The Quarantine Blues

Unless you live under a rock, or maybe in Alaska (seriously, does anyone in Alaska know whats going on?)-- anyways, you know that most of us are either working from home, laid off, and/or in quarantine. The government, just like my past lovers, have decided that I am "non-essential". I am stuck at home with my 3 dogs (don't tell my landlord) looking for ways to fill my day while my husband, an "essential", still goes to work 30 hours a week.

It's currently week 3 for me, so I've had a lot of time to soul search over here. I've learned a lot about myself, good and bad. I've come up with some ways that could help me overcome the "quarantine blues", and maybe this can help you too.

1. Start Cleaning

I mean, this one is a given. We are enduring a pandemic, people-- CLEAN YOUR SHIT. I know y'all are going to say, "Oh I always clean, that's gross." I said that too, but this quarantine has made me realize that I should and need to clean more.

CLEAN HARDER-- This virus is everywhere. Your loved one can be an "essential" worker that could bring the virus back home. You could be quarantined at home with your family, but be asymptomatic, a carrier of the disease that shows no symptoms, which is just as dangerous. You could make a quick grocery store trip for necessities, and bring it home. This isn't meant to scare anyone, because I am honestly not scared, but to open your eyes to the gravity of the situation.

Put those gloves on, grab that bottle of disinfectant, and get to work. Clean more often than you normally would. Clean deeper than you normally would. Vacuum and sweep the floors, scrub the toilets and shower, wipe down every counter, dust all of your furniture- be proactive. This will make you and your family safe, and in turn, keep you productive throughout the day.

2. Our Dogs Understand

There is no one that understands how it feels to be quarantined than our pets. They are stuck at home all day, everyday, for their entire lives. All they do all day is eat, nap, and lounge around. I always said I wished I was a dog, and now I wish I was careful what I wished for. All I'm doing now is sitting in bed until noon, snacking, and lounging on the couch with all 3 of my dogs binge watching shitty shows, like Jerseylicious. All I'm missing is collar and a tag.

Just like me, my dogs get bored. At the end of the day we want the same thing: to get out and do something. We have been making more of an effort to get the dogs out for walks everyday and take them to the park to burn off some energy. This benefits all of us: the dogs get out of to run around and we get some fresh air and some exercise.

3. The Dreadful COVID 19

No, I do not mean the virus. I mean those pounds, honey. Just like the "Freshman 15", the COVID 19 is very real and it's tempting all of us.

Please, Lord, lead me not to temptation of the snacks, but down the path of looking like a snack, Amen.

This doesn't mean we can't indulge and bake things we like, but I know we are eating out boredom. I promise you that the pantry and fridge look the same, you don't need to check it every 15 minutes. There are ways we can keep off the pounds. For me, I have a treadmill and one 10 lb weight (I don't know why I don't have 2). I do a mix of jogging/running, body weight exercises, and routines I find online. You don't need any fancy equipment, though, to stay active. It's getting warmer, so get outside for a walk/run, go online and find exercises that are fun and challenging. No weights? Use jugs of water, wine bottles, handles of your favorite liquor. I know we can't find toilet paper or Lysol, but I know damn well y'all are stocked up on alcohol.

Here's a list of some of the videos I've found that I like:

• 1 Hour Cardio Workout to Burn Mega Calories!
• 30 Minute Hip Hop Fit Workout
• 10 Minute Abs with Alexis Ren
• 1 Hour Zumba Dance Fitness

4. Take Care of Yourself

I had told myself that year 2020 was going to be the year of self-care, self-discovery, and self-healing. Once everything started to get serious and a layoff was inevitable, I thought that all my goals and plans would be ruined. Now that I've had 3 weeks at home to adjust to this new normal, I'm changing my attitude. The quarantine is not working against us, ladies and gents. This quarantine is working in our favor! All we have now is time to work on ourselves, our physical health, mental health, or whatever your aspirations were for the year.

Some of my goals were to read more, take better care of my hair and nails, get into a healthy exercise routine, eat better and more whole. I'm taking steps everyday to make my goals into a reality. I've found an exercise regimen that I really enjoy, I bought some books off Amazon, my patio is set up cozy to read or write outside, and with all this extra free time I'm getting back into the kitchen and falling back in love with cooking. My nails have always looked rough, but I'm taking vitamins and what not and they look better than they ever have. I'm even going to buy a full gel nail kit on Amazon. You can buy a UV LED gel nail machine with 12 polish colors, stiletto-shaped nail tip kit and nail glue for only $44! All of that would cost $55 at least at a nail salon ONE TIME. It will save you money in the long run and gives you something to be preoccupied while at home.

5. Enrich Your Love Life

If you're quarantined with your significant other, this time could be a gift. For us, our schedules before The Rona moved in were totally conflicting. I work nights and all day on the weekends. He was home from work by 5:30-6pm and off on Sundays. Every day he was on his way home, I was on my way in to work. Our only full day off was Thursday, and it sucked only seeing each other at night. I'd get home late at night, watch TV for an hour or so then go to bed. This time we have together now is a gift!

Or so I thought at first. 3 weeks later, it has become slightly frustrating at times. There's nowhere else to go. HE'S ALWAYS AROUND.

We have 3 dogs, so divorce is not an option. We have brainstormed ways to enrich each other and not verbally abuse each other.

• We found shows to binge watch, like Tiger King and All American. We watch an episode or two every night.
• We noticed that too often, we sit around silent on our phones so we bought some board games and wine. When we feel like we've been too antisocial, we whip out Trouble and some white wine and it gets real frisky in here.
• Summer is approaching. We go out for walks, without the dogs, because sometimes even parents need a break from their kids.

I'm not saying these are foolproof or will work for everyone. Some days, they don't even work for me. Some days, I'm bummed and have no motivation at all. Guess what?

That's okay! There are a lot of unknowns and life is weird right now. It's okay to feel everything, but it's good to keep your mind/body occupied and stimulated.

Stay Safe and Sanitized.