Positive Outlook on Quarantine!

What a roller coaster we’ve all been on the past few weeks! Or really, months for that matter. This virus has gone from zero to a hundred in what feels like a matter of days. And we are all on a frantic race to the grocery store to stock up on thirty rolls of toilet paper and fifteen bottles wine. Because what else would you possibly need during social distancing?! Grocery store shelves are getting wiped clean, roads are shutting down, and stores are closing. And we’re all in a panic. Because what on earth is going on?! None of us have ever experienced anything like this.

How many of us have been begging for a break from work, a chance to stay home and just do nothing, to finally be able to just chill?? Probably most of us. And now that we have that, it’s not as great as we were all expecting, right? Everyone seems to be getting bored after just the second day of social distancing. Because we don’t like to be told to stay home and do nothing. We want to decide that for ourselves. Am I wrong?

I know we’re all trying to process this whole thing, figuring out what all of this will mean for the foreseeable future, how long this will last… This situation is full of uncertainty. And we as a human race do not like uncertainty. 

Most of Europe is on total lockdown. We, in America are just encouraged to practice social distancing, but we could definitely be heading in the direction of lockdown in the near future. Which can be incredibly scary. This whole situation is scary.

But it can also be a beautiful thing.

Have you taken a second to realize how calm and peaceful the world is right now? It almost feels surreal. The cities are empty, the streets are quiet… It’s all just so peaceful. Who woulda thought this could ever happen?!

Due to this world halt, our planet is thriving. The waters in the canals of Venice are now crystal clear. Animals are now roaming more freely all throughout Asia. The cloud of pollution around China has become almost nonexistent. Mother Nature must be loving this whole shutdown.

And we can too. We just have to have a positive outlook on it. Since I have recently been in both Italy and Spain, there is a high likelihood that I could be carrying the virus. Because of this, my family and I agreed that for the safety of everyone around us, I need to be on a strict quarantine or more like solitary confinement. I am staying in our mother-in-law suite by myself. I am not allowed to get closer than 30 feet to any person. I am only allowed outside if I stay in this one small corner by the door and I thoroughly disinfect it after I leave. And I am not allowed to leave the house at all.

Yall, this is tough! No human contact, no walking more than 2 feet away from the door, no leaving. I can’t even help my mom with all the gardening and house projects she’s working on. I just have to watch and keep her company from a distance. And everyone can wave at me through the windows as they walk by…

This is not what I imagined for my life right now. This time last week, I thought I would be driving my rental car along the beautiful coastline of Spain with some friends I had met in Malaga soaking in that southern Spain sunshine jamming to some Taylor Swift with the windows rolled down.

And yet, I am in Leroy, Louisiana. In a room. By myself. With my backpack still half packed, and my passport sitting on the table, basically staring me down, begging to be taken out on an adventure.

My heart breaks a little every time I look at it.

But then I have to remember that things are only as good as the outlook you have on them. Yes, I am completely heartbroken that my European adventure had to come to an abrupt end. But I am also immensely grateful that I am doing my quarantine here, at home, where I have my family, and my guitar, and Just Dance, and an endless supply of wine and cookie dough (thanks Kacy!). Things could be SO much worse.

I have been staying in touch with the guy I was staying with in Malaga, Spain and he has been saying how the entire city is shut down, no one is allowed to leave their houses except to go to the grocery store. There is a strict curfew, and if anyone is found outside during that time, they will be fined at least 500€. Wow, I would have been miserable there. Before the city shut downs, I had originally wanted to stay in Spain to wait out this whole situation. But after hearing that, I know I made the right decision to come home. No beaches, no gelato, no scooter rentals. Just trapped in a tiny apartment with four people I had just met that week. Yea, I’m glad I’m home.

As sad as I am that I had to end my European adventure earlier than planned, I have had to come to terms with it. This is life and sometimes things happen that are completely out of our control.

If you are having a rough time staying positive during this time of uncertainty and feeling trapped at home, then this post is for you. This time will only be as good as your outlook on it. Here are my suggestions of how to not only get through this quarantine, but how to really love it!

