Lockdown has taught me a lot of things- self-love and self-care are my most favorite takeaways. A few days into lockdown and work from home, I was elated! I live in an apartment all by myself, so, first few days were so much fun. I spent all my time eating random junk, drinking lots of soda, sleeping late, binge-watching movies and web series. It was all fun, but it hit me that I could not keep doing this forever. It was a moment of epiphany for me as I woke up one day and told myself to be a better version of myself. I am a Virgo, and being organized is one of our primal traits!

I started by penning down my workout routine, nutrition plan, hobbies to work on, meditation, and recipes to experiment. I started working out with only one intention - to lose the extra ounces (I was 72 kgs).

The first week was not easy at all. I could barely do ten regular squats with a correct form. Additionally, calorie-deficit food was killing me. I thought WFH would be fun, but it felt more like working for almost 14-15 hours with random calls and meetings. So, I bifurcated the house into different spaces- for work, fun, sleep, meditation, and a place to eat. By restricting myself to a particular diet and keeping myself healthy physically and mentally, I lost 16kgs.

Not to mention that my friends and family were completely shocked- they couldn’t recognize me and said that I looked so different. I learned cooking and baking healthy. I started painting and dancing again and learned different choreographies from YouTube. Podcasts and Audio-books were staples for me while cooking or cleaning. I started with ten minutes of meditation, but it was very difficult to concentrate in the beginning. However, I can do it for 30 minutes now and, I am very proud of myself.

Lockdown for me was a journey- 10 months of alone time, all by MYSELF in a flat where I worked from home, cooked healthy and delicious food, and pursued hobbies that weren’t possible otherwise.

It also taught me self-care, self-love, and above all, gratitude. I maintain a gratitude journal now.

Lockdown has further taught me the importance of family and friends. And so, if given a chance, I would love to work from home forever. My friends used to ask if I was getting bored alone and my answer has been - I have no time to get bored! There was so much for me to do and learn, and it continues.

If the lockdown had not happened, I would not have been the person that I am today. It transformed me, not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well.

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