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Monotony is the constant in a student’s life.
We have school, studies, homework, playtime, and a duty to maintain a healthy sleep schedule. Many school-going children have time tables we follow religiously. As Tony Robbins rightfully said, “If you talk about it, it’s a dream; If you envision it, it’s possible; But if you schedule it, it’s reality.” But on March 14, our school announced a temporary closure owing to the pandemic, and it disrupted all existing schedules and planning.
It’s human to panic when change arrives announced, and so I began worrying about the future, about what this pandemic will mean for all of society and whether there were any positives to the situation. Being idle for interminable periods has always been an issue for me, and with the newness of the situation, stability was nowhere to be found- neither at school nor at home. It left me with the conundrum of having too much time- which was a first.
However, I soon realized that it is asinine to fret about what you cannot influence. Instead, I began planning a new schedule, incorporating enough work to fill all the free time that staying home and vacations brought. It was time to develop healthier habits and fix what I originally put off for later owing to “no time”. I decided that I will pick up new hobbies to fill up the excessive free time, and also begin working on a project that I am very proud of, but have never gotten around to completing: my novel.
An objective of mine for the past two months has been ameliorating in every phase of life. I began by making a fundamental change in my routine- waking up early. If I could adapt to a healthy sleeping schedule, then my many problems with lethargy and insomnia would be eliminated. Staying up late had become a given for me and changing that was my endgame here. Initially, I faced difficulties that were bound to happen, including lack of sleep and tiredness. But when at the end of two months, the morning did not seem as imposing as it did before. Sleeping early was not a pain as it was earlier, and no one was happier than I was.
Health to me is of the utmost importance. Therefore, I was also concerned about what the lack of exercise and dietary changes would result in. I began by running on the treadmill daily- making sure to combat the idleness and prove to myself that sticking to a schedule was not as hard as I thought it was. Working out was a habit that made my family members proud of me too- and observing the improvements in my physique and health brought the utmost joy to me.
Writing has always been a passion of mine, and to finally receive the abundance of time that I need to sit down and compile words into sentences and paragraphs that I will be proud of was a blessing. I often procrastinate, but the responsibility of not even allowing a second to go waste was massive enough to bring about an important change in me- the end of my habit to delay a task until I would do it hurriedly and/or half-heartedly. At last, I had the opportunity and an obligation to get around to finishing a project of mine I had once begun.
I also learned how to play the piano and the ukelele! Between school and home, I had never contrived adequate time to master either of them. The lockdown seemed like a boon as I got a myriad of free time to practice the instruments. Learning to play an instrument requires a lot of patience, and hence this was a cathartic exercise for an impatient person like me. I learned that every achievement requires many steps, and the result can never be acquired easily. There were many lessons to be found in this process, but the colossal one was realizing that every ounce of effort contributes to success.
I believe that staying the same is never an option for anyone, and these two months have changed me for the better and brought to light the many ways in which humans can constantly improve and change themselves. Lockdown and isolation gave me enough time to incorporate habits and actions in life that will help make it the best it can be. To stagnate is to waste precious time, and these two months have been the catalyst I needed to amend and fix what was wrong with my unhealthy lifestyle. Ultimately, it is up to every one of us to decide between crying about the thorns or admiring the roses.
The biggest lesson I learned this summer was that to make the best of a problem is the smartest way out of it. I hope to carry forward all the changes I have made in myself in these two months and equip these healthy habits permanently.
"I began reading again, as I had enough time to devour each word and appreciate every sentence the way I wanted to."
"I also started photography to satisfy my desire to capture all these beautiful moments I finally had the time to capture perfectly."