How to Keep Calm and Carry on During a Quarantine

The world’s gone mad. People are panick buying, anxiety’s are growing, we’ve been self isolating for weeks, and it can quite easily feel like there’s little to no light at the end of the tunnel. We’re living in a time where the comforts of normal, everyday life seem to have disappeared and everything else has been whipped up into a frenzy.

But don’t worry! There are plenty of ways to keep calm and keep yourself busy in this time of rampant stress and anxiety. Here a just a few...

Stay active!

Self isolation, no matter the size of your four walls, can very easily drive anyone stir crazy. Not getting out the house, even if only for a couple of hours a day, quickly begins to take its toll, both physically and mentally. In this time it’s so important to get as much air as you can, to clear your head and keep you grounded.

If you can get out: run, walk, skip, jog, do anything you’re capable of doing in fresh air! In the UK, we’re still currently allowed maximum 1 hour of time to exercise outdoors, but make the most of it whilst you still can.

If you live in a country where lockdowns currently prohibit you from leaving your home, even for exercise, a short indoor work out will do the trick. I’d recommend, per day:

20 squats, 15 push ups, 20 crunches, 18 lunges

If you can’t get out, a good way to clear your head and get a little fresh air on a warm day is to regularly open your windows and let the breeze cleanse your home of stale air. Just doing this once a week can make such a difference to your living space. It can also make your home feel so much bigger, especially if you have larger windows.

Keep busy!

Now is the time to get as much work done as possible, in preparation for when quarantine eventually ends and we’re thrown back into the fast pace of regular life. Plan for the future, manage your finances, get ready for the whirlwind of normality, because going back to normal sounds like it’ll be easy, but after months without work it will be hard.

Many people have been flaunting newfound hobbies and pastimes that they’ve developed in the last few weeks. Some simple new skills that will keep you occupied while you self isolate include:

bread making or baking, sewing, latte art, cocktail making, practicing vegetarian or vegan cooking, dance or yoga, and many others.

Stay mindful!

It’s important in a time of extreme stress to clear your mind and remain calm. Common ways of achieving this include:

Yoga - there are plenty of online yoga tutorials that you can follow along with. Not only does this help to relax the mind, but it also replenishes the body and is a great way to start your day.

Journaling - Just jotting down a few lines about your thoughts and feelings a day in a spare notebook can make a massive difference to how in touch with your emotions you are, and help manage your stress and anxiety levels.

Meditation - I like to wake up and perform 5-10 minutes of “mindfulness”, before I begin rushing to do work or checking my phone. This involves breathing and taking time to think about what I’m grateful for and what are my goals.

Other ways I try to make sure that I avoid falling into a slump during the quarantine are...

Looking the part - by changing out of pyjamas every morning into everyday (albeit comfy) clothes, you prepare your mind to do work as this tricks your body into believing that the setting has changed from a sleeping environment to a working/active environment.

Finding a space to work - a friend recommended to me that by splitting your living space into areas for work, play, and sleep, when you then enter these areas your mind will prepare for one of these activities. For example, try to hold back from watching Netflix in bed or doing work in front of the TV.

Let’s make the most of this tough situation and try to have the best quarantine we possibly can until it’s over. I hope you found this helpful!