It’s OK If Productivity Looks a Little Different

Show of hands–who planned to use this quarantine to CRUSH their writing goals? Who planned on writing novel after novel, their energy pouring out in gallons?

*raises hand* I definitely did.

Guess how many words I’ve written in the past month? Probably 5,000, at best. And you know what? That’s perfectly fine. I’m the sort of person who creates insane, lofty goals for myself and then can never fulfill them, leaving me discouraged. This time of quarantine is no exception. I planned to be active on my social media, planned to write a novella, planned to write a ton of other stories, as well as planned to work-out consistently.

I’ve written 1,000 words of that novella, been barely present on social media, and working out is alright at best. The point I’m trying to make is that it’s OK if productivity looks a little different right now. I don’t mean that we should let everything just go, but that we need to be gentle with ourselves right now. This pandemic is strange and terrifying. I know people who have gotten sick and know of people who died. There’s nothing calm or easy about this, and I think we’re all pushing ourselves to use this “break” as a time to do everything we never had the time to do before. But this isn’t a break, at least not really. This is self-isolation because of a sickness that stretches across the globe. You’re crazy if you expect any of this to be easy.

So this is a reminder to be gentle with yourself. Realize that a global event like this can create a lot of anxiety you may not even be aware of. I believe there’s a balance between numbing out to it all and throwing ourselves into a billion projects. That being said, if you are numbing out, feel depressed, or are suffering from strong anxiety, PLEASE reach out to a loved one, a professional–anyone. This quarantine might make you feel alone, but if you feel your mental health is deteriorating, you need to see someone or at the least talk to someone. And if you’re quarantined with someone who is abusive or a danger to others, please call 1-800-799-7233 (USA)

Stay safe, friends!