"One of the silver linings of a global pandemic is the sheer fact that it’s universal—despite the fact that we may all be feeling more alone than ever (guilty as charged), we’re all in a common fight against the same enemy: coronavirus and its impacts. That being said, I’ve found great comfort in the solidarity of friends, strangers, and Everygirls all around the world—knowing that we are truly all together in this situation.
Unfortunately, though, I’ve definitely fallen victim to the harmful habit of comparing “how I’m isolating” to “how other people are isolating”—when in fact, comparison is the exact opposite of how we SHOULD be interacting with each other right now (and always). Moving forward, I’m choosing to use the experiences and accomplishments of others as motivation and encouragement, taking inspiration from what has worked for others in terms of entertainment, stress relief, and productivity.
I asked our Instagram followers to share the projects/tasks they’ve been working on while self-isolating—in the hopes that we can celebrate each others’ victories (both big and small) while also gaining some insight for ourselves.
*The following answers are quoted directly from Instagram responses, but some have been edited slightly for clarity.
- Making handmade masks for friends and family
- Learning WordPress to start a blog
- Starting a garden from seeds
- Making homemade bagels
- Knitting a baby blanket for a friend
- Watching all the Marvel movies in order
- Taking the TEG Photoshop course
- Starting a regular meditation practice
- Building a gallery wall in my home
- Reconnecting with my Chinese roots and recreating favorite dishes from my childhood
- Purging my closet
- Planting flowers
- Learning needlepoint
- Canning jams (and other things like that!)
- Learning paper floral arts
- Crocheting
- Re-learning guitar
- Bullet journaling
- Hiring a life coach (investing in myself for my future/career)
- Painting my bathroom
- Teaching myself to give an at-home Brazilian wax
- Using a vibrator for the first time in my life
- Embroidering all my denim with daisies
- Knitting hats
- Learning to juggle
- Learning Spanish on Duolingo
- Baking cakes
- Sending cards to coworkers
- Power washing
- Making DIY personalized tote bags
- Understanding/learning more about essential oils
- Organizing the seasonal decor in the basement
- Organizing all the photos on my computer
- Training for my first half-marathon
- Building a raised garden bed (which I’ve been dreaming about!)
- Removing the carpet in my home (to reveal the hardwood underneath)
- Organizing my bathroom closet
- Painting
- Upcycling handbags
- Purging my bookshelves and donating ones I told myself I’d read, but know I won’t
- Fostering a dog
- Developing a morning routine
- Journaling
- Learning to make at-home lattes
- Deep-cleaning the entire house
- Fermenting! (sourdough, kombucha, and pickled veggies)
- Learning French on Duolingo
- Growing windowsill herbs
- Starting a creative design business
- Painting by number (currently painting a picture of the beach where I got engaged)
- Updating my LinkedIn
- Making a rug out of T-shirts (Editor’s note: We want to see!)
- Jewelry making
- Switching out winter clothes for spring
- Tie-dying!
- Making a DIY cork bathmat
- Updating my online portfolio
- Testing out new self-tanner products
- Training my hair to go longer between washes
- Practicing digital drawing with Procreate on my iPad
- Candle making
- Learning to sew on a sewing machine
- Stripping an heirloom coffee table to bring back to its glory
- Painting the kitchen cabinets
- Bartending fancy drinks to figure out what I like
- Painting the walls in my house
- Learning to macrame
- Keeping my kids alive and entertained
- Making old-school friendship bracelets
- Watching all of Schitt’s Creek from start to finish
- Unsubscribing from junk emails
- Basket weaving
- Writing happy sidewalk chalk messages
- Sending letters to all my loved ones
- Teaching myself calculus
- Starting a Zoom book club
- Playing guitar
- Writing a novel I started 10 years ago
- Sanding and staining the bar in my home
- Creating with clay—I’ve made a jar and tray so far (and bake in my oven to set)
- Learning dances on YouTube
- Putting down new wood floors in my townhome
- Cleaning out/organizing the pantry
- DIY projects for my (hopefully!) August wedding
- Playing Animal Crossing New Horizons (seriously so fun!)
- Weeding my garden
- Remodeling with subway tile
- Finally setting up a budget
- Designing my home with free FaceTime design help at West Elm
- Starting my side hustle
- Making our wedding and honeymoon photo albums
- Learning calligraphy
- Decanting everything in matching bins
- Making a recipe book of all the online recipe links I refer to so often
- Training my puppy
- Taking an online Excel course
- Practicing the piano (again)
- Homeschooling my kids (while also in grad school myself)
- Singing in two virtual choirs (Editor’s note: This is so cool!)
- Creating a food blog