Welcome to my new Sunday series, a place where I am going to speak about how to be happy in an unhappy world. Today I am going to be speaking about the pressure of isolation.This is a topic that really gets to me, anyone who knows me knows that I put a ridiculous amount of pressure on myself to be successful and live my life to the fullest. So having this mindset and then being given all of this free time has not been easy. This may seem extremely dramatic but it is true, I tell myself everyday to just enjoy this time, which yes sometimes I do but I also struggle everyday with the thought I am just wasting my time.
Social media has become a productivity competition. If you are on Instagram as much as I am, you would have noticed that a lot of the people you follow will be looking busy 24/7. The only way you can really get yourself through this time is by spending your days doing what makes you happy. There is the overwhelming pressure of achieving as much as you can through quarantine. I feel like this must be something everyone is feeling. Are you making the most of this free time? Obviously everyone sees this time differently to others and accomplishing nothing some days is more than normal. But what I struggle with the most is the pressure of having this free time and not spending it wisely. Social media has always had a knack of making people feel like they are failing, especially at this tough time. For a lot of people this is an extremely scary time, not full of sun and rainbows. This is a time to be spending with your loved one and enjoying this time at home that we have never really had.
In our society today, everybody is rushing around 24/7. I constantly had weekends booked up, plans to look forward too, maybe in our generation it is just time for us to slow down. I am so bad at living in the present and enjoying my day to day life. When I have a free weekend I feel as if I am not living my life to the fullest. Maybe this happening is good for our generation? If there is anything I can take from this time is that I need to slow down. Life goes by so quickly we do completely forget what is actually important.
I am currently living at home with just my sister and brother as my parents ended up getting stuck where they live in Saudi Arabia. I really appreciate the time I am spending with them that I haven't had for over 3 years whilst we have all been away at Uni. To be able to sit down at a dinner table every evening and talk about whatever, is really what is important right now.
Don’t believe what everyone is putting on their social media sites, everyone is dealing with this situation in a different way and no way is incorrect. You just have to spend your days doing what will make you happy. What makes me happy is getting up early in the morning and sitting downstairs and having a coffee with my sister. Going on long walks though the fields on my own and trying to spend my hours productively. This is what makes me happy and there is no pressure from anyone to be spending your time differently to how you already are. Just a daily reminder, you are not the only one who will be feeling this way.
Stay tuned for episode 2.
