10 Tips To Thrive During The Quarantine - By Erin Harings LPC
By Erin Harings
Carpe Diem. Seize the day! Let’s seize this quarantine opportunity and come out the other side stronger. Use it as a time to thrive instead of just getting by or surviving. Don’t get me wrong, this is hard. It is a global pandemic that affects every one of our personal lives. Hellen Keller once said, Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.
Here are some tips I’ve gathered from all of you over the last couple weeks (hasn’t it been longer?!) of being home.
1.Take care of the ones you love
This is the the most important tip. I’m sure you might even be quarantined in the same house with the ones you love.
Be nice to them.
Help each other through this.
Safely take care of each other if they are sick.
Call and check up on your mom and dad, siblings, grandparents, friends, neighbors ect… Tell them you love them.
2. Get A Routine
Your routine is what has changed the most for many of you. You may be working from home now, not working at all, having kiddos home, trying to home school or all of the above! Readjusting and making a new routine for your new normal can make a big difference. This is your life now (at least for another month or more).
Get dressed and at least somewhat ready in the mornings. If you want to keep on the stretchy pants or pajama pants and look professional or put together on top that works!
Designated mealtimes can nicely break up the day.
Have a set working time when you want to be done with work or schoolwork so it doesn’t overtake your entire day.
Get up in the mornings and start your day. Set an alarm if you have to. Don’t roll out of bed at noon and stare at your phone for an hour.
3. Set A Goal
Do a workout challenge. I know there are also so many virtual workout challenges and programs right now. My personal goal is to up my step game, to 10,000 steps a day.
Learn to cook. Try out that new Instant Pot or Air Fryer you got for Christmas or work your way through a cookbook you have. Try out a new recipe you found online.
Take an e-course.
Learn something new on YouTube (like how to paint, draw, woodwork, fix your car, knit, start a blog ect…)
4. Make Your Environment Pleasing
You are literally staying in the same place 24/7; make it a place you want to be. Or at least one that doesn’t make you anxious or depressed by being so cluttered or untidy.
Give your plants some much needed love.
If you find yourself working from home suddenly, make sure you have a dedicated place to work. Set yourself up a work station you enjoy being at, maybe even with a plant!
Open your curtains and blinds to let natural light in.
Clean your house, take care of the clutter or junk piles.
5. Do Things
Do things from your to-do list that you’ve never gotten to or new opportunities!
Spring clean, clear out that closet, de-clutter (check out the Joy of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix).
Fix broken things around the house, paint a room, rearrange or redecorate your bedroom.
Plant some seeds.
Do yard work, get those garden beds ready for your seeds! Clean up the old foliage, trim back some branches.
Read the books you’ve been wanting to.
Go fishing.
6. Take Care Of Yourself; Mentally, Physically And Spiritually
Don’t stop listening to your podcasts, music, or audio books! Many of us are in the habit of listening to them in the car or at the gym but since we aren’t doing much of that anymore, listen to them while you clean or workout at home.
Get outside EVERYDAY if you can. Go for walks or runs. Sit on a deck or balcony for a different view.
Go for a drive, just to see what the world looks like. Explore some roads you’ve never been down.
Go to church online and listen to sermons on Youtube.
Keep your mind busy, don’t let it get too bored. If all you are doing is binge watching shows, your mind is bored.
Eat healthy. The better you eat the better you will feel physically and mentally.
Schedule in time to spend alone. We all need some time to refresh. Some need more time alone then others, but make it happen.
7. Connect With People
HouseParty - a fun video app you can talk to your friends and play games with on the screen.
Zoom
Facetime
Write letters (old fashioned, put in the mailbox letters).
Text people to check in on them.
Have conversations with the people you live with. Play games together. Invest in that relationship.
Make care packages for neighbors or those needing a little extra help and put it on their front steps. Or make an Amazon care package and mail it to them.
8. Manage Your Money
What a perfect time to cut out unneeded expenses. I know we went down to driving only one car during the quarantine because only one of us is driving to work at a time. We also aren’t eating out as much as we did or stopping to pick up snacks at gas stations.
Cancel one of your TV subscriptions.
Sell some things on Ebay (its free to list right now).
Take advantage of all the free media out there right now.
Learn to budget and start paying off some debt. (Free budgeting website here)
Look into stocks (and learn about investing if you haven’t already). I hear this may be a good time to buy some. (I just downloaded this app to buy stocks)
9. Limit Media Exposure
Too much media of the pandemic coverage will mess with your head. It’s a lot of negative input into your thought life.
Have designated times you check the news and check it less. Maybe check the headlines each morning and then don’t look until the next morning. I recommend checking it even less then daily, but you have to start somewhere.
If you feel out of the loop, ask your loved ones to update you every so often instead of turning to your phone or TV.
Know you aren’t missing anything. We are all in quarantine for at least another month.
10. Stay Positive
Sure there are a lot of not great things happening in the world right now, like a pandemic… but there are a lot more good. Take a look around you right now; are you healthy … Are your loved ones healthy… Do you have a safe place to be .. Do you have Internet .. TV … Food … Coffee :) … Toilet paper…?
Your thoughts matter! What you think will affect your emotions. Click here for your free download to discover your thinking traps and see if you are getting stuck with your thoughts.
Focus on what you have control of; which includes all of the above. You don’t have control over this pandemic.
Disclaimer
Don’t feel like you have to do all of these tips to thrive during this quarantine. Some have more time then others. But if you find yourself getting anxious or depressed during quarantine, it’s time to do some adjusting.
Do you have any other tips that have worked for you?
Erin Harings is a licensed therapist in Mystic, CT. She can be found at www.erinharings.com and @erinharingslpc on Instagram