Although, it seems that there has been a pause at things that we’re accustomed to do due to this pandemic, we must not let these sudden changes hinder our personal growth.

Good thing about being a person is that we have the ability to pave a way to achieve this growth no matter how big or small this personal growth may be. In our own little ways, we learn to adapt and cope one day at a time, in order to set our goals straight and make room for growth.

With this in mind, we featured some of the answers of the DBTKMOB about their ways of coping and self-realizations that they experience during the past few months of quarantine and isolation.

John Lee, about his newfound hobby:

"I cope up to quarantimes with something that’s because of one realization. I am overweight, it’s not that it is a bad thing, but it’s bad for my health. So, I thought of buying a bike, and there it is! I physically engage myself while pursuing a hobby that I never knew I needed and loved all this time. There is this specific kind of freedom when you’re in the saddle, you only feel the tiring end of it after you come down. But, as long as you’re riding, you don’t feel anything else but freedom, specially, in my case where I found it in a way that the biking hobby was just there, waiting for me to discover it."

Jesse John Michael Lozada’s realizations and how he jump started a small business:

"With the threat of covid-19 around us, it's really hard to put our plans into action especially with the shortage of resources caused by the sudden outbreak of this pandemic, we can admit that it really caught us off-guard. But despite of the sudden negative changes in our surroundings, it brought out the best version of ourselves. Me specifically, I was able to jump start a small business using the money I got for selling my Manila Grey x DBTK pandemic relief shirt that I won. Using the money and by gathering little bit more, I was able to buy a Piso-Wifi vending machine that helped pay our bills and provide our daily needs substantially.

This pandemic made me realize that we really need to live every single day of our lives like it was the last time because we don't really know what's ahead of us, may it be positive or negative. In addition to that, the high death toll of Covid-19 made me realize that we must appreciate every moment that we have with our love ones, and despite of all the hatred and negative encounters we have with them in the past, we must always learn how to forgive because at the end of the day, as the saying goes "no man is an island" and we will always need someone to lean on despite of how strong we are."

Joshua Leoveras Mendoza’s adjustments during this pandemic:

"It's not everyday you get a chance to know yourself better. What's great is that this quarantine gave you that opportunity for a longer period of time."

That's a self-realization within this pandemic. Coping up is something all of us have been dealing with even before Covid-19. But immediate adjustments are not for everyone. I usually live on the fast lane and move more into the side of life wherein everything is kind of like a cycle. You just let life dictate your next day by living the same lifestyle you had the day before. By doing so, you don't know where you're going…. I consider this pandemic as an opportunity for me to make up for all the years I spent doing nothing. The lack of transportation provided an opportunity for me to walk to work, which helped my health get better. I'm very lucky that I work in a company that cares that's why I strived to be a better employee not just for myself but also for the company that took care of me amidst this worldwide problem. I learned that my family will always be the number one on the list and planning and working for the future is something that everyone of us should do. 

Since I'm into streetwear, I tried to resell masks and shoes and realized that I passed on these opportunities years before. No regrets though, although I learned it the hard way, at least I know better now. I still have the next few years to work on and I hope that by then, this pandemic has been a thing of the past already." 

 To cap this off, we just want to remind you that we are all built differently when it comes to experiences, responsibilities, growth speed, and the like. So, what works for others, might not work for you. But, we are hoping that you already found something to do during these trying times and may you never stop creating the best version of yourself.