A Day in the life of Quarantine

Posted on June 1, 2020

How are the ladies at I Am B Woman coping with the novel coronavirus?

Fabulously Jih, Photo/Media Editor

I can honestly say that this is not how I had envisioned 2020 to be, not that I had high expectations but I thought life was going to continue and that I would go to work, attend school, travel, spend time with family and go out since that’s been the usual routine for me over the years.

2020 started off good and things quickly took a turn and started changing. I lost my grandmother mid February and that took a toll on my emotional well-being, soon thereafter a pandemic hits adding on to stress. At first, I was nonchalant about the situation but once I had to start working remotely I realized that it is more serious than I thought.

Since we were ordered to self-quarantine, it has taught us to be more present and here’s a few things I’ve learned and been doing during this pandemic.

Things I’ve learned during the COVID-19 Quarantine

• Being more self sufficient

• Becoming more tech savvy (adapt to the virtual world)

• Adapting to change is sometimes necessary

• Having multiple career act is important (when one falls through the crack you have another hustle to support your finances)

How I have been occupying my time?

• Discovering new hobbies and perfecting my craft

• Being more creative; I have been practicing on makeup and creating my own photo shoots

• Self care time; I have been doing more self reflections and improving in areas that I lack, especially my health

• In between clients, I have been recording, exercising, drinking lots of water, building my social media presence and so much more

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KimAllNaturelle, Blog Editor

Transitioning to a new job during this crisis is rather strange. It is important to note that my work schedule during the age of coronavirus got me extremely imbalanced. I'm rather grateful that I have a job and am safe from idiotic neighbors who may negate the gravity of this pandemic.

I'm teleworking and am focused on COVID-19 crises intervention for 36 hours straight and have almost 6-7 days of time off in between. Trust me when I say that it is so easy to sleep or binge those 6-7 days away. DON'T DO IT YOU YOURSELF. You will ruin your sleep, eating cycles and zombie out. Instead, create a schedule for yourself and balance out time for relaxation, projects, cleaning and connecting to loved ones.

Black Twitter is adamant that we should be "highly productive" during quarantine. Look… I am not. Practicing self care, getting back to my neglected hobbies (reading, vocalizing, songwriting, writing in general) and connecting with my tribe is productive enough for me.

Don't feel guilty if you're not stacking coins or learning new skills during this quarantine. Many of us did that pre-COVID19 and will volunteer to do so after. I'm taking this time to reconnect with my inner youth and wonder… to really live. Living is far more than working/slaving, building or gaining status.

Things I’ve learned during the COVID-19 Quarantine

• It's okay to relax.

• Plan out my "work" days and my "lazy" days to manage lethargy.

• Fresh air is medicine.

• Focus on what you can control only (unplug as much as you need to).

• Get back to your hobbies.

• Focus on your emotions and mental health.

• Revisit your dreams and plan to execute them.

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Jai Highness, Editor-In-Chief

Quarantine has taught me that the capitalist society that we live-in currently has failed us. We were not prepared for this pandemic, nor are we understanding the severity of this issue as we try to cope with denial and live our previous lives as much as possible. This is our new normal and we hate it … I hate it. So much has been put on hold with great uncertainty, we are all waiting for permission to return to a system that was never really in place to help us but to suppress us. We are more worried about the economy, than the state of our health system and the lack of equipment or relief for frontline workers. Also, the sad realization that most “essential workers” comprise of black and brown persons – we are the labor service class.

Classism and racism at its finest, it's hard not to look at the eyesore of the realities of American institutions. But I find hope from within and with God, I am grounded by my faith and the hope for the future as they say us humans are a resilient and persistent species. But for now, I celebrate in return of nature and tranquility this quarantine has brought us and I welcome the solitude. I’m praying for the families who are in need of relief and that they find in soon. Something new and transforming is heading your way and I hope you use this time to ready yourselves to receive it.

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Yoye, Opinion Editor

Even though these are hard and uncertain times for many,COVID-19 has been a bit of a blessing for me. Prior to these times of social distancing, I was exhausted from being exhausted. Burning two ends of a candle with virtually no time to rest. I had a busy career, long commutes and some very high bills.

Fast forward to March 13th when my school district decided to close school buildings and have us participate in distance learning. Although that was an adrenaline rush in itself, it definitely set me up for more self-care. Don’t assume that distance learning gave me less work, which is not the case because I am a mother as well; Actually, it subtracted the long commutes through Miami's rush hour and slow school zones I hate passing through. After all, I live in a different county for which I teach, travel to a different city for my son to attend school and scurry down to an inner city school Monday through Friday. So distance learning subtracted about 2 hours a day of commute alone. I choose to use this time to walk around my neighborhood taking in the beauty of nature while making sure I’m taking care of my body.

Distance Learning as a Teacher and a Parent

One thing I do have to say is that being a teacher is a blessing because of the insights I have on rules and accommodations being offered during these times. It has allowed me to establish boundaries with my son’s teacher because I will not allow the teacher to shame me and my son when I know the real rules. Teachers now have to juggle and accommodate deadlines while teaching their students from their home. The challenges in resources and technology is a big concern for many families so it is expected that we teach and grade with compassion. Sigh…. So imagine my surprise when I noticed my son’s zoom sessions were at least 30 minutes of the teacher shaming students for work that was recently posted. On one hand students need to be accountable; but on the other hand, second graders still need their parents’ assistance for work completion. With me being a teacher and mother - my work hours are the same as his school hours so I had to pop into his meetings a few times to gather her all the way together. She has since been more compassionate and understanding.

To rest or not to rest?

This experience with my son and his teacher forced me to think on ways to go above and beyond for the families I work with. So after the initial week, I began to go back to my regular work schedule. I wake at 4am or 4:30am and end the day at 9pm. I call, facetime and message parents all throughout the day and let them know that I am available before and after work hours. I’ve created a grant project to assist the parents that haven’t been logging on to survive the times as essential workers (though it didn’t make it past my boss’ approval). I realized that I began to overwork myself and decided to pace myself with work and other personal projects I am working on. Since doing this, I have been benefiting from working from home and staying safe.

Here is a list of how I accomplished this:

1. Log off of social media

2. Write and use daily to do lists

3. Connect with real “forever friends”

4. Establish boundaries with others

5. Exercise your body and brain

COVID-19 has been good to me so far. I hope if you are as fortunate as me, it will be for you too.