We’re weeks into the quarantine now and by this point, most people have either settled into a groove and gotten used to it, or are experiencing major cabin fever. I’ve been able to somewhat enjoy staying indoors but I know there are many people where this is the first time in a long, long time that have had to be at home for days, let alone weeks. I’m a homebody, but even I’ve had moments of irritation and restlessness where all I’ve wanted to do is rewind time, relive normality, and savour each moment. Sadness and anxiety are the two big ones that get to me, and it’s been a real test to see how I manage myself and keep going. But if I’ve learnt anything it’s that we humans are resilient, and adapt to whatever life throws at us, which is exactly what I’ve slowly been able to do. I thought today I’d share some of the things I’ve learnt along the way, and hopefully give you a few ideas on how to lessen the strain on your minds and keep your spirits lifted if you’re feeling blue.
News, news, news
The number one thing that I noticed made a complete difference to my daily mood was decreasing my intake of the news. Rather than waking up and checking the numbers and news cycle first thing in the morning, and incessantly throughout the day, I give myself a limited allocated amount of time once a day to just read through what’s happening and keep up to date. There’s a difference between keeping informed and loading your mind with so much news that it feels like it’s been dragged through the mud. I found myself getting so upset by what’s going on, that it made it harder to keep positive about quarantining and being productive. So, first thing I tell anyone that needs a little pick-me-up right now is to stop watching so much news. Now more than ever, keeping a healthy mind and spirit is key to getting us through these times and the aim is to come out of it in one piece, and not deteriorated by all the non-stop information.
Routine
There’s something inexplicably magical and transformative about having a daily routine. For me, I focus on having morning and evening before-bed rituals that soothe my mind and keep me positive and relaxed. I start my day with a cup with ginger or lemon tea with honey, and my favourite breakfast at the moment: jam on toast. I put on some music, enjoy the process of putting everything together and finally, enjoy the fruits of my labour on the balcony with the sun shining down on me. I’ll also send some ‘good morning’ messages to my loved ones and spread/receive some virtual love. It’s those small little moments that still manage to spark up my insides and get me excited about my day.
For the middle part, I’ll make a short list of things I want to do that day. I say short because a) let’s be realistic about how much we can get done in a day i.e. don’t start adding a million things on the to-do list just because it’s quarantine and then get bummed when it’s 10pm and you’ve only done two things, the key is to make yourself feel better; and b) it’s probably smarter to be stretching out our to-do lists during these times – the less on the to-do list today, the more on the to-do list tomorrow. In the evening, there’s nothing I enjoy more than my winding-down routine. I turn on my night-light, put on some Friends in the background and start getting ready for bed. A nightly skin routine is also something I very much look forward to. These basic, small, little rituals have helped me get excited in the mornings, and be grateful and feel relaxed at the end of the day.
And although these simple routines are by no means magical formulations to anything, I have to say that they really do spark joy for me. Find those little things and incorporate them into some sort of daily routine – what’s going to get you out of bed in the morning and excited about your day? What’s going to soothe your mind and make you feel like you have something to look forward to? Find those little things, whether it be a song, a favourite food, being in a specific area of the house, a little jog around your block or garden – find them and place them in your everyday. You never know, you must just feel some magic in the peace that they bring.
New task a day
Piggy-backing off the daily routine - creating one new task a day that I can look forward to has been something I’ve also been trying to focus on. Again, it’s all very basic but it truly has changed my attitude day on day. I think the effect of having the routine/ to-do list and the new task a day is that, despite being in isolation, you still feel productive. You still feel like this time is not being wasted. Yes, we’re indoors. Yes, we can’t see other people, but this time can still be used somehow and it doesn’t have to suck. Try to come up with one new task a day, and save your favourite ones for the weekend. Some examples of mine include cooking a new recipe, trying a new work-out on different days, reading part of my book or even starting a new book, watching an episode of a series or a new movie, calling different friends on each day, having a deep cleaning day, a laundry day, a shopping day – there are so many different things you can allocate, and one to each day makes it feel like you still ticked something off, and something different to the previous day.
You’ve still got it
Another example of a new task can be dressing up like you normally would when you’ve made plans. Dress up, put some make-up on, make yourself a nice meal, and get on a Zoom call with some friends that you’ve pre-planned to talk over dinner or watch a movie. Enjoy the night in this different setting, and remember that at any time you can look and feel incredible by just getting out of the PJs you’ve been living in and into your favourite outfit for example. If it’s not an outfit, maybe it’s putting on jewellery, maybe it’s painting your nails. Whatever it is, the aim is to try making certain days special – if you’re calling friends, make it a girl’s movie/drinks night, if you’re in a relationship calling your partner, make it a date night every week. They’re small things that used to be part of our lives before, but we can still feel the magic of those nights if the perspective slightly shifts so that new memories can still be made.
Miscellaneous
If you’re lacking in ideas for entertainment – I’ve put together a list of shows and movies you can get yourselves engrossed in, that have successfully distracted me and made the hours fly by. For books, our blog posts cover some amazing reads if you’re looking for some inspiration on what to delve into next. If you watch/have watched/enjoyed any of the following, let us know so we can discuss!
Series
Tiger King – it seems like this is the quarantine go-to documentary. If you want a crazy story of pure entertainment and shock factor, definitely start with Tiger King.
Unorthodox – another series that has been thriving during quarantine. Definitely on my to-watch list.
Ozark – also on my to-watch list. All I hear are crazy rave reviews about it so going to add to my new task a day soon.
Money Heist – season four came out so it was time to binge.
Friends – no words needed. This classic, feel-good sitcom will never get old and will forever feel like a warm cup of hot cocoa – soothing and warm.
Love Is Blind
Too Hot to Handle – these last two are guilty pleasures, trash TV that successfully entertains and keep your eyes glued to the screen. Light-hearted and funny – definitely recommend if you’re looking for an escape.
Movies
I’ve been on a new project of re-watching old childhood movies for some major nostalgia! I recently re-watched Harry Potter, and did one movie a day. Once I finished that, I moved onto The Hunger Games, which again gave me a movie a day to look forward to. I’ve been enjoying the movie-series genre a lot, especially while watching with a friend whose just as committed to the routine. Re-watching feel-good movies is also a favourite pastime, and some examples include:
Eat Pray Love
Julie & Julia
Someone Great
I Feel Pretty
He’s Just Not That Into You.
Mindset
The aim of all these little things is to ultimately switch your mindset and forget what quarantine day it is. It’s to help you escape, even for just a little bit. And hopefully over time, your mindset will switch to one of optimism and purpose. Remind yourself that although this may be the ‘new normal’ – a phrase I’ve been hearing too much recently – it will pass. Everything is temporary and time keeps on ticking, and it will keep doing that until this is all behind us. Remember that, and take comfort in that thought – that this is not our forever. The world has gone through global wars, famines, multiple diseases, dictators, recessions, more recessions, depressions, and believe it or not, pandemics that have killed millions across the globe. This current situation has taken us all by such surprise because time has passed and those phases have ended, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t happen. They did and humans got through them. They did, and humans survived, and thrived, and created the world that we live in now. Try thinking of the bigger picture – the giant cleanse this is all forcing us to have, the deep, huge, very needed breathe our planet is taking and has been longing to take for decades now. And let’s not forget the blessing of technology – something our ancestors didn’t have when going through any of the above. We are all connected, we are all going through it as one, and no matter how bad it gets – this too shall pass.
- REEM INK
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