I've picked up healthy, positive habits during the coronavirus lockdown — here are the ones I hope to continue with after restrictions are lifted

Like many others during this time, being at home with my family and able to work remotely has made me extremely thankful for my many blessings in life.

I have a job, am not overly worried about finances, and my family is happy, healthy, and safe. I've been able to stay in a beautiful place, surrounded by nature and the people I love.

Many others, whether they be essential workers or those who have been laid off or furloughed as a result of the pandemic, face great uncertainty.

During this time, I've learned to be thankful and give back as much as I can to small businesses and organizations doing their part to help our global community, and plan to do so even after stay-at-home restrictions are lifted.

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Fast food wasn't my only food-related vice before social distancing. While living in New York City, I embarrassingly ordered Postmates, Seamless, or other food deliveries at least three or four times a week. Not only was this really expensive, but I also fell out of the habit of cooking for myself.

Since being home, I've been cooking a lot more and trying to have fun in the kitchen. Trying new recipes and planning exciting dinners in — like tacos and margaritas on Cinco de Mayo or a Mother's Day brunch — has kept me entertained in a time where there aren't many fun distractions.

Even when I'm no longer forced to stay at home, I want to be more active in the kitchen.

Before leaving New York for Connecticut, a large part of my job was taste-testing the latest and greatest fast-food items and pitting them against each other. Where I live in Connecticut, the closest McDonald's is at least a 20-minute drive, and other fast-food restaurants are even further away.

I'm not doing as many fast-food taste tests while I'm home, and having fast food outside of work is a huge inconvenience. I'm definitely not eating it as much and my body is enjoying this much-needed respite from greasy fast food.

We all love a Popeyes chicken sandwich every now and again. However, once the lockdown is lifted, I want to try and eat fast food only for work-related taste tests.

Social media, the news, and work, which is now completely online, can be hard to escape. One way I've been practicing self-care is by shutting off my phone and reading for an hour or so before going to bed.

It's a great way to unwind at the end of the day and momentarily escape the overwhelming, and often negative, news of the day.

Before the coronavirus hit New York, you'd hardly ever catch me at the gym or out for a run. However, since I'm now working from home, I have much more flexibility in my schedule to fit in a quick workout before or after work.

Plus, now that the weather is turning warmer, I've been able to get outside for a quick Pilates workout or jog around my neighborhood.

In an effort to stay connected with people outside of my immediate household, I've been planning fun virtual events with my friends and family. I recently hosted a virtual dinner party, which was a huge success.

I also recently participated in a virtual movie night, where five of my close friends all watched a movie using the share-screen option on a Google Hangout.

I normally wouldn't go to the effort of planning something like this, but it allowed me to connect with friends who live in other parts of the country and wouldn't normally see.

Social distancing at home has meant I've been able to spend more time with my family than I ever did while living in New York City.

Before the coronavirus, I would come home once every other month for a weekend. Now, I've now spent almost two months with my mom, her partner, and my younger brother.

We've been able to enjoy family dinners, movie nights, and days out on the boat weekend after weekend. It's been very nice to reconnect as a family and I look forward to hopefully coming home more often after this has all passed.

I was never one to meditate before the coronavirus pandemic — I have an admittedly overactive brain and find it hard to slow down and focus. However, meditating for 15 minutes per day has been one of my biggest self-care tactics in recent weeks.

Sitting outside, listening to the sounds around me, and focusing on clearing my mind has truly been invaluable.

Though I wouldn't say I'm a very religious person, I've also been taking a few minutes at night to pray for the health and safety of my family, those who've lost loved ones, are currently sick, and the essential workers who are going into work for us every day.

I definitely want to continue practicing meditation and reflection after the lockdown has lifted.

I wasn't a huge drinker before leaving New York to stay in Connecticut, but I definitely enjoyed my weekends out. One cocktail would soon turn into two or three — many of which cost upwards of $14 each.

Since being home, I make myself a drink about one or two times per week.

While it's natural to want to order a nice cocktail at a bar every now and then, making drinks at home with friends is much more cost-effective and definitely something I want to continue doing once I'm back in the city.

It may come as no surprise that shacking up in rural Connecticut has allowed me to save money. Compared to New York City, it's been relatively easy for me to live frugally.

I've been able to save money on groceries and transportation. Not only that, but I also haven't even had the opportunity to spend money on things like dinners out, museum tickets, or pricey coffee shops.

I've also taken this time to get my finances in order. With my extra time spent at home, I've opened up a savings account, made a budget for myself, and have started trying to build my credit. Being able to cut costs by living at home has allowed me to save more than I spend.

While I was living in New York City, I definitely didn't get outside as much as I wanted to. Working a 9-5 job in Manhattan often meant that the only time I spent outside was walking to and from the subway, surrounded by towering skyscrapers and not a patch of grass in sight.

Even on the weekends, I frequented shopping centers and East Village restaurants and bars more than my local parks.

Since being home in rural Connecticut, I've gotten outside at least once per day. My parents' house, which sits on a stretch of farmland, is surrounded by green grass, beautiful maple trees, and other natural beauties. I've made an effort to take walks, sit in nature, and even bring my laptop out on the porch to work in the fresh air.

Even after the lockdown is lifted, I want to make a conscious effort to enjoy nature more often.

One of my "quarantine resolutions" was to start drinking a lot more water — one gallon per day, to be exact.

Before starting to work from home, I admit that I hardly ever drank water during the day. I was much more apt to grab a Diet Coke from one of Insider's many soda fridges or pour myself cup after cup of office coffee.

The end result was me feeling extremely dehydrated and probably not functioning as effectively as I could.

Since being home, I've tried to drink a gallon of water every day, using this gallon-sized water bottle I got on Amazon. Drinking a gallon of water a day has been said to have a number of health benefits. Though it was a little overwhelming at first, I've since gotten used to drinking so much water and have noticed a positive change in my everyday life.

I have a lot more natural energy and my skin has become a lot clearer. I've also noticed that I'm much less bloated, making me feel more confident in my clothes — even if I'm wearing mainly leggings these days.