There is no denying that the disruption of routine and destruction of core events caused by the Covid-19 virus has left us all feeling slightly deflated and unsettled.

As creatures of innate habit, it goes without saying that human beings find comfort in the safety of a routine. With this pandemic causing schools to shut their gates and non-essential services to close down, it is as justly understandable to feel concerned by the severity of the health risks as it is to feel confused by the disruption to normal, daily life.

With nine months of freedom to spend doing whatever I please before heading over to University of California, in Los Angeles in September I was throwing myself into all sorts of new and interesting commitments. I was thoroughly enjoying my first season of club rowing for Mercantile. I was stoked to have the opportunity to represent my state in the Victorian youth eight, looking forward to the big race at the Sydney International Regatta at the end of March.

After what I hoped would have been a successful week of racing in Penrith, I had planned to live up at my beach house in Point Lonsdale for the month of April. I had a job at the local ice-cream store lined up, and I was ready to start my Certificate III and IV Personal Training course online. As for May, that was my travel month. I had planned to do “The Pipeline Challenge”, a 600km charity bike ride through the red sand that spans between Kalgoorlie and Mundaring, Western Australia. The gruelling ride was scheduled to take place from 2 – 7 May. All funds raised from this ride go towards a non-for-profit organisation called “The Nest” which provide support for young mums escaping homelessness and domestic violence. Post ride I had the intention of heading over to Bali for a couple weeks to complete a yoga course with my aunty and uncle, a more relaxing form of exercise that I was super excited for.

Yet, since life will throw you curveballs, the Coronavirus rate suddenly skyrocketed and with it came the avalanche of new protocols and cancellations. The Sydney International regatta was cancelled, depriving all athletes within the rowing community the opportunity to showcase all their hard training. “The Pipeline challenge” was cancelled due to risk of infecting the local outback communities and my much-awaited trip to Bali was no longer a possibility.

However, despite being disappointed and slightly shocked at first about these drastic changes to my plans and aspirations, I am now learning to be appreciative for this quiet time, despite the external chaos. I am thoroughly enjoying the quality time with my family and I am using the break from all commitments as an opportunity for personal growth. I have been investing my time in my Personal training course, tutoring my brother with his online schoolwork, cooking lots of healthy food for my family, keeping my fitness up, reading (HEAPS) and I also hope to start teaching myself some yoga in place of my Bali yoga course.

During this crazy time, I really encourage everyone to try to remain positive and keep to their routine where they can. If you had plans that couldn’t go ahead, I suggest finding a way to adapt those arrangements so you can do whatever it may be at home. I think everyone has goals and desires that they struggle to make time for in the busy lives we all live. Yet, now is the perfect opportunity to do all those things you have always dreamt of “having time for”; take up an instrument, learn a language, draw, cook, learn to meditate, play with your pets, clear out your wardrobe, spend quality time with your parents and siblings, in essence, do the things you usually “don’t have time for”. Or, finally and most importantly, do what really matters to YOU.