Coronavirus is nothing to joke about. On the other hand, in a time of such fear and paranoia, maybe it’s best to find the lighter aspects of all this. After all, panic doesn’t help anyone. If you are quarantined or are considering staying home for an extended period of time as a preventative measure, it doesn’t have to be all fear and dread. Here are a few things to consider in order to make your quarantine into a not-so-ideal staycation.
Eats
Some news outlets in the U.S. are recommending that people stock up on about two weeks’ worth of food, though some are saying there’s no reason to panic or to ransack the grocery stores (and some doomsday people are hoarding masks, survival kits, and months’ supplies off food).
If you’re preparing to quarantine, make sure to stock up on some food that won’t spoil and that will keep you healthy—vitamin-rich soups, frozen meals, etcetera. On the other hand, if things aren’t so bad where you are or if you have the chance, maybe a little more time at home will allow you to experiment with cooking in ways you hadn’t before. Pick up some ingredients for new recipes and make the beginning of your quarantine full of delicious food at the very least. Also, be sure to stock up on coffee and any other supplies necessary for your survival.
Care
If you are quarantined, it’s important to keep up your health. Stock up on vitamins, medications, disinfectant, bandages, and anything else you might need to avoid unnecessary ER visits or health issues. In most places, it’s still possible to order these things to your home, so do it quickly. You could do the classic staycation things, like face-masks and incense-burning meditations, or get a bit more creative depending on what you enjoy.
Clean
In coronavirus times, nothing is more important than washing your hands—but keeping your space and belongings clean easily takes second place. If you’re staying home for awhile or preparing to, make sure you stock up on disinfectants, soaps, and cleansers. Use disinfectants to scrub surfaces in your home, stock up on some laundry detergent and hygiene products, and keep things neat in general. Living in a clean house can help make an extended stay all that much more bearable. Plus, coronavirus quarantine might provide an excuse to do some spring cleaning. Get on top of the chores you’ve been neglecting and take some time to declutter.
Move
If you’re staying at home, it’s important to at least move around a bit. Open windows, wave your arms around, have a private dance party, embark on a YouTube yoga challenge, or try some exercises in your room—anything to help release those pent-up endorphins.
Read
It’s important to keep in touch with the outside world during this time, so you have accurate information about what’s going on around you. On the other hand, there’s a lot of false information out there, so to avoid unnecessary paranoia, try to limit your time on social media and be selective about where you get your news. Stockpiling books and art materials (or whatever your entertainment of choice might be) is a great alternative to obsessive social media scrolling that will also give you a chance to catch up on the reading you’ve been meaning to do.
Plan
If you’re staying at home, it’ll help to have some sort of plan. Slot off some time to rest, make lists of supplies you need, set time for special events, make plans and set goals to help you feel some semblance of order over an uncontrollable and terrifying future, and use this time to your advantage. Sure, the world might be slowly grinding to a halt, but it’ll be over soon, right, and you might as well use this time to achieve some goals and help your future self? Right?
Reflect
Now that coronavirus is here, maybe it’s time to reflect on what’s actually important and what led us here. Try some journaling or call a trusted friend to discuss your thoughts—not about who you are as defined by your jobs or how you present yourself, but who you are on the inside. How are you doing? Most likely, being at home because of the coronavirus will give us all time to confront some secrets that we’ve been staving off. Prepare for a turbulent emotional period and forgive yourself for feeling overwhelmed at the state of it all… or don’t; it’s your reflection.
Rest
We’re all tired. You’ll especially need rest if you have the virus, but even if you don’t, getting more sleep can help raise your immune system. Use this time as a chance to hibernate and sleep.
