Happy Monday. Happy mid-May. Happy week 9 of quarantine life. I hope you had a wonderful weekend and a fantastic Mother’s Day. I loved having the kids over to our house on Sunday for an at-home celebration. It’s so good to celebrate with them and have an actual conversation in person! We spent most of the weekend spring cleaning and exploring restaurant life. I also got my nails done on Friday and I am a new woman!
I’ve kept blogging and my presence on social media never slowed down during the Covid-19 pandemic. I wrote this blog post at the very beginning of the outbreak not knowing what was ahead. March 15 seems like a lifetime ago. I thought it was a good time to share 10 things I learned about myself during quarantine.
Over the weekend, I asked my Instagram followers what they learned about themselves during quarantine and got so much input! I’ve included it at the bottom of today’s post. Thank you to everyone who responded. I love the answers! Feel free to leave me a comment today on the blog and add your input too.
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10 Things I Learned About Myself During Quarantine
1. TRAVEL: I miss traveling! Pete and I had just returned from Belize when all of this became a reality. In fact, I haven’t even written that blog post because it’s “on hold” for now. Typically, I travel at least once a month and cover it on the blog. That all came to an immediate halt. About two weeks into quarantine I hit a low point when I heard a plane fly over our backyard. I started crying because I wanted to know where the plane was going and what the people would be doing when they got there.
2. ISOLATION: I don’t do well in isolation. While I am used to working from home, I am never home all day long. My home office serves as a base camp so to speak. I pop in and out of my home office 4-5 times a day. Coffee meetings, lunch meetings. charity events, retail shopping, errands… you get the picture. Being on lock down was really depressing. Thank goodness for great girlfriends and daily phone conversations. I got in the habit of taking a daily walk and talking on the phone.
3. HUMAN CONTACT: Humans are social creatures. We are meant to interact with one another in person. I would say that I am an extravert who enjoys downtime at home. But I am certainly not an introvert. I missed my friends, my family and all the people I would see in my regular maintenance services (nails, hair…). Talking on the phone was great but I missed human contact! Laura, my assistant had my laptop and was working from home. Things moved forward with the blog and everything got done but I certainly missed seeing her. My photographer Audrie and I didn’t shoot for 6 weeks. I did the best I could with my iPhone. Sorry for all the mirror selfies. Zoom meetings and happy hours are just weird. There, I said it.
4. HUSBAND: I love Pete and I certainly like him too. There were times at the beginning of quarantine that I thought I was going to pull my hair out if he asked me one more time “what did you do today”? He went to work every day because he is in the medical industry and that is certainly essential services. Let’s see… I ate some bonbons and had a man servant fan me while I laid out by the pool. Oh and then the cabana boy brought me frozen drinks all day long. WHAT DO YOU THINK I DID ALL DAY???
5. KIDS: I missed our children. We talked, texted, Facetimed a lot but I really missed seeing them in person. That goes for the grandchildren too. UGH! They are growing so quickly and we can’t see them. It’s painful. Everyone took social distancing seriously and they would scold us if we started to invite them over.
6. MAINTENANCE: I have discovered that I am high maintenance! I just got my dip polish manicure and a regular pedicure on Friday when salons opened in Texas. I have a hair appointment to get my roots and color done this Friday. I had the last bit of my hair extensions taken out as soon as I could. I was down to the last strands holding on for dear life because it had been so long (10 weeks!). I looked like a bad version of Billy Ray Cyrus. Natural Tanya is ok but enhanced services Tanya is much better. Eight weeks without attention to my hair and nails was just tragic.
7. TV: We watched A LOT of TV! Like the meme says “We finished Netflix”. My Tiger King obsession went to the next level and I got a graphic tee. I know all of Outlander inside and out – all 5 seasons. The Last Kingdom season 4 is excellent. Unorthodox is amazing. Dead To Me season 2 is really good. Pete watches way too much news and I found out quickly that I have to walk away or it causes me too much anxiety. Words I NEVER want to hear again: Covid-19, Coronavirus, Pivot, Tone Deaf, Pandemic, Zoom Happy Hour.
8. ANXIETY: My anxiety was off the charts! I have had insomnia like its a new habit. And not a good one. I wake up every single night at 2:00 AM and could plan a party until 4:00 AM. It’s the weirdest thing. Thankfully, I take baths with a CBD bathbomb which relaxes me and then take CBD gummies before I go to bed. Read the blog post about why I trust these CBD products. When the insomnia was at an all-time high from anxiety and stress, I took prescribed medication. I had to or I would walk around like a zombie. Anyone else suffering from this? HELP!