Also, check out this post of all of the products I love that are keeping me occupied and getting me through quarantine!

Do that thing that you’ve been wanting to do, but “never have time” for!

Been wanting to learn German? How about banjo? Baking? Ju jitsu? Web design? Well now’s your time!! One of the greatest benefits of this quarantine is having that free time that you’ve been dying to have! Now that you have it, go do those things that have been on your list forever, but have always  gotten pushed to the side. Now is the time to learn a new language, or a new instrument, or a new skill. The world is your oyster! Well, I guess your apartment is technically your oyster since you can’t really go to the rest of the world right now.

I know it’s super fun and great and entertaining to scroll through facebook or coronavirus memes for 7 hours a day, but don’t let that happen. Don’t waste al of l this beautiful free time on scrolling. You could do something so much more productive, I promise. Don’t take this beautiful blessing of free time for granted. Once all this blows over (however long that takes), don’t be that person that looks back on it with regret knowing you could have used your time in a much more productive way. Challenge yourself. Give yourself at least one goal, one new thing you want to learn how to do during this quarantine and work at it every single day. This shut down could be a blessing in disguise!

Unplug

We all love the internet. We all love our smartphones and our tablets and our laptops and ereaders and gaming systems and whatever other technology that we keep our minds occupied with. But take some time each day to unplug the wifi, to turn off the phones, step away from the laptops… Give yourself a break from technology.

Take that time to sit outside. Drink a glass of wine. Read a book. Draw. Spend quality time with whoever you’re living with without the distractions of technology. We are constantly surrounded by distractions because our world is so active and loud. Which I think is a huge part of why we get bored so easily. Take time to just be present in the moment without distractions. You’ll probably notice things you’ve never noticed before. Like the light shade of green the blades of grass are, or the slight hum your refrigerator makes, or just how the sunlight comes through the window and reflects off that wall just by your bed.

Paying more attention to the world around you can give you a new perspective on the world. Helps you to see things in a new light. Gives you more of an appreciation for the small things. Take some time each day to really unplug and just let yourself be present in the moment right in front of you, and not on your screen.

Video Chat

Pretty much the entire world is in the same boat here. We are all trapped and confused and scared for what’s next. Wouldn’t this be a great time to catch up with all your friends who you’ve maybe lost touch with? What about your Great Aunt Helen who you haven’t talked to in a few months? Maybe your parents? College roommate? We’re all sitting at our houses, probably all starting to get pretty bored and stir crazy, so why not give them a call? They would probably appreciate it a lot and it helps keep both of you out of the pit of boredom.

Ask how they are doing. See how they are handling everything. Ask if they need any support for anything. We are all confused and uncertain and it is always good to have someone to talk to about it all. Be the person who reaches out. We all need someone during this time.

Reflect

I know I’m not the only person in this world who had to change big plans due to this virus. Everyone has things they had planned for the upcoming months. Big trips, weddings, festivals, vacations… All of us have something that’s been either postponed, cancelled, or up in the air. And I know how stressful and heartbreaking that can be. But I fully believe that something good can come out of everything, no matter how bad it may seem. There is beauty in brokenness. I am heartbroken this trip I’ve been dreaming about for years ended so suddenly when I still had at least six more months planned. However, during this quarantine, I’ve had lots of time to reflect on it and work on finding peace in it.

Take this time that you have to really reflect on the beauty that can come out of this chaos. Maybe start a journal. Write down everything you’re feeling. Confusion, frustration, panic, fear, relief, joy, excitement… Everything. Writing is a great way to work out your feelings. To start to understand and unravel the millions of things running through your brain constantly.

If writing isn’t your thing, then try another type of reflection. Maybe try meditation. Sit in a peaceful place with no distractions and listen to some music and just let yourself think. Think about the craziness of this situation, but think about why it’s happening and what good could come out of it. A great way to meditate is through yoga. Really learn to relax both your body and your mind and focus on the positives. Finding the joy in the darkness can help us all to get through this crazy time in our world. And if you have a positive outlook on all of this, you can shed that positivity to those surrounding you and we can all make something beautiful out of this crazy situation.

