With all that’s been happening surrounding the pandemic and the unimaginable boredom from quarantine, you might find yourself asking, “when will everything go back to normal?” While it’s still unclear as to when and even how things will go back to normal, you can start by searching for a new sense of normalcy within your life. I’ll give you a few tips on how to establish a new normal, such as an updated daily routine and being productive from home.
One of the first things to go once stay-at-home orders went out was our routines. Some of us, who are now working from home, may have felt a sense of relief and then withdrawal from their everyday commute and interactions, such as going out for lunch, coffee breaks, and other pieces of their workday routines. Most of us who are students may have found ourselves sleeping well into the afternoon after staying up until the early hours of sunrise, binge-watching Netflix while avoiding assignments as much as possible. While this loss of a routine may be hitting hard now, here are some tips that may be able to help ease you into one.
First, try as hard as you can to wake up and go to bed at the same time each day. You can be a little more lenient on Fridays and Saturdays, but try to avoid staying up past midnight on all other days, as this can knock off your body’s natural clock. I recommend the bedtime setting on iOS since it allows you to track your sleep cycle and reminds you to get ready for sleep one hour before your bedtime. Here is a link to show you how to set it up.
Next, try to take some time off between tasks to get some fresh air. If you have a backyard, walk around a little to destress. If you have a balcony, bring your favorite quarantine drink with you and take a moment to unwind. Along with this tip, don’t start slacking on self-care! I know quarantine has made us think “eh, I don’t need to look good right now,” which is perfectly fine if it makes you feel comfortable, but for some of us, it might help boost our overall mood to light a candle, put on a clay mask, and sit back to listen to some relaxing music. Overall, whichever one of these tips you choose to do, I guarantee that you will at least feel a little better!
Lastly, try to keep as much of your old study or work routine as possible. If you would typically go to the library at 5 o’clock on Tuesdays, then try to recreate that library feeling at home (unless it’s too noisy). If you typically went out for a coffee break at 4 p.m., carry on that tradition! I know recreating old routines may be hard for some of us, but try to do as much as you can with what you have. There are endless ways you can incorporate your old routine into your quarantine routine!
Overall, I hope these tips helped you (even a little bit)! The quarantine will eventually come to an end, but for now, we need to make the best of our current situation and try to stay as positive as possible.