Spending Time in Quarantine

My Experiences with COVID-19 and Flattening the Curve

It's no secret that COVID-19 has put the world in flux. Jobs are lost, routines are ruined, and lifestyles have been overturned. To look on the bright side of things, lots of folks are setting "challenges" and other audacious goals for themselves so that they emerge from quarantine better and more complete people.

But on the other hand, I think expecting too much out of yourself during such troubling times is also unhealthy. There's no need to pile on unnecessary stress during a global pandemic. Generally, I think goals themselves can be a way to set yourself up to fail and never look back so instead I like to set myself themes. Individual acts, no matter how small, contribute to my theme (whether it be for the New Year or time in quarantine), and it's more rewarding to look back on a series of successes rather than the missing gaps in my "goals".

My themes for the next few weeks are comfort and exploration.

Comfort is purely about indulgence. Sleeping in, candy, caffeinated beverages, TV shows, long Zoom calls with friends - you name it. In particular, I've devoted a lot of time to playing fun video games that I always wanted to play. I've also decided to make my bucket list public! It's nice to have a little vacation at home while the rest of the world is on fire.

long walks along lakeshore on the rocks

Exploration is about doing things I otherwise wouldn't be able to do during my "normal life". Cooking new recipies with my mom, learning guitar, reading old Tamil poetry - if it's something I couldn't do without having a large amount of time stuck at home, it contributes to the theme. I've also been using this time to go on long walks every day (still maintaining my 2 meters of distance), and I've found it to be very therapeutic. Without headphones in, I like to just admire the everyday sounds of a quiet evening neighbourhood. Spending time outside (again, far away from other people) has kept me sane, especially with all the nice weather.

prepping ingredients for a vegetarian stir-fry

Ultimately, I want to maximize my overall hapiness at home by having fun. Although comfort and exploration can seem like opposites, they are less oxymoronic than you'd imagine. In fact, they're often two sides of the same coin - not necessarily existing as a trade-off but instead adding layers of depth to a day's worth of activities. Having one without the other would cause me to veer over the edge, and they help keep my mental health and progression in balance.

To those reading: figure out what works for you. Don't take any inspirational YouTube video or self-help book as fact and listen to yourself instead. Stay healthy during these troubling times, both physically and mentally!