Top 10 ways to benefit from quarantine

Some time ago my first thought on waking up was: “I can’t believe it’s happening!” For a month I followed this awful situation unraveling, which left me hopelessly depressed. Just imagine how many people suffer directly or indirectly because of this worldwide tragedy!

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• Thousands of people die, tens of thousands have to undergo intensive treatment, and the majority of the planet’s population have to take measures in order not to fall ill.
• Besides, the global economy is falling apart: lots of people are losing their jobs or having salary cuts, inflation has set in, prices are skyrocketing.
• Last but not least, most of us have to cancel plans and forget about travelling for a long, long while…
• Not to mention the psychological repercussions: isolation, lack of socializing and constant fear can result in a whole range of mental problems.

And all of this is happening in a matter of several months! What with all this uncertainty, unhappiness and unemployment, it’s nothing short of a war. Unbelievable as it might seem, the pandemic has turned everything upside down. What’s left for us to do? Lie down and die?

In fact, it is just another large-scale and long-term crisis we must go through. For quite a long time we have lived prosperously, have leveraged boundless opportunities in terms of business, education, travel, entertainment. To put it simply, we’ve been spoilt!

Now is a time to face hardships, or rather, turn this crisis to our advantage. And no, I don’t mean reselling face masks! What I mean is putting up with this new reality and, ideally, benefiting from it.

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Let’s highlight the positives of the worldwide quarantine.

1. Ironically, the pandemic is having a beneficial impact on the environment. Less air travel and less consumption are translating into fresher air and reduced carbon footprint across the globe.
2. People are editing their circles of contacts and staying in touch with the most valuable acquaintances. In general, there is more quality time with family, which can feel like a vacation.
3. If there is something you’ve always wanted to do, now is the right time! For instance, why not learn a new skill or even a foreign language? There is an abundance of free courses on the Internet.
4. Moreover, you can make a list books to read and films to watch.
5. You can, at last, afford a good night’s sleep!
6. In addition, daily exercise, dancing or going for a stroll is a must. Lack of free time is no excuse any more.
7. In times of trouble people are beginning to help each other, to offer volunteer work or donate money.
8. Brilliant cost-effective solutions appear every day because crises lead to creativity boost.
9. If you work from home, not using public transport might result in reduced levels of stress. Apart from that, you gain extra time which you can spend on cooking. As a result, you can improve your eating habits.
10. Due to the absence of travelling, restaurants, concerts, etc. you can save plenty of money.

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Needless to say, it takes enormous self-discipline to use your time wisely. Lots of people feel discouraged and see no light at the end of the tunnel. It’s essential to work on your psychological state first! It becomes possible to derive benefits from the quarantine only after you get into the right frame of mind.

The best ways to lift your spirits are the following.

1. Stop reading news!

It’s obvious that once the pandemic has entered a particular country, it will spread like wildfire. So, what’s the use of following the ever increasing number of cases?

It’s necessary to define the set of rules you are going to follow (e.g. avoiding crowds, not taking public transport, using a sanitizer every time you touch lift buttons, etc.) and after that stop reading articles about coronovirus. Our newsfeeds are full of different people’s opinions on this unpleasant topic. Most of the information is fake. The best thing we can do is get rid of this addiction to coronovirus updates.

2. Make plans, set goals.

According to psychologists, when you set a simple goal (e.g. clean up the house) and accomplish it, you feel in control of the situation and, therefore, can set a more complex target.

Your best bet is to plan your day in advance and fill it with useful tasks. In other words, get proactive.

3. Surround yourself with positive vibes.

Give preference to optimistic books and movies, discuss pleasant topics, smile and laugh more, dress up even if you work from home, etc. Make a list of things that enhance your mood and do something from this list on a daily basis.

Most of the above-mentioned tips are applicable to those in self-imposed isolation as well as government-imposed quarantine. We are in the same boat. It pays off to pull ourselves out of depression the sooner, the better!

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