Hey Hoos, we’re on day 11 of quarantine (I’m considering March 11th as the start date, aka the date of The Email™ that sent us all home from college) and I hope you’re surviving. The entire internet and its mother have been reminding us to keep a routine in quarantine (quaroutine?) to avoid spiraling into a deep depression and throes on insanity, but that’s only helpful if you had a routine to begin with. I think it’s safe to say that a healthy and regular day-to-day routine isn’t something super common among college students. What do you even include in a routine inevitably featuring your parents that also resembles your normal college life? Are you going to ice your parents? Turn your living room into Boylan on a Saturday night and then cry in the basement on Sunday pretending it’s Clem 1? No, this routine thing is tough. After 11 days of thinking about it, I’ve come up with a list of things to incorporate into our lives now that we’re living in the beginning chapters of a dystopian novel. These work for my quaroutine and I encourage you to brainstorm other ways to take care of yourself that best fit you!
- Wake up and go to sleep at the same time every day as you would at school.
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I hate to break it to you, but staying up until 3 am every night playing Animal Crossing isn’t going to do wonders for your mental health. Even if that’s what you do at school (which is a bad idea), it’s even more important to take care of yourself now than ever, which necessitates a regular sleep schedule.
- Make your bed.
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The thought process here is that if you make your bed, you’re less likely to get back in it and nap all day.
- Don’t skip meals.
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I don’t care if you skip breakfast at school, you have no excuse now that you’re not running out the door to go to class. You can eat during class! Eating meals and snacks throughout the day gives you consistent energy without weird crashes or periods of extreme hangriness (which is important to avoid to prevent lashing out at your sibling for breathing near you).
- Take your meds.
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This totally ties into the sleep and eating schedule. If I wake up later than usual, my mealtimes get thrown off. Because I take my medicine with food, I’ve been forgetting to take my meds on time. If you’re like me, you feel like your brain doesn’t work without your meds, so it’s important to take them if you want to get through the day.
- Set up a clean workspace and DO NOT WORK IN BED.
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Unearth your old desk from high school that’s most likely now covered in clothes and a random piece of paper or find another dedicated spot in your house that you can work at. Preferably pick a place with natural light and a relatively clean background, for purposes of your new enrollment at Zoom University. Do not, and I cannot stress this enough, work in bed. First of all, laying in bed all day will make you stiff and uncomfortable. It’ll also make you just want to sleep instead of doing any work. Wait, I hear a ringing. Who’s that? Oh, its depression calling! It thinks you should work from your bed! Don’t do it.
- Get ready as usual.
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I usually wear a t-shirt and jeans to class, but I enjoy makeup and do it every day. To keep a bit of normalcy, I’ve continued to do that in quarantine. Even just a ~light dewy~ (read: greasy) look still makes me feel good about myself throughout the day. Don’t stay in your pajamas all day, it’ll just make you want to go back to sleep.
- Keep up with your planner.
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You might not have as many club meetings or office hours now, but continue to keep a planner or to-do list to stay on top of things. It doesn’t feel like it, but we’re still technically in school. On the same vein as planners, make sure to update your Google calendars and syllabi with new due dates now that a lot of things have been shifted. I’m mainly putting this in here as a reminder for myself to do this. Hot girl summer? More like Smart Quarantine Semester. We’re not letting our grades drop just because we’re trapped with our parents for 3 months (but also, take advantage of that pass/fail if you want/need! I don’t know about y’all, but I’ll need it).
- Keep tidy.
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A messy room stresses me out and keeps me from being productive, and I know I’m not alone in feeling that way. Even though the world might be ending, keep doing your laundry and putting away your clothes. A tidy room and workspace will keep you a little saner in this weird time.
- Yes, you should help with chores.
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Yeah, it’s annoying, but living at home probably means you have to help with chores again. Think of it this way: you have to do your dishes and laundry at school, so what’s the difference between that and doing it at home? While your parents are hopefully happy to have you home, it’s a change for them too. Helping out around the house (and not picking fights about it) is just a nice and mature way to help everyone in adjusting to your life at home.
- Make a quarantine bucket list!
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We have no idea how long this is going to last, so we might as well have some fun with it! Make a list of all of the things you’ve been wanting to do at school but never felt like you had the time. My list includes things like painting, finishing an embroidery project I’ve been working on for almost a year, Marie Kondo-ing my stuff, writing letters to my friends and relatives, calling my grandparents more often, learning new TikTok dances, etc. I’m excited to do some fun stuff from home; even though we still have the same classes, it feels like I’ve got a ton of free time now.
- Create a skincare routine.
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If you don’t already have one, this would be a fun time to try taking care of your skin! Let’s be honest, your once-over wipe of a Stridex pad isn’t doing much for you. Also, it’s not like you’re going outside much, so you don’t have to worry about something interacting weird with the sun and giving you a rash.
- Go outside.
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I know I just said you won’t be going outside much, but try to get at least a big of Vitamin D. I don’t mean actually go outside and interact, but sitting on the porch, hanging out on your front steps, or even just opening the window are all great ways to go outside while staying safe. You could also try taking your dog for a walk, but don’t interact with your neighbors (for both COVID-19 related reasons and also to avoid the “Oh, you’re home! How’s college? How are the grades? Meet any boys? Are you sad about being home? Happy to see your parents?” interrogation).
- Manage your screen time.
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This is a tip from my professor. She told us that it’s important to make sure you’re making time out of the day to step away from your laptop to get out of work mode. Even if you’re just watching YouTube videos, your brain might start to associate school and stress with your laptop now that classes are online, regardless of what you’re doing on the computer. It’s also just a generally good idea to not stare at a screen all day.
- Reach out to old friends.
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One thing I’ve been enjoying about quarantine is that I’ve been talking to some of my closest friends from high school that I grew apart from while in college. It’s been so fun to catch up and see how they’re doing. FaceTime is truly doing the Lord’s work right now.
- DO NOT GIVE YOURSELF BANGS.
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As someone who has had bangs her entire life, I am begging you, do not cut your bangs out of boredom or quarantine impulsivity. I love my bangs but this is not the time to do it, because your cabin fever will be working the scissors, not your brain. That being said, I’m going to have to learn how to trim my bangs (a skill I should probably have by now) because I’m not trying to go through the weird growing out phase while also dealing with a potential apocalypse.