9. HUMOR: I quickly learned that I use humor as a coping mechanism. Memes are my jam! My Instagram and Facebook audience started to wait for me to post these and I got into a great nightly groove. This was both for me (I liked seeing funny things right before I went to bed) and for my #TanyaTribe. I might just keep it up. My Instagram Story views went to an all-time high during quarantine. I love jumping on and talking with you!
10. GOD GIVES YOU WHAT YOU CAN HANDLE: I am a firm believer in this all the time but it really rings true now. Pete and I are empty nesters and I am GRATEFUL that I am not homeschooling any children while trying to work from home. My online shopping went to the next level and I was getting 2-5 boxes a day. We continued to eat out by ordering curbside pick-up. I discovered Ritas and Queso and we ordered it weekly. It was our special Happy Hour that we enjoyed by the pool. The grocery store shopping with a mask is weird but its the new normal. I gained 5 pounds because I am not self-motivated to work out and I eat when I am bored. I can handle all of this!
In the end, I learned a lot about myself. Mostly, that I have to stay busy! When I would sink to my lowest point, Pete was always there to catch me. He is both calming and logical about everything in life. I haven’t seen my Dad since early March as his Assisted Living facility went to lock-down very early on. I Facetime with him a few times each week (his caregiver helps him) and if there is a silver lining to dementia, its that he really does not comprehend what is going on. Thank goodness he is healthy and enjoying his cat, Joy.
While at first I couldn’t handle the slow pace quarantine live gave us, I came to like it in the end. We focused on the house, spring cleaning, gardening and I planted a new herb garden. Now that Texas is slowly opening up, I am starting to venture out and add a few things per day back into my schedule. Seeing people and having conversations is important to my mental health. This I know.
xoxo – Tanya
P.S. This is the sleepshirt I am wearing and the retailer is having a HUGE sale.
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input from my instagram followers
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Tags: at-home manicure, health, quarantine, stay at home, thing to do at home
Thank you for the quarantine life post. I really enjoyed reading it. You were so open about the struggles and I can relate.
Thank you Tanya for addressing the sleepless nights. I am truly struggling with sleep as well. I just ordered the bath bombs and gummies. I hope they help
Dana,
I know you will love them. It’s a soothing way to end the day.
xoxo- Tanya
You are very welcome. I have come to know that we all need each other.
Thanks for leaving a comment!
xoxo- Tanya
I can relate to each of your ten things except travel. We don’t get to travel but a couple of times a year- due to school schedule. Yes I have a teenager still at home.
I live vicariously through your fun travels and enjoy every minute.
I don’t like being home all the time. I’m restless and unmotivated. Last Friday I did get color, cut and blow dry and dinner in a restaurant. Saturday was a mani/pedi and Sunday my married daughter and her husband came over- so it was a great weekend.
Thanks for being real and stay active on the blog. Always enjoy reading it.
Gretchen,
What a fabulous weekend. I am jealous that you already have your hair done. Thank you for sharing your updates.
Hoping to share travel adventures again soon!
xoxo- Tanya 🙂
Wow! Oh my – we have so much in common. Thanks for sharing this! I’m still not venturing out, though, even though my hair and nails need a LOT of attention. Not quite ready to go the route, but soon. (I’m quite a bit older than you, so that’s my current excuse!) I just love this article so much, though, made me laugh and feel wistful a bit – all good feelings. And yes! What’s this insomnia thing in the middle of the night!!!??? Hoping that doesn’t become a newly acquired, dreadful habit!
Sharon-
RIGHT??? I need a full nights sleep every single night.
I don’t know why it won’t resolve itself. Might have to call a doctor about it soon.
xoxo- Tanya
We are too busy remodeling our home in Scottsdale AZ. Thank God we’re doing it in AZ where construction was an essential service, and golf was an essential outdoor activity. Kept us BUSY. We have no TV just internet and our newspapers. That I think was a blessing keep bad news at bay.
I thank God we weren’t in Seattle when shit hit the fan there. We’re not flying back til the coast is clear. They’re more conservative about opening up the state.
