Being stuck inside doesn’t mean you have to learn a new skill or start a new side hustle.

If you’ve been on Facebook at all, you may have seen the viral post that says:


“If you don’t come out of this quarantine with:

  • A new skill
  • Your side hustle started
  • More knowledge

You never lacked time, you lacked discipline.”


LET ME BE THE FIRST TO TELL YOU IT’S OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY.


This is a time of stress, of a global pandemic that no one saw coming. This isn’t a lack of discipline issue; it’s a trauma issue.

I recently shared a post by Alaa Hijazi on my personal Facebook page that I believe sums it up best:


“As a trauma psychologist, I am utterly horrified, enraged, and bewildered about how people can believe and spread this phrase in good conscience.


We are going through a collective trauma, that is bringing up profound grief, loss, panic over livelihoods, panic over loss of lives of loved ones. People’s nervous systems are barely coping with the sense of threat and vigilance for safety, or alternating with feeling numb and frozen and shutting down in response to it all.

People are trying to survive poverty, fear, retriggering of trauma, retriggering of other mental health difficulties. Yet, someone has the nerve to accuse someone of a lack of discipline for not learning a new skill, and by a yoga teacher!

This cultural obsession with [capitalistic] “productivity” and always spending time in a “productive” “fruitful” way is absolutely maddening.

What we need is more self-compassion, more gentle acceptance of all the difficult emotions coming up for us now, more focus on gentle ways to soothe ourselves and our pain and the pain of loved ones around us, not a whipping by some random person making us feel worse about ourselves in the name of “motivation”.”

— Alaa Hijazi (Facebook)


Take it from someone who suffered a pretty traumatic year in 2019; it’s HARD to be productive in the middle of trauma. Most days it was a victory if I made three real meals and showered before bed. Even now as a very structured/disciplined person, I find it hard to be productive.


So here’s my advice: be kind to yourself, celebrate the little victories that you accomplish, even if it’s putting on real pants and going for a walk. Talk to a friend, go smell those flowers, sit in the grass and admire the clouds, sleep in (if you can!) and enjoy the breeze on your face.


COME OUT OF THIS QUARANTINE, EVEN IF YOU’RE JUST SURVIVING.