Personal Goals: The Importance of Pursuing Passions During Quarantine

woman practicing her personal goal of mindfulness during quarantine

As the workforce approaches one month of strict social distancing and working from home, many are experiencing cabin fever. You could spend your free time binge-watching shows on Netflix or choose to utilize the extra hours to make real progress on your personal goals.  

By continuing to pursue passions and goals that are important to you, you will lessen symptoms of situational depression in the coming weeks. Of course, you likely still have remote work and family responsibilities, but no longer having an office commute and business travel will certainly free up hours each day.  

man laying on the couch reading a book

Below are ways you can continue to achieve personal goals to walk away from this experience stronger than ever.  

Physical Health Goals  

    • Start a new exercise routine with a friend to help motivate and support you. Video chat during walks and connect fitness trackers if you have them.  
    • If you have a fitness tracker, set a daily steps goal.  
    • Run a virtual 5k.   
    • Train for a marathon.  
    • Meal prep to have healthy meals and snacks on hand. 
    • Challenge yourself with a new recipe. 

woman chopping spinach for a recipe

Mental Health &
Emotional Well-Being Goals  

    • Connect with friends and family daily. You can keep your relationships strong while chatting virtually.   
    • Practice mindfulness – start a beginner yoga practice or devote 10 minutes every morning for meditation. The popular yoga app, Down Dog, is offering free classes through April and Headspace, a guided meditation app, is offering a free 14–day trial to help users practice mindfulness during this time.  
    • Teach yourself how to knit, play an instrument, or learn a new language. Duolingo is popular language – and it’s free. 
  • man playing guitar
    •  Read books, listen to podcasts, and watch videos that motivate and “life you up intellectually,” suggests Forbes.   
    • Challenge yourself to learn something new each day. Pick a topic and conduct 20 minutes of research on it. 
    • Get crafty. If you have kids, here are crafts to keep them busy and their minds engaged while you focus on work tasks or personal goals. You may even want to craft with them.  
    • Make a list of the activities you are excited to engage in once social life presumes.  

Career Goals

    • Update your LinkedIn profile to share your unique brand with your professional network. 
    • Now is the perfect time to register for an online course and add a certificate of achievement to your resume. 
    • Be proactive – start working on future projects you know will be top priority once the office re-opens. 

man taking a class online to achieve a personal goal during quarantine

Progress toward personal goals and self-improvement during this time starts with the right mindset and how you choose to look at the situation. Choose to walk away from this experience a better, stronger, more mindful person.  

The Detroit Regional Chamber launched a COVID-19 Business Resource Center. View ongoing updates and resources at detroitchamber.com/covid19. 

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