It all started when the year 2020 began. I had a genuine feeling that this year would be the epitome of change. Although there was a lot of change, it turned my world upside down but not positively. I still remember the day when I saw this Instagram story on the coronavirus, a deadly virus emerging in Wuhan in January 2020, but didn't pay much attention; little did I know it will soon take over our lives. The new year was amazing. It was filled with happiness that most people took for granted. I thought it was a year of wonders. A start of a decade where I would make a future for myself and do historic things. It was just the third day into 2020, and the hashtag World War 3 was trending. Mostly people were making memes because our generation finds humour in people's misery or part of their coping mechanism. In February 2020, there were Australian wildfires that burned down Australia, and people were already anticipating destruction. I was hopeful that it's going to be the best year of my life or at least a year filled with change. In March 2020, coronavirus was declared a global pandemic and people were locked inside their houses. It was scary, yet forcing us to question our lives and how we spent our lives before. People were forced to spend time with their families. I thought it was a blessing, it took a while to adjust, but April was filled with laughter and occasional anxieties but mostly the realization of how blessed we were. Despite people suffering, I was safe in my house. I learned how to paint, which I never thought I would. May was also excellent, but the safety I felt at home, was blurring out. Eid was miserable. It felt like an episode from money heist where the starting blinker would say 70 days into the heist. There was no positive news; everything was just very gloomy and depressing, but a person must stay hopeful, am I right? The beginning of June took me by the storm.

I was experiencing anxiety like never before; it was a very unexplainable feeling. I was quarantined in my room for more than 14 days. It was day 17 of quarantine, and things don't seem right. The problem is I don't want to be ungrateful for still being so blessed yet having anxiety. It's like I'm saying I don't believe in what God holds next. It's not that; I feel utmost thankful that in a global pandemic, I still can sleep peacefully. The amount of tension, fear and anxiety is shaking me. In that moment of stress, I couldn't eat sleep or focus. I wanted to be free from all these fearful thoughts and enjoy. Not for a few days but a permanent feeling of joy where there is no crippling anxiety. Now that the nightmare seems to be coming to an end, I see a new light, and I went out of this situation more durable than ever. Day 17, in comparison to the end of the month that is today are worlds apart. I may have felt hopeless and sad, but today I feel the happiest that I have felt in a while. I have a new and better approach to life, and it feels incredible. My advice is that hang on, the negativity and gloominess cannot last forever; it's not the end. It may be a speed breaker to your long journey, but the road will be clear and free!