I chuckled at your high maintenance comment we can all relate
Kris-
So glad you are sheltering in Arizona. Seems like you are staying very busy – which is good. Stay safe!
xoxo- Tanya
I learned the top 10 warning signs of Cabin Fever:
1. The desire to power wash the driveway or patio or anything cement
2. Rearranging outdoor furniture
3. Unusually aggressive cleaning/purging
4. Watching truly mediocre Netflix shows
5. Re-watching previous seasons of Netflix/Hulu/Prime dramas
6. Any extended interest in tigers or Bubba(s)
7. Insomnia and sharing it
8. Did I mention rearranging outdoor furniture?
9. Making an inordinate number of lists
10.Excessive social media interaction
Um….are you complaining????
Don’t answer that.
xoxo- Tanya
Tanya, thanks for sharing, and being so vulnerable! I can relate to all of these, especially the anxiety, high-maintenance, and the husband bit! LOL. Continue the great work you are doing, I always eagerly await for your weekly posts! xoxo Sunny
Sunny,
I’m so glad you are still with me. You’ve been on this little site for a long time.
Thank you!
xoxo- Tanya 🙂
Upsides: Since I travel a lot for work, it was a blessing to be “home” and cooking! I’ve cooked more the last two months than I have in two years. Added bonus of getting to spend quarantine time with my boyfriend. We’ve never spent so much time together! We survived with morning or lunch walks on the beach (yes, lucky to quarantine on Topsail Island, NC) and bike rides after dinner.
Downsides: Cooking means weight gain, ugh. We really miss dancing! We dance almost every weekend and it’s just not the same at home. Miss socializing with friends, everyone behaved and followed the rules.
NC is just starting the opening process. Ready to get back to normalcy! Cheers!
Jennifer-
I love that you made a pro and con list. Smart!
How nice that your daily walks are on a beach.
Stay safe!
xoxo- Tanya
I loved reading this article. It is so touching. This Quarantine has been tough on us all. I’ve lost my job (even though I work in healthcare) and even had to change my wedding plans. I found this post to be very relatable.
I loved reading this article. It is so touching. This Quarantine has been tough on us all. I’ve lost my job (even though I work in healthcare) and even had to change my wedding plans. I found this post to be very relatable.
Thank you so much for this post!
Kelsey-
I’m so sorry about your job loss and wedding plan delay. This too shall pass and hopefully the new plans will be the bright spot in your future.
Hang in there!
xoxo- Tanya
I enjoyed reading your quarantine insights and agreed with most of them that you shared. The waking up in the middle of the night and worrying is such a struggle. I am in California and we are not opened up yet. The gray hair is out of control! I started referring to this time as “cryantine” because it was emotionally hard for me. We are empty nesters with 4 grown daughters and missing them and the grandkids was the hardest part. One of them had a new baby and I did not get to hold him until he was over a month old and one of them had to postpone her wedding. Not what I thought 2020 would look like but we are all healthy and I am grateful for that. Feeling much better now that we are all seeing each other again even with masks and distancing! This too shall pass and I really appreciated all the humor as well as the struggles you shared daily. Thank you!
Mary Jo-
2020 just needs to be over. Or we need a do-over.
I’m glad you are feeling better. You are right – this too shall pass.
xoxo- Tanya 🙂
You nailed it! The sleepless nights are the worst, but it certainly helps knowing I’m not alone. I had to resort to DIY hair color which surprisingly worked out pretty well and certainly was budget friendly! And oh my gosh I miss travel! I work for an airline so fly free and had so many amazing plans this summer that have all been canceled. I suppose we will look back on this time later in life and laugh. Thanks for your upbeat messages and the humorous memes at the end of the day 🙂 It’s nice just to feel connected in some way.
Michelle,
The DIY hair color happened here too with dpHUE. Fortunately it worked well and is holding me until Friday.
I guess insomnia is a common Coronavirus side effect…
Tanya
Yes! Your list is spot on. I had to laugh at the lists of words you never want to hear again….. I was just thinking the other day while listening to the news…. I’ve never heard the word “pivot” used so much!! That word is now dead to me….. hahaha I also am so tired of seeing the coronavirus red spiky ball picture. It brings on instant anxiety.
We love your memes so keep sharing!! I would screenshot and send to my sister in California who REALLY needs a good anxiety relieving laugh.
Thanks for helping everyone get through this!!
Thanks for getting us through this time. You are so funny. (Besides every other good quality). I learned I didn’t like isolation so I’m beginning to carefully go out.