3 TIPS TO SURVIVE QUARANTINE

By: Sara Io

Quarantine. A state, period, or place of isolation in which people or animals that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infectious or contagious disease are placed. A common word which we have picked up the meaning of in this past year, however most of us probably have not been in quarantine. The reason for that is because we have not left the country for so long now. Quarantine, in my case, was 14 days, but for our friends who are currently distance learners coming back into China, probably 21 days. 14 days in a quarantine hotel, which is completely randomized, and 7 days at home.

To some people, quarantine is an extended vacation. For others, it’s a boring wasteful time. Either way quarantine is IMPORTANT. The story to get to quarantine would be long and confusing, as I was confused the entire way as well. But, to me, the real experience of quarantine wasn’t how we got there it was what we did there. There were restrictions but I managed to work around those restrictions and make the room a place I could study, sleep, and have fun. Here are some of my tips to get through quarantine!

1. Make a Routine

My biggest tip for those of you in or going into quarantine is to make it a place you can enjoy, and to have a routine. Routines vary from person to person. It depends on what you enjoy and what you do in a day, for me my quarantine routine was hard to settle into but also hard to get out of once we were free. I woke up later than usual, opened my computer and “went to school”. With my spare time, I learned things that I definitely did not intend to, just like crocheting. Day to day, my routine was the same. I would wake up, doodle or read, and get ready for the day, go to school, eat lunch and dinner, watch movies, read, and get ready for bed. It was pretty much the same every day. That was my routine, but your routine could be completely different or the same.

How to Start Designing Your Quarantine Routine

Making a routine can be hard for some people, so to start designing my routine, I tried to keep in mind the things that I could do in my normal day routines and my quarantine time routines. For example, the time to get ready for school, meals, doing homework, or reading. Basic tasks like those could help make your time in quarantine feel more familiar and your routine might be easier to get used to. You might also find that you also have a lot more time on your hands, so new habits and hobbies could be another way to occupy your time. Include those new hobbies to your routine! It could be building your habit to read more often or learning a new language.

It’s also important to set aside some time for yourself, to do whatever you want to do. It’s some private time for you to gather your thoughts and have some peace and quiet. It’s shown to help you keep your sanity in quarantine/ You can try to avoid technology and communicating with other people online. Having this time can help with your mental health, and it doesn’t have to be long. It could be an hour or twenty minutes, and you can spend the time doing anything you think relaxes you instead of being on your devices. Though quarantine is only 14 days or 21, you can accomplish a lot. Setting aside the time to do so, is the first step in accomplishing those goals.

 2. Set goals

You might not set goals in your day-to-day normal life, but during quarantine it will help you not get into the bliss of having nothing to do. Often times, during the weekends you might find yourself in a different routine, having school or work not take up your time, and that’s okay. Having goals for your quarantine time is important so you don’t get carried away and suddenly feel like you have a lot to catch up on after you get out. Quarantine is also a good way to do some of the things you have been procrastinating on. Whether it be working on a school project, cleaning up your device files, or finishing up the book you have been trying to, quarantine provides you the time to do so. So, set some short-term goals to keep you going during quarantine and make use of your time!

3. Communicate during online school

 Being in quarantine also means that you have to deal with online school. Online school is not easy, though we have all been through online school through the period of March – August 2020, or longer, some of us haven’t experienced online school when others are on campus. Sometimes you might feel left out, because you don’t have all the materials you need to do all the activities your classmates are doing on campus. Some classes required activities to be on campus, and since I was the only student online in my class then, I couldn’t ask my friends how they did it, because they were on campus. Therefore, I reached out to some of my classmates who were online, and they explained how they did it. Or, if you can’t find anyone who is online or who doesn’t understand or can’t help, reach out to your teacher, ask them how you can do the task online. Don’t be afraid to ask your teacher questions, especially during online school.

Finally, quarantine may be hard for some people, but as I mentioned, quarantine is important for the safety of the city and world. And remember, you are not the only person that has gone through quarantine! Ms. Holmes, the 7^th grade English teacher went through quarantine in the beginning of the school year and said that how she got through quarantine was knowing the fact that once she got out, she would be going out to a world that was almost normal. In addition to a countdown and daily yoga to her routine, she was able to get through the two weeks of quarantine! Mr. McLoughlin, the 8^th and 7^th grade math teacher has also gone through quarantine in January. He said that what got him through quarantine was talking with friends who had gone through quarantine before. This helped him through quarantine by talking through his troubles and the big changes happening in his life, especially since it was his first time in China and going through quarantine!

If you look at quarantine with a more positive spin, you can realize that quarantine is an opportunity. Quarantine gives you the time that you might not be able to gather during your normal life. You save so much time during quarantine, from transportation, to eating to social gatherings. There are other implications to remember as well, such as COVID testing and temperature checks and those are a part of quarantine that can’t be changed. However, quarantine gives you the time, it is just the matter of what you want to do with the time. I hope that this article will help you get through quarantine. Good luck!

All photos made from Canva