About 7 months ago, I moved from Atlanta to the DMV to start a new job and a new season of my life. I had been praying, setting my goals, and doing a lot of reflection on the woman that I want to become. Once I got my new job offer, it felt like the floodgates of breakthrough had finally started to open. I had about 6 weeks between the ending of my previous job and my moving day, which fell perfectly over my birthday. I decided to celebrate turning 26 with a small series of birthday and going-away events which ended with a trip to Niagara Falls, and Toronto, Canada.

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The city of Niagara Falls, ON, CN, is along a cliff that overlooks the Niagara Falls river. You can walk or drive along the street, look over, and see the falls. Niagara Falls was breathtaking and beautiful beyond belief. My friend and I went to the Canadian side to do the boat ride up to the falls. In my opinion, the Canadian side is far better than the U.S. side). It has a funicular (like a cable car on tracks) that you ride down to the loading area for the boats. There is also an area to order food and drinks while sitting and listening to live music once you have completed your ride. We boarded the boat ride eager to get close to the falls. We were so close that mist covered our faces making it hard to see at some points. We thought we could be cute without the plastic ponchos but quickly learned that they were essential. Birds were flying overhead, and there seemed to be a perpetual rainbow created by the mist of the falls. After we had our ride was over, we decided to watch sit in the live-music area and watch the falls. It was mesmerizing. In this moment, I felt like I was on top of the world. There was so much ahead of me, and the beauty of the falls seemed to signify the beauty of all that was to come.

Fast forward to the move to D.C. The transition was not what I expected, but everything ended up working out for me to be safe and healthy. The handful of people that I knew upon moving to the area embraced me and made sure that I had the support that I needed. Work was going well and started pick up shortly after starting, including some work travel. My time up until the quarantine was painted by travel to at least one place every month up until March, either for work or to go home for Christmas and New Year’s, which made it a bit hard for me to really feel settled into my new life. With the travel, adjustments, and lifestyle changes, including getting used to living a place that had a real winter, my first few months were spent trying to get comfortable and feel consistent in the city. I had set my sights on March as the month that things would get a bit warmer; I’d be travel free; and I’d have time to really start to be social, meet people, and build a life. I was able to do one brunch; then BOOM, I found myself being put on work from home due to the coronavirus. While I am grateful to still be working, this was not how I expected my move to go. . I thought going to Niagara Falls was going to be the start of a continual high. The changes that I was prepared for now had their own changes on top of changes.

As I have been dealing with the days of this quarantine, I was catching up with a friend and shared this sentiment about how it has felt:

“This season seems like a tough one where it’s either nothing or everything all at once and it can seem like drinking water out of a hose one day then getting lost in monotony the next. Finding that mental rest is hard in the midst of it all.”

By rest, I mean really making room for myself mentally and physically to do what I need to feel ok. Working from home seemed great, until I found myself existing primarily in one room while trying to balance now being at home with other people who also have their own routines to maintain. I no-longer had a space to escape from a stressful workday because my workspace was now that personal space too. I did not get outside much for the first 2 weeks because I was so thrown off and felt like I had nowhere to go, which did not help my mental with being inside all day. I was missing the comforts of home and was in a place where these things were not in reach and had not yet been replaced by new things here. Days seemed slow and then fast. I was struggling to remember the goals that I had set for myself before the quarantine and before the move. I realized that even though everything seems crazy, I still need to remember myself.

My mission lately has been to work on that rest that I need to feel ok but making the space for myself. While I cannot control everything that is happening externally, I can manage my own internal thoughts and the actions that come from them. This has meant working outside of my bedroom, picking back up the book I started pre-quarantine, getting a little less caught up in the Netflix binges, catching up with friends old and new, sleeping in late some days, trying new recipes (having something to look forward to), getting back to daily devotionals and journaling, walking outside, and continuing to work on the goals that I set before (even if at a slower pace). This also has meant putting less pressure on myself in this season and applying more grace, which I am admittedly not the best at with myself, but have found to be helpful in reminding me to keep going the next day even if one day I do choose to sit in the monotony of it all.

At the time, the Niagara Falls trip was a reset after a long and rather tumultuous season. Now I find myself at another period that is allowing me to give a pause and get back to myself from the rush and busyness of the move and following adjustment. While it has not been the change or the experience I expected, I am choosing to acknowledge the tough parts while also focusing more on the good as I take everything day by day. On the other side of this quarantine, I want to come out more in tune with myself for whatever comes next, whenever that is.

How are you checking in on yourself during this time?

What do you need to feel ok during this season that is in your ability to manage and adjust?

How can you make space for yourself mentally and physically during this time?

If you have the capacity to think ahead right now, how do you want to come out of this experience?

P.S. Here is a Snapshot of My Quarantine Life

• Current Read: Investing 101 by Michele Cagan
• Favorite Film Viewed in Quarantine: The Sun Is Also a Star
• Newest Recipe: Vegan Pancakes with a Blueberry Compote
• Latest Yoga Pose: One-Legged Chair Pose
• Current Netflix Show: Money Heist
• Latest Devotional: Walking in Victory on the Bible App

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