There seems to be a strange paradox surrounding the way we think as we muddle through our new COVID-infested world: while it often seems that the virus is all we ever think about, we also spend very little time considering what it would be like if it happened to us directly. That is to say, even though we wear a mask every day and hear about rising cases on the nightly news, it all still seems pretty far away. We tell ourselves, “Oh, it won’t happen to me.” My friends and I had certainly believed that if we kept our heads down and followed all the rules, Miss Rona would simply pass us by.
Yet, now I find myself sitting on the floor of an empty quarantine apartment, eating cold potatoes from a plastic to-go box and really wishing I had access to a coffee to make writing this article go by faster.
When I received the contact-tracing call a couple of days ago and my plans for the next two weeks flew out the window, I felt like I had been hit by a truck. I wasn’t prepared at all and hadn’t given any thought as to what might be in store for me over the next two weeks. So, in the spirit of sharing, here is some of the advice I wish I would have received prior to going into quarantine.
1. Don’t worry about packing light.
Our school had advised us to bring the bare minimum for our 14-day stay; do not listen to them! Two weeks is a really long time, so bring whatever is going to keep you the most comfortable—even if it seems like a nuisance to the campus safety officers who help you move. YOU are the one being locked up for a while, not them! Depending on whether you’ll have access to laundry, you might want to bring a lot of clothes, because wearing the same shirt every day will certainly not help with the quarantine blues. A good rule of thumb is that if you’re considering bringing it at all, and have room for it, just bring it—I can guarantee that you won’t regret it.
2. Having a ton of free time does NOT mean you will magically become more productive.
In fact, my friends and I have found that our homework is taking more time instead of less, and it’s extremely discouraging. Time seems to go by differently when you’re stuck in one place, so it’s important to be prepared and set aside plenty of extra time for studying. You’ll thank yourself later when you’re low on motivation!
3. Make yourself get up and move as often as possible.
Quarantine seems to follow the law of inertia; that is, a person who lays around in bed all day will continue to lay in bed all day. Lack of movement simply breeds tiredness, so it’s crucial to force yourself to be as active as possible. We recommend spontaneous dance parties!
4. Find ways to stay connected with people.
Luckily, we’re far enough into this pandemic that we’ve mostly figured out how to keep in touch with people virtually; however, being in actual quarantine is an entirely different animal than “quarantine” in March. Save for your roommate(s), you’re completely isolated, so it’s more important than ever to interact with people and take care of your relationships. Get creative; we played Just Dance and Among Us over Google Meet with our friends and family!
5. Create your own fun.
While quarantine is obviously not ideal, you don’t have to spend the whole time feeling miserable and sorry for yourself—have fun with it! You’re in a new place, having a (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime experience. Make sure you leave with some wacky stories to tell! In the few days we’ve been here so far, we might have laughed even more than usual, simply because it’s too ridiculous of a situation to not make fun of ourselves!