I made it through Quarantine because of .....

We all have seen them by now. All of these bloggers and influencers have showed us all of their quarantine favorites. All the stuff they bought off of Amazon, and how they caught every sale known to man that was happening the past 20 weeks, and how they "couldn't have gotten through quarantine without these things".

Come on.

Can we be real for a moment? Like let's be honest about the things that we wouldn't have been able to make it out of quarantine with - and because another lockdown/shut down is inevitable if the cases keep going how they are - what will help us this next go round.

I am going to break it down and be real - here are the things that I would not have been able to make it through quarantine without.

1. Shipt Grocery delivery

   1. Yes! I get my groceries delivered. It stresses me out being in large public spaces where there are honestly a lot of people ignoring the guidelines my county has in place to help protect us. I only go out and shop if its for short periods of time and then also if I am literally going crazy and I need a lap around Target to make me feel a little human - don't judge we've all done it.

2. Getting back into my old habits

   1. I have been able to pick up knitting again. I love the peace that it brings me and I already had all of the materials that I needed - just needed to go digging a little bit.

3. THERAPY

   1. Now we all know I am a big proponent of doing what is best for you. Therapy is what is best for me. You want me to be the best Ally/Allyson that you know - make sure that I am doing my biweekly appointments. These help me regulate life a little and help me get out of my head so much. They're important and I am thankful that I have this amazing privilege to have this in the palm of my hand.

4. Facetime

   1. I would have died. like literally. I love alone and not having someone to talk to all the time has always bothered me. I am a people person and one of the biggest extroverts that you know - so being alone 24/7 really broke me down in ways that i was not ready to handle at the beginning of isolation and quarantine. But because of Facetime and zoom I have been able to keep up with the ones that I love and it makes even the bleakest of days a little better.

5. Snail mail

   1. SAVE THE POSTAL SERVICE - I mean I have always loved writing letters and postcards and all things of that nature. But when it came time to bunker down getting back to doing things the old fashioned way has brought a new joy to my life. I am not that friend that will send you a card out of the blue and let you know that I am thinking about you. But also - support your local post office - we need them now more than ever.

6. Phone calls with my Mom

   1. You can ask my mom - if I wasn't on a work call or on FT with my friends I was probably on the phone with her. I love my mom - no matter how much we bicker and argue I will always call her and bother her as much as I can. So this is your reminder to call your mom or your loved one you are always thinking about.

7. Doing my own nails

   1. Like WOW. I mean I know that 16 year Allyson could spend hours in the nail section and looking at stickers and things but I really have found a new love of doing my own nails. This has been some amazing self care that I have been doing and its so good to just relax and do something for me. Now I can do my hands all day long - I am ready to go and get a pedicure though lol.

8. Fostering Animals

   1. This is so simple and mostly free. Everyone needs companion ship and this is how I got mine. It was so worth it. I was able to help two sweet cats get into their forever home and find their families. I miss them but it is so worth it to see update photos and see them so happy and at peace.

9. Painting

   1. This is a new found love - kind of. I have always loved art. I like supporting my local artists and their work. Love Etsy and getting real art and prints - not mass produced stuff. There is nothing wrong with the mass produced stuff - I just like supporting a real person. And now I am no Picasso but I am definitely loving dabbling into watercoloring and digital art.

That was a short list -only nine things - but the point isn't to give you a bunch of links to go out and buy stuff. I don't want you to think that you have to become this whole new person because every influencer we know is losing 20 pounds or baking or becoming a whole new person.

Dig down deep - what is something that you love that you just haven't had the time to do. Go out - get some supplies (get them delivered or do a curb side pickup) - and reintroduce yourself into your passions. Make the younger you happy that you found that thing again.

Here is to making the best of it my dudes. We will make it through this crazy time called life.Can't wait to see what you "refind".

Remember - look for the silver linings and stay relatable.