Society has taken a stand still as we all navigate through life during Covid-19. Figuring out how to go to school online, move back home, and be away from friends has been a hard transition, but we are all in this together. Here are a few ways to keep yourself busy while in quarantine.
- Create A Routine
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Creating a routine has been the most helpful for me during these strange times making it number one. In the beginning of quarantine my sleep and eating schedules were all thrown off. If you are doing online school right now a huge help for me is going to my classes on their normally scheduled times even if they were previously recorded and posted online. I have tried to model my days as if I were still on campus to keep myself in school mode as best as possible. Planning your day the night before can make your days feel productive, and limits feeling bored or lost.
- Exercise
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It might be hard to get yourself motivated to exercise when you can’t go to the gym or attend classes, but staying active inside is totally possible. Exercising is a great way to reduce stress and anxiety while boosting your mood. Many big names in fitness such as Dogpound, Nike trainor Kirsty Godso, Rumble Boxing, Bandier, and Lululemon are all offering live classes on their Instagram pages. I have been making it a goal to exercise for thirty minutes everyday and I have been doing Sami Clarke’s live workouts everyday. On days where the weather is nice I try to get outside to get some fresh air and sunshine while maintaining social distancing guidelines.
- Stay Connected
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Quarantine has made it impossible to see friends in person, but thankfully with technology we can still keep in touch. A good idea is to schedule weekly facetimes or zoom meetings to make time to hangout with your friends and check in with everyone because texting doesn’t always suffice. Have a movie night with friends, have a game night, or workout with each other over zoom. Making time to check in with family members is also very important. My family and I had a zoom birthday party for my cousin recently, and we all had fun seeing one another and talking. Staying in touch with friends and family helps us not feel alone during these times and it is important to stick together to get through this.
- Read
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During the school year I always wanted to take more time to read, but I found myself with little free time to sit down and read. Now has been the perfect time to start reading a lot more. A great way to read and interact with others is virtual book clubs. I have joined Kaia Gerber’s (Cindy Crawford’s daughter) bookclub, and every Friday she hosts an Instagram live to discuss each book. An interesting read I have started recently is Lena Dunham’s book Verified Strangers. Her book is all online and each day she posts a new chapter on Vogue. Dunham’s book takes the path that the reader’s decide since she posts a poll on her Instagram after each chapter to decide what will happen next. Reading allows you to escape for a little while and get out of your head making it a great way to fill your time in quarantine.
- Self Care
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These times can be scary and difficult to navigate for everyone and it is important to step back and check in with yourself often. Remind yourself that any feelings you are having right now are valid. Self care comes in different forms for different people. Some turn to relaxing by taking a bath and putting on a face mask. For others self care might be journaling or producing art. A good activity to try for those who like to journal is to try Margot Lee’s quarantine journal. Everyday she posts a new prompt on her Instagram, and by the end you have created a time capsule for this time in our lives. Another form of self care is taking care of your body by filling it with nutritious foods and meditation. Right now is a perfect time to experiment in the kitchen and try some recipes you didn’t have the time to try out before. I have tried to start meditating when I wake up to create a positive mindset for the day ahead of me.