23 ways to not only survive but to thrive in quarantine
Just under a week ago everyone’s life in the tristate area changed. Our federal government stated that the coronavirus or covid19, is extremely dangerous and spreads like rapid fire from person to person. To avoid further spreading they began by banning events and gatherings of 250 people or more, then it dropped to 50 people and then to 10 in just a matter of days. By the time the weekend arrived we were slapped with a 15 day shutdown, meaning the only places to remain open will be essential businesses, ie grocery stores, pharmacies, medical facilities etc. Some people, like myself are unable to work from home. I work in a medical facility doing facial treatments ie. Facials, chemical peels, microneedling, Dermaplaning, microdermabrasion etc. As of right now my position is on hold until the coronavirus stops spreading and we have this devastating illness under control. I’ll admit I had my fair share of mental breakdowns, I think when something like this occurs it’s bizarre not to freak out a little. Currently everything is unknown, we don’t know when things will settle down, we don’t know when we will flatten the curve, the unknown is what causes someone like me down this crippling anxiety ridden hole of fear. It’s scary to think we may not be up and running for awhile and the amount of money that’s being lost daily, and social gatherings that keep us sane are cancelled until further notice. I think it’s easy for people to automatically think of themselves in a time like this, what about “my birthday” or my “Friends wedding” but to have to be afraid of being in the grocery store because someone next to you may have this horrific virus that is claiming the lives of thousands of people all over the world and hospitalizing thousands more, is terrifying. I fear for my grandpa and my parents who have to attend the grocery store during specific hours because sadly covid 19 can make people over the age of 60 extremely ill or worse. Not being in the same room as my parents with the thought that i could possibly be caring the virus is another scary thought, but anyway that’s not what this post is about, it’s about being hopeful and positive in time when life around us may not be either of those things.
But as Charles Swindoll once stated, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” So let’s take advantage of this situation and do what we can until we can get back to any kind of normalcy. Check out the 23 tips on how to not only survive but thrive during quarantine below:
Start a routine: best thing to do right now is to not get too lazy. Set an alarm so you don’t spend so much time in bed in the morning. Try to stick to a similar schedule when you were at work, because if we’re lucky to be back at work in a few weeks it’ll be torturous waking up at 6am again when you’re sleeping til noon. Not saying to wake at 6am but maybe aim for 8.
Exercise: the number 1 excuse people give as to why they don’t exercise or why they can’t exercise is because they don’t have the time. Welp, now you have literally all the time. There are tons of people giving free workouts live on Instagram and Facebook and you can also find tons of videos on YouTube. Also if it’s a nice day out go for a walk—-keep your distance from people—-but soak up some vitamin d and move your body, it’s not only great for your body but amazing for your mind and soul.
Read: another excuse as to why people don’t read books anymore is because of time. To avoid laying around watching television all day long, read a book. Expand your mind and knowledge by learning new things.
Cook: now is the time to learn new recipes or perfecting old ones. Remaining as healthy as possible is also a necessity as well. Cook good, wholesome foods it’s amazing how eating healthy can actually make you feel really good both mentally and physically.
Clean: scrub your entire house down from top to bottom. It’s been studied that living in a clutter free, clean living space helps calm anxiety.
Organize: once you do your usual cleaning for the week do some spring cleaning. Reorganize your closets or bedroom.
Rearrange furnitures right work on a home project: move things around in your house, change things up a bit. Maybe paint or if you’re handy work on a project for the house that you’ve been putting off.
Practice good hygiene: make sure you’re still showering daily especially if exercising and brushing your teeth twice a day or more. Continue with your regular skincare routine.
Try out a new look: practice with your makeup, play with colors you normally wouldn’t wear. Braid your hair differently or trying curling it or straightening it.
Wash everything: aside from the regular laundry, throw in your curtains and blankets and anything you haven’t washed recently. If it’s a nice day out, hang them outside to dry.
Play games: if you’re lucky enough to be quarantined with someone have a game night. If you have any old board games hanging around or even if you have a deck of cards, spend the night doing something other than watching tv.
Learn a new language: duolingo is a free app that helps you learn a language. I’ve been attempting to learn Italian for years through this app but now with all this time, I hope to be a lot further along in my lessons.
Write: journaling is amazing for the mind. Write about how you’re feeling, how you’re handling the situation or write about something to take your mind off of everything. Write a script or a short story.
Learn a new craft: have any yarn or fabric lying around at home, there are tons of tutorials and videos on how to sew or knit or crochet, take up crafting.
Scrapbooking: if sewing or knitting isn’t your thing maybe try scrapbooking or putting all your old photos from high school or college in albums or frames.
Spa Day: do a mani-pedi on yourself or give yourself an at home facial
Take an online course: some colleges are offering free online courses. Yale offers a free course entitled ”the science of wellbeing” which allows anyone to take it, and if you pay $49 it allows you to complete assignments, submit them for a grade and earn a certification of completion at the end.
Watch old movies: find films from a different era or genre then you’re used to, find films that won best picture oscars from the 40s or 50s or films that may not have won but are highly rated as some of the best in history.
Watch documentaries: whether it be on people or events checkout some documentaries, I know Netflix always have a ton of them.
Binge a new series: get engrossed in a new show. After Schitt’s Creek I began watching The Sopranos and now being half way through that I plan on going back to a short sitcom show to binge just to change things up.
FaceTime friends and family: being quarantined especially if it’s just you or just you and your significant other with no job to go to everyday can get very lonely, check in on your friends and family. Zoom or FaceTime daily or every few days to just say hi.
Play with your pets: your pets must be freaking out that you’re now home all day everyday, take advantage of the time with them and be sure to play and snuggle as much as you can. Hang out in your backyard and run around with them.
Teach: if you have children now is the time to take advantage of teaching them things they may never learn until they’re forced to. Depending on their age teach them to cook, or clean, or do laundry, teach them how to do taxes or how to change a tire.
Everything currently is on hold. The summer Olympics have been postponed until next year, people’s weddings, birthday parties and baby/bridal showers have been cancelled or postponed. The universe is telling us to slow down, enjoy this time with family or friends depending on who you’re quarantined with, and to not take our jobs and/or our normal routines for granted, should things go back to normal in the next few weeks.
How are you keeping busy during this time? Nothing will help other than staying home and social distancing please share your quarantined ideas!
“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”