Self Quarantine Struggles

With the global COVID-19 crisis getting worse every day, different parts of the world are dealing with this viral outbreak differently. The virus has impacted almost everyone and everything and we as a society are trying to adjust to life post-corona. In my home state of New Jersey in the US, Governor Phil Murphy declared a statewide curfew from 5am-8pm. Adhering to this curfew has been hard, but we've been getting through it as a family. Because I am currently on spring break, my online classes do not start until next week. The way that I have been coping with this new way of life is trying to set a schedule for myself so that I can have a routine and stick to it. Without a routine, most of my day goes to waste on my phone, watching TV, on tik tok, and on social media.

I think the key factor in making sure my day is good is to start off with a productive morning. Waking up late knowing I have slept through precious hours makes me feel lazy and starts me off in a bad mood for the rest of the day. This is why I have been trying to wake up earlier so I can do more throughout the day.

Another key part of my routine is making sure I don't get too caught up on my phone. I get very easily distracted so what was supposed to be 2 minutes on my phone can easily turn into 2 hours and lead to major time waste. As a result, I've been trying to limit my screen time; this is hard sometimes because I have online exams I need to study for and online work to do.

I try to stay as active as I can during this self-quarantine. Every morning and every night I try to incorporate at least an hour of physical activity. Usually, I'll try to do something I like, like dancing or running so that I feel good about what I'm doing. I think physical activity can make being stuck in my house more bearable because it makes me feel more active and less trapped.

Finally, I think eating well and trying to improve my food habits is an important part of my quarantine. It makes me feel like I am in control of what I am doing and gives me a sense of normalcy.

COVID-19 has taken so much from everyone; for me, I have lost my spring semester of college, my dance season and a chance to compete at nationals, time with my college friends, and so much more. But I think the only thing we can do now is take it one day at a time and stay positive!