Quarantine. We may have all heard this word before but it’s never been more relevant than in 2020. I think a lot of us thought that we would be in “quarantine” for a few months, but now that it’s been about 7 months we are realizing this isn’t going to be over anytime soon. I know that many of us miss our old lives and the old way of living pre-covid times but we are in this situation now and all we can do is put our best foot forward living in these times. Today, I wanted to write a blog post sharing some ideas of how to make the best of what seems to be a never ending “quarantine” time.
Set a Routine but… make sure to change things up. Ok so, If you’ve read any of my other blogs you know I am a routine girl! I like to have routines set up for pretty much anything in my life, whether it be school, work, working out, personal life, you name it. At the beginning of this quarantine, I lived by my routine and it was the one thing I felt I had control over. Now, I still live by it and think that it is super important but, I do think that even if you have an established routine, you should switch things up because if you don’t, you’ll probably get burned out.
Get outside and enjoy nature. This one has been super essential for me! I’ve always loved nature but between working a full-time 8 to 5 job and having a 40 min commute to and from work, getting outside wasn’t the most ideal for me during the week. During the week I would usually come home, change and head straight to the gym but I feel that I unconsciously longed for feeling the fresh evening air (when it’s not super hot) and taking in different sceneries outside in nature. Since we’ve been in quarantine, (and when it’s not super hot and sticky outside) I try to spend my evenings either out on a walk or riding my bicycle around the neighborhood. I even found a local walking trail with the most beautiful trees and plants that just fill my soul! If you haven’t implemented or tried this I highly suggest you do.
Start a hobby. Have you ever been in a situation where someone asks you what your hobbies are and you don’t quite know what to say? Well, I can see that it is hard to have a bunch of spare time for hobbies when you are consumed with working, school, family and just the craziness of everyday life. One of the positive things of living through this quarantine is that a lot of us have time that we didn’t have before so why not invest it in taking up a hobby or doing something that you’ve always been interested in doing but never really had the time to do. In my case, I started my blog and also am now starting to implement “reading for fun.” In terms of reading, I am currently reading a book called “The Dirty Girls Club” and will be following that up with a book my boss recommended so long ago (sorry Dr. Anderson) titled “Talking from 9 to 5” by Deborah Tannen.
Journal and make lists. This one is one that I have taken up a lot more during this quarantine. I keep hearing a lot about how this situation has affected and is affecting a lot of people’s mental health. One thing that has helped me tremendously is journaling. This is a way for you to reflect on what you are feeling and it just makes a world of a difference with your feelings in general. Try it and see what you think ?
Create Goals and Work on Them. With it being October, we are down to the last 3 months of the year and if you haven’t done so already, now is the perfect time to create goals for yourself (why wait until the new year?) Write them down and work on them now! Once 2020 comes to an end you’ll feel something positive amidst a not so great year!
So, there you have it. Again, I know that this year has not necessarily been cataloged as the best year, but I feel that we can use the ideas above to make the best of it. Try them and let me know what you think or if you have any other ideas or things to do during this time in quarantine.
Until Next time
XOXO
Marisol
