COVID-19 Survival Kit

Spring 2020's latest look

These past few days have been weird. The mood has shifted from "Haha coronavirus" to "Holy fuck coronavirus DON'T YOU DARE COUGH NEAR ME". Needless to say, I think everyone 's been feeling a bit down. So I'm here to say "FUCK YOU VIRUS" and make the best out of this situation.

1 ) Create a schedule

It's so easy to lose track of time when you've got absolutely nothing to do. We're so used to living a fast-paced life with a schedule that is jam packed and leaves little space for leisure time. Having all this free time has made me feel a little loss at times, but implementing a schedule truly helps counteract this feeling and keeping you grounded to Earth.

Now, I'm not saying you should put an alarm clock to wake you up in the morning, but you should definitely try going to bed around the same time everyday (I know, definitely easier said than done). This way you won't stay up super late scrolling through the same feed over and over, refreshing the page hoping something new pops up [ kinda like what you were doing during the day, lets admit it ] and going brain dead before falling asleep. By going to bed at the same hour, you'll also end up waking up around the same time naturally. You'll definitely feel refreshed and ready to start your day.

2 ) Get Productive

The most obvious way to view this quarantine as somethig other than a pain in the ass is to see it as the perfect time to be productive. Had a personal project you kept putting off for a reason or another? Now is definitely the time to get crackin' on it.

3 ) Get ~Physical~

No I'm not talking about sex (or am I?). If working out is something you've been putting off because you didn't have time for it, now's a good moment to start. [ More like you didn't make time for it. Oops, did I just say that? ]

The other advantage to this quarantine is that you'll have the time to make a habit out of it, which will be harder to lose than if you only occasionally worked out. Trust me, once you're used to exercising, you won't want to skip a workout! It actually feels irritating to do so!

4 ) Practice Self-Care

This is such an important one.

I used to be someone who though that yoga and meditation were some sort of fad, overhyped and not that big of a deal. Until one day I decided to give it a chance (Finals had me dying and I was desperate for anything tbh, any Uni student here can relate) and realized that it could truly have an impact on my life. And it did! I'd say the key is to not feel silly and to really let yourself get absorbed in the moment. You'll really feel your stress melt away.

5 ) Treat Yo' Self

So far all my suggestions have been really... healthy. Setting a schedule, practicing meditation, being productive, exercising blablabla... but there's a lot more than you can do, even if it isn't necessarily healthy. Because you deserve to treat yo' self amidst these weird ass times.

Oh, does that sound just like I'm making up an excuse for getting tipsy and eating way too many cookies? Well you are entirely right.

Not gonna lie, after my 2nd day I went down to the SAQ and bought a (3) bottle(s) of wine. I'm pretty tipsy as I'm writing this, and I gotta say so far this feels hella therapeutic. Oh yeah, that's what I call self-care done RIGHT.

All of this to say, have some fun! Relish the fact that being a snack-eating-couch-potato is saving lives and make yourself a drink, blast some music, try new recipes (no, not with toilet paper or Purell), try drunk yoga, get rid of all the shit you don't need that accumulated in your room, Facetime with your friends, try a DIY project and laugh at how incompetent you are, etc.

6 ) Spread It Out!

Not the virus, your activities.

Don't get all super excited and do all your planned activities within the first week to only get bored after. Remember, we've got 2 weeks like this, and God knows what it's gonna be like afterwards (not trying to sound dramatic, just saying). So definitely enjoy the activities, projects and hobbies you dive into, but don't rush to get through them! Anyways, these activities shouldn't be seen as "things to get over with", but as the opportunity to indulge in yourself.

All in all, try to stay positive! There's not much we can do, so better make the best of it! Indulge in yourself, for once life has somewhat come to a halt.

Oh, and social isolation doesn't mean that you can't go outside for a walk. Go 👏get 👏that 👏fresh 👏air.