The pandemic has been taking a toll on us all; we have all been withdrawn inside in our own homes out of fear of being infected or through being proactive in flattening the curve. My parents are essential workers and are constantly exposed to those potentially infected or are carriers of the virus - leading me to stay home as much as possible and quarantine as a means of preventing it to spread.

Quarantine has definitely affected me mentally. I was accustomed to the routine of waking up at 5am and driving to work three days a week, as well as going out to places like studying and writing in a cafe, exploring new restaurants and places in Orlando, and hanging out with my boyfriend. But that's all changed now that I'm obliged to stay home. 

I'm always one for new routines and so I viewed this quarantine as an opportunity, now with all the time and space, to focus on my school work and some projects that I've been meaning to work on (read more for my project I'm launching soon!). I've had the pleasure to do so and catch up with school, but staying at home for so long has slowly deteriorated my mental energy. 

The anxiety and uncertainty has been a part of it - when is this going to end? When am I going back to work? How are we going to recover from this? Will I still get paid? All these unanswered questions has been influencing a series of existential crises the past few weeks and has had an effect on my work. It's not easy being constantly positive in an unknown time like this, and there were times when I couldn't get up and be productive or had mental breakdowns because of how sensitive this situation one was.

Despite what's happening, the only thing I could do was carry on with my life. Of course, it's not the same as before, but I continued completing my school work, I continued writing poetry and articles (see my most recent one about how the pandemic is affecting Asian-Americans), and I continued to work on a project I've been meaning to work on for a long time. 

I mentioned in my previous post that I was starting a book club called The Wallflower Collective. It was a club that aimed to encourage more people to read and be creatively engaged in reading. After some thought and being inspired, I wanted to expand it into an online magazine.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR SUBMISSIONS

The website is under construction, but we need content to fill it up! If you are a writer like myself, or a photographer, poet, artist, journalist - we need your talent! Please look for more information here! If you have any questions, please contact me. 

Anyways...

I'm done with my Spring classes, so I'll have more time to work on this project, review your submissions, and also relax every once in a while. 

Some advice from me to you during this time of stress and anxiety: take some time off. Get your mind off things by continuing what you love to do, or perhaps try something new. Restore and preserve your energy and I hope y'all stay safe and well ❤️.