Is Quarantine a Blessing in Disguise?

In all honesty, I have really enjoyed not having to put on my face and wear a hat every day. 

As much as our current situation is rather undesirable, it's been a nice reprieve from the day to day tasks I put up with in efforts to look "normal." 

I feel like it's a lot easier to be nicer to yourself when you don't have to constantly fight other people's opinions of you. The little side glances you get in public or the pitying looks just ain't it sometimes. 

In terms of regrowth, personally, quarantine has been a nice chunk of time for some of my hair to come back. It had been hinting that it may start growing back for a while, but now I can proudly say I have effectively formed a mullet of sorts, with my new shorter hair on the top of my head and the older, longer hair in the back. Now, I got all the Southern boys jealous. 

It has also given me time to devote time to myself and actually start practicing effective self care. One of my friends and I were talking the other day, and she brought up the concept that at its core, self care is building a life that you do not have to regularly escape from. For me, that means taking the time to appreciate my life and my body right now, instead of just rushing through it, thinking that my "real life" will start when my disease goes away. 

It means taking the time to, as cheesy as it sounds, wash my hair and scalp mindfully and with intent, rather than just trying to get it over and done with. 

It means letting my scalp breath, instead of keeping it smothered in hats and headbands everyday like it is at work and school. 

It means taking care of my skin, since now I have the time to follow and be consistent with a skin care routine. Side note, sunscreen is super super important, especially in areas that may be more exposed to the sun now than they were previously. Mixing in a skin sunscreen into your morning moisturizer is pretty easy, yet has huge long term payoff. 

Despite many of the less than ideal things we now have to put up with, I'm going to take what I can from this situation and make it work for me. 

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