10 Things I Did During the Pandemic (Don’t Worry, This Isn’t Motivational)
Maybe you’ve done them too??
The pandemic/panini/panorama is far from over, but as you crawl toward a new sense of normalcy (while also being bogged down with pandemic flux syndrome), it’s hard not to reflect on what you’ve been through in the last couple of years. When COVID-19 was calling the shots, I turned into a different person, and I know I wasn’t the only one.
We all went through the wringer in our own ways.
It can be a weird feeling when you look back and think of some of the stuff that happened under the circumstances of the pandemic that might never happen again. Without further ado, and in no particular order, here are ten things I did during the pandemic.
1. Applied to more jobs online than I could keep track of.
When I moved back to Canada in November 2020, I hadn’t worked in my field for over a year, and I wasn’t eligible for Employment Insurance Benefits. I was applying anywhere and everywhere that was hiring and eventually started cataloguing and saving the rejection emails. Was I disappointed I didn’t even get an interview at McDonald’s? A little, but mostly I was relieved I wouldn’t have to find out how they make the food there.
Side note, it took them NINE MONTHS to email me back saying, “sorry, we’ve gone with another candidate.” Yikes.
2. Moved back in with my parents.
I moved back in with my parents for ten months during the pandemic. I’ve since moved out, but during peak lockdown, my mom and I had this agreement where we could say “fuck off” once a day to each other, and it NEVER failed to make me laugh. Some people might think this is messed up, and maybe it is, but so is COVID-19.
3. Stopped taking care of my appearance.
I met up with my friend for a walk outside and observed that she resembled Kate Middleton, and I looked like Lindsay Lohan after…drugs.
Even after the restrictions eased, I can’t say I’ve started dressing better. I don’t know what it will take for me to shake this habit, but my god, I’ve never hated jeans more.
4. Tried some new stuff for my mental health.
During the pandemic, I started doing yoga. I would like it on the record that I went into it thinking I would hate it. But, shockingly, *pandemic* Raegan enjoyed breathing like she was in labour (kundalini yoga) and waking up all the screaming muscles in her body. I also took almost two months off Instagram and Twitter. It was quiet and uneventful, and I realized how much I dislike social media. Go figure.
I replaced a lot of hobbies with going for long walks and talking on the phone or listening to podcasts. This habit has stuck around, thankfully. The part of me that loves yoga is still alive and well, but I can’t say I’m as drawn to it now that I can go back to boxing and spin classes again.
5. Developed terrible new habits.
Most nights, I would watch at least one episode of the same TV show I’ve been watching for months (it’s not a good show, so I won’t recommend it in an attempt to save you some brain cells) and many nights I’d rely on sleeping pills to help me doze off. I got a kick out of certainty in a time of extreme uncertainty, I guess. Spoiler: kicking these habits has drastically improved my quality of life, lockdown aside.
For the record, I found out that the sleeping pills I took during the pandemic had expired in 2018, which is why they didn’t seem to work very well. I am unsurprised, considering how unsleepy I was.
6. Screamed and cried in the car for the first time.
I managed to get a part-time job, then I made a mistake (missed a staff meeting) and lost it.
Then I got another job, and it also didn’t work out. I had to quit because I found out a piece of information that violently went against my morals.
When the second thing happened I blew a fuse. I spiralled out of anger, frustration and the fear that I’d never find the right job (spoiler: I did right after all of this happened, so jokes on me). Who knew that screaming in your car is free and very therapeutic (especially since I couldn’t afford therapy at the time)???? I didn’t, but I do now, and you better believe I’m going to keep that in my back pocket for future situations.
7. Realized the power of dog parks.
I went to the dog park a lot during the pandemic, especially considering I don’t have a dog. I would go with friends who have dogs and between getting out of the house and petting random happy puppies, it lifted me out of a pretty dark mindset more than once. Animals give me serotonin, and for that, I stan.
8. Started writing on Medium.
I used to have a WordPress blog, and the thought of firing it up again after not writing for so long wasn’t appealing to me. So instead, I abandoned it and started writing on Medium in January 2021. One of my coping mechanisms is taking insights from my life and turning them into ugly art (aka this verbal diarrhea you are reading now). I don’t know if I would have eventually started writing for Medium if there was no global pandemic, but I’m glad I had this platform and access to all the content on here. There’s an article I found on here that kick-started my slow and steady crawl out of the mental hole I was in after lockdown.
It seems like everyone loves to shit on Medium lately, but I’m really grateful for it.
9. Learned the power of wearing a mask.
We still have a mask mandate where I live, so when I’m out in public, no one can see the full extent of my resting bitch face anymore, and I love it.
10. Had many existential crises.
Self-explanatory.
I don’t know about you, but I had fully exhausted most of my coping mechanisms by the time vaccines became a thing and I got mine. Things were pretty rough for a while there, and they still are brutal for many people (shout out to service workers who are still on the frontlines every day).
I hope you feel seen, because that is the point of this list — but I’m also here to encourage you to make your own list, look back and laugh too (or cry, no judgement). After making mine, I felt less self-pity and more gratitude that this winter will likely be nothing like the last.
