In March, it was common to see people start new posts on Facebook or Twitter with the phrase, “Quarantine: Day 12.” They would then offer a funny message like, “Another sourdough bread fail!” or “Spent the morning putting my socks in alphabetical order.”
The message: We are all bored and have no idea how to live properly in the era of coronavirus. Hearing such things can be comforting. We’re all in this together, we’re all bored, and we’re all going a bit crazy.
Fast forward a few months later, however, and things are getting harder and harder. Nobody even remembers how many days it has been, and we’re all bouncing off the walls.
While this is all natural, it’s important to find ways to adapt. You need to keep your mind occupied and maintain your mental health. Until this is all over, life will probably never feel normal. But the following tips will provide a few useful tasks that you can add to your quarantine to-do list.
1. Start to Get Organized
Spending so much time around the house makes the small annoyances even larger. Chances are, your closet or the Tupperware drawer has been out of sorts for years. But you’ve always just kind of dealt with it, saying you’ll fix it later when you have time. Well, “later” is finally here. With little better to do next weekend, attack the little problems and rearrange things into a better system.
2. Work to Declutter Yourself
Even better than reorganizing is culling! In those closets and drawers — not to mention the garage or attic — you surely have a lot of stuff you don’t need. Well, it’s time to get with the Marie Kondo method and declutter you life. Whether you’re finding clothes that don’t fit, old sporting goods you never use, or discarded electronics from a decade ago, now is the time to get rid of the junk and free up some space.
3. Do Some Life Planning
After finding physical order comes peace of mind. Coronavirus has forced us all to consider our own mortality and you should use this moment to get some affairs in order. The no-brainer, must-do move is to evaluate your life insurance situation. If you don’t have any, get some! And even people with a plan can usually use more. After that, look into estate planning, craft a will, and consider setting up a living will. Some of this isn’t as hard as it might seem, but consulting a qualified professional is always helpful.
4. Find Ways to Relax
Even people who can handle all the isolation and stay-at-home drudgery well are now starting to struggle. It is just very hard on people — from missing our favorite friends and activities to grappling with all the societal problems and pain of the moment. So you need to find some healthy ways to relax, unwind, and cut down on stress. Whether it’s picking up new techniques (like yoga), trying new hobbies (maybe photography), or refocusing on former activities you’ve dropped (consistent exercise), it’s important to do something every day to calm your mind.
Making the Most of Tough Times
Eventually, this too will pass. While such words of wisdom might help a little, they don’t do much for us right now. Still, we can try to make the best of these strange times to stay at least somewhat productive and make a few positive changes.
Some of the best tips center around organizing your life a bit better. Start with some physical spaces by rearranging your closets and decluttering your home of unneeded belongings. Then get your house in order in terms of life insurance and planning. Finally, pinpoint a few ways to reorganize your mind to lower stress and relax.
It’s hard right now to feel like we’re doing anything meaningful. But just by checking a few of these items off your quarantine to-do list, you’ll get a little bit of that pep back in your step.
