Playing the Long (Quarantined) Game of Self-Improvement

It’s always the right time to improve yourself. Whether you’re at the height of success or on a losing streak, your growth and development should always be a priority. As the world hunkers down and braces itself for the spreading coronavirus, you’re probably part of the millions who are stranded at home. With no clear sign of when the quarantine will end, you may be left wondering how best to spend all this time in your hands. Then you begin to hear the call to invest in yourself growing louder than ever. You should listen.

To better maximize your path to self-improvement, there are three main areas in life you should focus your efforts on.

Raising Your Market Value

Although the outbreak has caused a lot of uncertainty in the global economy, businesses are proving resilient. They ensure that the economy will survive and there will be a future after this. In fact, according to the BBC, a better and more humane version of the economy may emerge.

In the meantime, making sure you are part of that future is your job. The best way to do it is by making your CV more attractive than it currently is.

Raising your market value can be done whatever your employment situation is – self-employed, working remotely, on leave for the foreseeable future, in between jobs, or even if you’re still in school. The challenge is to fill the void with activities and practices that will make you a better asset.

Learning new things come to mind. The most obvious way to do this is to immerse yourself in training that develops new or existing skills that directly benefit your expertise. If you’re a graphic artist, you can find a range of free or paid training courses online that either help you master your craft, like Adobe software classes, or you can diversify and learn website coding to expand your repertoire. The impact of these courses is almost immediately apparent in your skillset and hopefully, your paycheck.

Speaking of learning, education is still a powerful tool for enriching your knowledge and yes, raising your market value. Nothing says promotion like a newly minted degree. Fortunately, there are numerous excellent options now for distance learning. Master’s degree programs online are particularly attractive during this time. Think hard on what direction you want to take and apply to the program.

If you’re employed or running a business, this may also be the time to change perspectives and re-evaluate the way you’ve been doing things. Figure out whether there are holes in your processes and find ways to fill them. There may also be gaps in your performance. Work on them. Perfecting your current situation is a surefire way to increase your value.

Leveling Up Your Health and Wellness

It shouldn’t be all about work. Investing in yourself means taking better care of it, too. And because of the limitations posed by the quarantine, you are in an especially conducive position to improve your health and wellness.

It can be a challenge to find the strength to even put on your training shoes back when working out meant going to the gym. But one of the beauties of home workouts is that you don’t need all that gear. Of course, you’ll still need trainers for heavier activities like weight training, running, and the like, but you can start small when you’re at home. Even just doing breathing exercises for the first couple of days will help energize you and prompt you into doing more complex exercises.

This isolation means you’ll likely feed yourself. Although grocery shopping does create problems, once you’ve moved past it, and you’ve gotten ahold of the right ingredients, you can prepare your own healthy meals. Take it a step further by developing a meal plan. But instead of counting every single calorie, protein, and carb, try focusing on making sure all the essential food groups are well-represented.

Technology is your friend. You can find tons of material for both home workouts and easy healthy recipes on YouTube. Android and iOS fitness and cooking apps can also help too.

You should also learn how to rest well. Getting enough hours of sleep is great, but are you getting the right kind of sleep? Make rest a priority by allotting time for it. And rest doesn’t always mean sleep. Treating yourself to a long, warm bath can also reinvigorate you. You can just find a good book and read it on a window nook.

Stay healthy and listen to your body.

Strengthening Your Personal Relationships

Finally, don’t forget to connect with people. Living alone is no excuse to cut off from everyone else. Others are just as ready as you are to meaningfully interact while still following social distancing protocols. Practically everyone has mobile phones and the internet now. Give your old pals a call. Check up on your parents and grandparents. Chat up your colleagues after your weekly Skype meetings. There are endless possibilities for keeping in touch. You just have to want it enough.

Self-improvement is a mountain you have to constantly climb to get a better view of your future. Invest in yourself by learning new things, living healthy, and connecting with people. You’re playing the long game now.