The Positive Effects of Choosing A Quarantine Word
Photo by Niklas Weiss on Unsplash
When the clock hit midnight on New Year’s Eve 2019, we welcomed in a new decade. The roaring twenties were back and we were poised to celebrate new life, new dreams, and new wind in our sails as we turned our ships towards the horizon. A new day was dawning. We were told the best was yet to come. 2020 was supposed to be our year.
At the start of every January, men and women from around the world make plans, set goals, and commit to resolutions. Author Daniel Pink explains in his book When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing why we view the early days of the new year as a trigger for reflecting and seeking to enforce positive changes in various areas of our lives. However, most of us know that as good as the intentions are, over 25% of people will have given up on their resolutions by January 8th.
In light of this difficulty, a relatively new practice has begun in recent years. At the start of each new year, many young adults are choosing to forego resolutions in favor of choosing a single word they hope will encapsulate and define their upcoming year. Author Megy Karydes says that “the idea is focused around having a central word or theme to guide your actions or what you want to embrace more of in the coming year.”
Since the stay-at-home and the shelter-in-place orders started going into effect, I’ve been thinking about how this practice of setting a banner word over the year could be adjusted and applied specifically to this season. Picking a quarantine word could be the activity you’ve been needing to help you make it through these days.
Choosing Your Quarantine Word
After a month of sheltering in place, you’ve likely gone through the emotional gauntlet. If you’re like me, you’ve had good days and bad days, hard moments mixed in with making fun memories. Even though most of life has slowed down over the last weeks, many of us have still not made the space to process and reflect back on how these times are affecting us emotionally, mentally, and physically.
Because of this, creating space to adequately reflect on your situation is the first step in choosing a quarantine word.
To do this, I asked myself these three questions:
What do I want more of in my life during these days?
What do I want less of in my life during these days?
What from these days do I want to incorporate into my regular rhythms once quarantine is over?
For me, as I answered these three questions, I came to the conclusion that I wanted my quarantine word to be: affection. I want to be more loving, more selfless, and more sacrificial during these days. I want to be less anxious, less critical, and less consumed with my own agenda while in quarantine. And after these days pass, I want to maintain some of the relational practices I’ve put into motion like going on walks with my wife and calling our parents more frequently.
I want to be able to look back and say that while I was sheltered in place, I prioritized affection, both in its giving and receiving. Choosing your word can be as simple as sitting down for thirty minutes to an hour and reflecting back through those three questions. Once you’ve picked your quarantine word, you’ll quickly start to see how it will impact your day-to-day.
The positive effects of a quarantine word
Choosing a specific word to the banner over a season of time in your life is a prescription for good growth and self-awareness. Picking a word that you want to define your days is a form of positive self-talk, which is proven to lead to increased health both emotionally and physically.
When you’ve chosen your quarantine word, you now have something your mind can focus on and keeping coming back to in good and hard moments. You have a rallying point, a goal that is bigger than the circumstances and above the fray.
Choosing a quarantine word is a commitment to yourself, your family and friends that though this season may knock you down, it will not take you out. This single word can become a source of hope and meaning and can become a lamp leading your steps in the darkness.
Wake up in the mornings and repeat your word. Say it in the shower. Write in your planner or on your phone background. Make your quarantine word a part of your rhythms and you’ll find that you are soon living with that word in mind, living up to that higher calling and that your days are more full of purpose and potential.
Progress over perfection
The goal during this time is progress, not perfection. That is the beauty wrapped into a quarantine word. It’s not a long resolution. You don’t have metrics and measurables to attain or levels to accomplish. You just have your one word. Affection. Courage. Peace. Joy. Hope. That one word is your sign that you that these days are more about who you are becoming and less about what you can achieve.
So what are you waiting for? Choose your quarantine word and start speaking it over your life today.