So.. Schools are closed, everything is basically down and you’re up to at least 2 weeks of quarantine. You’ve bought your toilet paper, made your pasta stock (no penne lisce of course, who tf eats them anyway?!), completed 30 levels of CandyCrush and now you may be wondering… What the hell will I do during this whole time??

Well… I got you covered. I’ll just make a couple of articles on how to help YOU to make the best of this homestay! side note : this may be the first and the last time that you can save the world from your couch, so be happy about it : we’re living a historical moment!).

First things first : MAKE A LIST. If you don’t stop one moment and think of everything you need to do, you’ll end up doing basically nothing, and this is why SUMMARIZING what you need to do can help you have a clearer vision : What are your top priorities (school work, job/college applications, deadlines, thesis, etc.)? What are your other priorities (exercising, cleaning the house, doing your laundry, washing your hands, feeding the cat…)?

Now that you’ve listed your work/home obligations you have 2 choices : either you have so much workload that you’ll basically only do this (and this quarantine will rather look like an exam session => I’ll write a 2nd article on how to study efficiently at home) OR you have still plenty of free time !

Which leads to asking yourself what are the things you’ve always wanted to do/improve/try but never had the motivation/time to? The examples are infinite : finish a book, start a blog, declutter, meditate more, journaling, etc..

Once you’ve made your list, you can PLAN your days. It doesn’t need to be super serious like a study plan but just knowing what you’ll be up to each day will make you less anxious and the time will pass faster.

Last thing : don’t forget to CHILL ! As I said, it’s the first time you won’t feel guilty about staying at home! So keep some time apart to watch your favorite TV show, enjoy precious moments with your family, sleep, and take care of yourself.

So tell me.. What would you like to do during this quarantine? Do you have any goals?

I’ll come back very soon for more details !! In the meantime, please STAY SAFE, wash your hands and AVOID close contact!!

Enough.......

I'm sitting here watching you......

The way the light plays across your body......how it highlights your features.....and

Beautiful, is too cheap...to poor... a word to describe what I see in you........

I know.....

You struggle to sometimes understand your place in this world......because of the doubts in your head....

You struggle with accepting who you are.......because you've been made to feel unworthy ......

You struggle with every detail of yourself........because you were never taught about loving yourself as you are.......

Always striving be be taller or shorter......thinner.....prettier........good enough....

The scars you bear internally and externally that weigh on your thoughts......of being enough......

Enough.....this word that rings in your head......your heart.........enough......

Because.......

I see you .....who you are under the mask.....

I see your sweet spirit........and how you care for people......care for me.....

I see your fire......your tenacious stubborn heart.....that makes me laugh.....and gives me strength......

I see how you put others first........before yourself.....everyday giving your all......and I love you for that.....

I see the love you give and gave.......and never received in kind......

My eyes fill with tears sitting here looking at you......and thinking about that word ......enough.....and how it bends you......how it suppresses and restrains you.....

And I wish to God I was around earlier in your life.....to tell you over and over .....that you are enough.....yes more than enough......

And I promise....to remind you .....show you......every day.....that you're worthy......you're loved......that you're one outstandingly gorgeous woman.........

And I pray that when you look into my eyes......that you will see ....you will feel.......you will know beyond any shadow of doubt.....that you're more than enough.......

Everyday....for as long as I have breath......you are my enough.......

My love......my all.......

Enough.......

To all those that feel its burden.....

Talk to people when things go to shit.

I don’t just mean get it off your chest, although that’s good. I mean: Something’s wrong with your paycheck/you lost your job/you had unexpected emergency car repairs and now you’re broke so your credit card payment is late. Like, not just 15 days late. We’re talking, shit got crazy and now you’re 90 days late with compounded interest and late fees and the Minimum Payment Due is, like, $390, and you’ve got about $3.90 in your bank account. Call the credit card company. 

I know it’s scary. I know you feel like you’re going to get in trouble, like you’re gong to get yelled at or scolded for not having your life together. But the credit card company isn’t your parents; they’re just interested in getting money from you. And you can’t squeeze blood from a stone or money from someone who doesn’t have any. So what you do is you call them. You explain you’re experiencing temporary financial hardships, and you’re currently unable to bring your account up to date, but you don’t want to just let it get worse. Can you maybe talk to someone about a payment plan so you can work something out? Nine times out of ten you’ll be able to negotiate something so that at least it’s not just taking a constant, giant shit on your credit score.

- Can’t pay your power bill? Call the power company.

- Can’t pay your full rent? Talk to your landlord.

- Had to go to the hospital without insurance and have giant medical bills looming in your place? Call the hospital and ask if they have someone who helps people with financial hardships. Many do.

- Got super sick and missed half a semester of class because flu/pneumonia/auto-immune problems/depressive episode? Talk to your professor. If that doesn’t help, talk to your advisor.

You may not be able to fix everything, but you’ll likely be able to make improvements. At the very least, it’s possible that they have a list of people you can contact to help you with things. (Also, don’t be afraid to google things like, “I can’t pay my power bill [state you live in]” because you’d be surprised at what turns up on Google!) But the thing is, people in these positions gain nothing if you fail. There’s no emotional satisfaction for them if your attempts at having your life together completely bite the dust. In fact, they stand to benefit if things work out for you! And chances are, they’ll be completely happy to take $20 a month from you over getting $0 a month from you, your account will be considered current because you’ve talked to them and made an agreement, you won’t get reported to a collections agency, and your credit score won’t completely tank.

Here’s some helpful tips to keep in mind:

1. Be polite. Don’t demand things; request them. Let me tell you about how customer service people hold your life in their hands and how many extra miles they’ll go for someone who is nice to them.

2. Stick to the facts, and keep them minimal unless asked for them. Chances are they’re not really interested in the details. “We had several family emergencies in a row, and now I’m having trouble making the payments” is better than “Well, two months ago my husband wrecked his bike, and then he had a reaction to the muscle relaxer they gave him, and then our dog swallowed a shoestring and we had to take him to the emergency clinic, and just last week MY car broke down, and now my account’s in the negatives and I don’t know how I’m gonna get it back out.” The person you’re talking to is aware shit happens to everyone; they don’t need the details to prove you’re somehow “worthy” of being helped. They may ask you for details at a certain point if they have to fill out any kind of request form, but let them do that.

3. Ask questions. “Is there anything we can do about X?” “Would it be possible to move my payment date to Y day instead so it’s not coming out of the same paycheck as my rent?” The answer may be “no.” That’s not a failure on your part. But a good customer service person may have an alternate solution.