Ponderings by Justine

Surviving Quarantine

When I first heard the news that there was a rampant virus loose and we would all have to stay at home to keep safe, I felt a strange sense of relief. I’m sure many of you felt the same way. I mean, two weeks to sleep in, clean my room and binge Netflix seemed like a great way to recuperate and then come back anew. What started like two weeks of relaxation (going for walks, planning outfits I didn’t actually need to go out in, and watching mindless dramas) has now developed into a seemingly never-ending feeling of boredom and isolation. So, what can we do about this? To be perfectly honest, I don’t really know how to completely curb the feelings of frustration that come from being stuck inside the same four walls for weeks. However, I do have some tips to help ease the burden.

  1. Call your friends! Seriously, I feel 100 times better every single time I pick up the phone and dial-up a friend. A lot of people have been telling me that they feel like they’re losing their social skills and their ability to interact with other human beings, so calling friends is definitely a solution to this as well as boredom.
  2. Write in a journal. I’ve always been the type of person to keep a journal, but lately, I’ve been journaling daily. Most of the time, I have nothing to write about. To me, a journal is just an outlet to flush out all the thoughts or stressors bouncing around in my head. It’s a part of my routine now, and I like having a structure to my day. That brings me to the next point…
  3. Set a general routine. One of the biggest challenges to the pandemic is that our former routines have been largely disrupted. We can’t go to school or work as we used to, and that can be disorienting. Set a structure for yourself, whether it be journaling at night before you go to sleep or going for an early morning walk every weekend. Having some sort of foundation for your days definitely keeps you feeling more content and also more productive.
  4. Don’t binge an entire show in a day. Seriously. It’s incredibly difficult to pace yourself when you finally find a show you absolutely adore. A good series is hard to find, so don’t watch it all at once. That being said, I am literally so guilty of this. HAHA.
  5. Meditate. Yeah, I never saw myself as someone who’d enjoy meditation, but it’s truly very relaxing. When you are feeling particularly unproductive or stressed, a five-minute meditation is a great way to relax and reset.

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