Do Things that Bring You Joy

I am super blessed to have my mom and my sister in my life. In all of the hecticness of getting home and needing to be in strict solitary confinement for 14 days, they went above and beyond to make sure I would be content during this time. They took the time to stock my quarantine room with my guitar, lots of puzzles, paint, baking supplies, the Wii, and so many other things.

Yes, I am trapped in a house by myself, but at least I have things with me that truly bring me joy. I have spent hours upon end the past few days doing things that truly bring me joy, like spending quality time with my guitar, Luna, working on my Disney puzzles, learning new recipes, and writing.

Find things that truly bring you joy. Things that are not your smart phone. Maybe knitting, or baking, or drawing. Whatever it is that you love to do, make sure you are taking the time each day to do that thing. Never had this much free time to find hobbies that you like? Check out Pinterest, there are millions of ideas on there to help you find something you keep you entertained and joyful!

Make a Schedule

It can be so easy to get caught up in the “I have so much time, I’ll do it later” rabbit hole. I am completely guilty of this. With all this extra time on our hands, it can be so easy to fall into the trap of not doing things now because we feel like we have enough time to just do it later.

Don’t get into that habit, it’s a trap! You have the time now, so if you have things you want to accomplish, do them now.

The best way to do this is to make a schedule. Or at least a daily To Do List. The best way for you to hold yourself accountable to do all the things you say you will is to write it all out. Get it out on paper so you can physically see it. Really try to stick to it. Give yourself realistic and tangible goals for each day so instead of watching 16 hours of Netflix every day for the duration of this quarantine, make it mean something. Be productive. Get stuff done. Challenge yourself.

Have a Dance Party!!

Dancing has always been and will always be the one thing in the world that can genuinely make me forget about literally every single thing around me and just live in the moment of the song. Dancing brings me more joy than almost anything in the entire world.

When you’re bored, or sad, or lonely, or missing normal life, throw your speaker on and turn the volume up to a hundred. Then just let it all loose. Dance like no one is watching and forget about everything else!

Remember those friends you were going to facetime earlier? Why not do it now and have a group dance party?! All bars and clubs are closed but that does NOT mean the party has to stop! Let’s make our own parties! We’re all stocked up on alcohol right? Crack open a beer and have a dance party wherever you’re quarantined. I can almost guarantee you will feel better!

Know that You’re Not Alone

The other night, when I was on hour 63 of trying to get home, after the heartbreak and the tears and the incredible amounts of stress of just trying to get home, I needed something to boost my spirit. So, as I’m sitting in my hotel room, munching on my Taco Bell, I searched “coronavirus memes”. Like most of the rest of the population, memes always have a way to make me feel better when I’m stressed or upset. And as I’m reading these memes, definitely getting some laughs out, it hit me like a brick wall: the whole world is in the same exact boat right now. We are all experiencing the same thing. Never in our lifetime has something like this happened on such an extreme level where the entire world basically shut down all at the same time.

And that really struck me. As people all across the world make goofy pictures of the world’s shortage of toilet paper and weird things we do when we’re wine-drunk during quarantine, it just really occurred to me that even amidst all of the wars and corruption and brutality and terrorism…we are all in this together. We are one human race. We are one community of people. And we are not gonna get through this alone. We are gonna get through this by radiating positivity, by being the light in this dark time, by pulling together as Asian, African, Italian, Swedish, Canadian, Polish, and Australian citizens of this world we all share.

Let’s use this time to realize that through the differences in the world, we really are all similar. We share so much and during this time, we need to come together and be the joy that someone needs, the encouragement someone is desiring, the positivity in the confusion. Be that light in the world. We all need you. Bring something beautiful out of this time!

Happy quarantine everyone! Please, please, please reach out if you need someone to talk to. I am a great listener, and I’ve got loads of time on my hands! I want to be the encouragement that you need!

Keep your face always towards the sun and the shadows will fall behind you

Walt Whitman

Check out episode 1 of my quarantine chronicles. More episodes to come soon!