How to Survive Quarantine Positively

I know my last post about the virus was rather dim, so I am here to offset that with some slightly more positive views on the whole global pandemic, everyone is quarantined thing. Below I have outlined some steps and ideas to stay on track with life while also maintaining some semblance of positivity.

Establish a routine. This may sound a little ridiculous since you are working/unemployed from home right now, but the best way to keep yourself feeling like you are moving forward and not going insane is to establish a routine. When you are working in the outside world or going to classes on a campus every day, you probably have some kind of schedule you’re working with. Try and go to bed around the same time, wakeup around the same time, and schedule things throughout your day as you would at work or school. Plan out meals, workouts, cleaning, things like that. It will help you feel like you have control.

Get ready. Again, seems silly if you will just be at home all day but it will help you feel prepared to get things done for the day. If you stay in your pajamas or sweat pants all day long, the easier it will be for you to get back into bed and accomplish nothing. Plus, there is some psychology behind the idea of getting dressed helping people to feel less anxious. And more productive. If you have work or school you need to get through in the day, get up and put on real clothes, and real makeup and do your hair. You’ll feel overall more productive.

Go outside. Seriously even a couple of minutes of fresh air and sunshine will solve so much. Even if it is opening your door and standing outside of it for just a few minutes will make all the difference in the world. Vitamin D is the cure-all for all things, and quite literally helps with anxiety and depression. So get outside, maybe even go for a walk if you are allowed to leave your house.

Work out. This doesn’t have to be any crazy kind of workout, but if you can get your body moving, it will help with stress. There are millions of free videos you can follow on Youtube, and so many people are offering Instagram Live workout classes as well. Stay moving! Your mind will appreciate it.

Connect with other people. Just because you can’t physically go see your friends or family, doesn’t mean that you should become a hermit. FaceTime and Skype are wonderful inventions that you really should be utilizing. Even if you are an introvert (me) you still need human connection to keep ya going. So FaceTime some friends for happy hour, get coffee and chat, whatever you need to do maintain a connection to others.

Relax. I know everyone is talking about self-care during this time, but it is something we can all focus on. There is no need to be overly productive during this time if you just need to take a break. Whatever your reasoning, just let yourself take a breather. Watch some Netflix, read that book you haven’t had time for until now, catch up on podcasts while you face mask, take a bubble bath, paint, write, anything you can do to simply enjoy yourself and take time for yourself. Do not add any extra pressure to yourself to do anything crazy and just let yourself take a break. Nothing wrong with that.

I hope you enjoyed this post slightly more than the unemployment post, but I felt both were necessary to write and give space to. There is so much uncertainty right now that it is important that we control what we can and make sure we are honoring exactly where we are at. Hopefully, this helped a little bit! Drop any other tips and tricks you have for being quarantined in the comments below!

Stay safe everyone.

Madey