How I Leveled Up During Covid 🦠

Below is a piece from Down to Earth, my weekly Health, Happiness, and Community newsletter. Subscribe and check out the full archive here! 🌍

“It’s been four years!? Where has the time gone?”

As the anniversary (if we can call it that) of the initial COVID lockdowns creep up, there’s a common feeling that time has been lost.

But why is that? Why did these years fly by?

There just wasn’t anything to do. I shudder even thinking about the eerily empty New York City streets shackled by social distancing restrictions.

We were then left to our own devices, and presented with some critical decisions.

When no one watches, what will we do? When there are few responsibilities, who do we answer to? What values do we abide by?

With this excess of time, many of us adopted new hobbies and engaged in quirky activities (looking at you, sourdough aficionados).

We obsessed over media we may have previously ignored, (Tiger King, The Last Dance) and toyed with the idea of TikTok fame for the first time. We got used to paying $20 extra for grocery delivery.

While it may seem trivial in hindsight, many of these behaviors set the tone for what the rest of the decade looked like for our societies.

Several of these habits exposed a darker side of humanity’s judgment.

During the first year of the pandemic, for example, 25% of people said they drank more than usual, often to cope with stress.

Further, a RAND Corporation study found that women have increased their heavy drinking days by 41% compared to before the pandemic.

Simply put, stressful events put our willpower to the test.

The good news is that we can always flip the negative stress into positive momentum.

It just takes a bit of practice.

Before I had this zenful approach, I felt gravity weighing on my chest like a boulder.

I drank and smoked more than was usual or reasonable, and developed a wicked addiction to Fortnite of all things. After about a month of this delusion, I felt the effects and knew it was time for a serious rebrand.

Since I was working remotely, all the power of change was in my hands.

Below, we’ll talk about how I reinvented my lifestyle by developing existing good habits and eliminating negative ones.

So, What Happened? 📈

Look at the emoji in the headline. See how it initially climbs, then takes a precipitous drop? I imagine that’s how many of us felt when the pandemic hit.

“Things were going great until COVID hit,” I often hear folks lament.

But time keeps going, and you can always bounce back, and then up, like this chart.

Here’s how I did it.

• Less screentime. The pause of the pandemic put me face to face with my digital habits. I’ve made it a priority to resist the pull of unnecessary screen time, installing apps like BePresent to keep me on my toes (I aim to keep screen time under two hours a day). I delete addictive apps like Instagram and TikTok from my phone when I’m not using them. I’m overall mindful, realistic, and intentional about time on my devices.
• Organization. I was never organized in my workspace or scheduling until time stopped during the pandemic. Now, I print paper schedules to keep on track, organizing my day with several tasks and to-do lists. I employ various calendar apps and prioritize appointments and hangouts, again being mindful of what’s happening around me. Taking ownership of my possessions and my time has been a blessing.

• Yoga and Stretching. Yoga was a huge breakthrough for me. I’ll always have fond memories of completing at-home yoga classes with my mom since all the gyms were closed, introducing me to a new form of exercise/wellness. Yoga is great for strength, joint health, breathing, and mindfulness, plus it feels great. Soon after I began a daily practice, an old Indian man randomly approached me with some sage advice. “Do yoga and you live forever!” he said, shaking a jagged finger. I took it as a sign to continue.
• Financial Literacy. I took the time to watch YouTube videos about credit, investing, and budgeting during the pandemic. It also helped that I was producing for the biggest name in business news at the time. Personal finance and is an invaluable life skill that I am grateful for, and I realize that much of this knowledge is kept under wraps by design.
• More Intentional & Mindful. Back when time seemed unlimited, it was easy to take it for granted. I quickly learned that being on point with every moment is the key to seizing control of one’s destiny. “What do I want from my life?” I would ask myself. Way back in 2020, I was hellbent on producing a feature film. Naturally, I locked myself in my room for hours on end, co-writing a screenplay with my friend Max. After a few months of hard work, my intentionality resulted in what I desired — a script that I was proud to share with the world. I realize that the same strategy is employed as I write these words.
• Recognition of Self-Value. I simply respect myself more, and I don’t let others take away from that. I see myself as a Fortune 500 company, where investors are eager to please — and rightfully so. It doesn’t matter who or what it is — my value must always be recognized and respected. This also means that I give myself credit when it’s due, and follow through with ideas I truly believe in.

• Less “Self.” Despite how self-centered the previous section sounds, I’ve also learned to make things less about "me.” It’s now more about what I can provide for others. This means developing skills, sharing knowledge, and applying grace to everything I do. Dropping my ego has allowed me to create without hesitation, positioning me as more of a producer than a consumer. Since things are less about self, I also don’t rely on external validation. I’m in a good spot when motivation stems from my ideas and creations.
• Cherishing Relationships. Life felt fragile and vulnerable during the uncertainty of the pandemic. Millions of lives were lost. That pressure instilled a sense of appreciation for the people I still have in my life, making sure to cherish every moment and relationship while they are still present. Joy finds its way to me more often this way. Sometimes it takes great loss to be found.

Now that we’re firmly in the post-pandemic era, what habits have you picked up or dropped over the last four years? Which do you hope to adjust by the time 2028 rolls around?

Thank you for reading this Down To Earth preview 🌍

If you appreciate my work the way I appreciate your reading, share this post with someone you love!

Don't forget to subscribe on Substack for the full experience: GetdowntoEarth.Substack.com