Ways to Stay Happy in Quarantine

These few months have definitely taken a toll on everyone, especially on people's mental state. It is so important to keep in check and take care of yourself.

It is crazy how my first post for my blog is about something that everyone in the world is experiencing at the same time. We now have the opportunity to be there for each other and help one another through this as much as we can. Mental health has been a huge concern

during COVID-19 because being in isolation can be difficult. Some people are not currently with their loved ones, and since schools have closed down, the chances of seeing your friends has diminished completely. There are many ways to try and take matters into your own hands and create your own sunshine during this thunderstorm.

Do not be hard on yourself

“We now have the opportunity to be there for each other and help one another through this as much as we can.”

I will be telling you a few things that I do to keep my mental health on a safe and happy direction during these changing times. These may not work for you, and some of these will. We are all different, but hopefully these ideas can be helpful.

Baby steps

First things first, no one should expect you to learn a whole new language, come out with a newly ripped body or become the new Gordon Ramsey. If you are just able to get out of bed today, then that is something that you should be proud of. Some people get hit harder than others and that is okay as long as you know how to bounce back. Personally, I was very determined to become more fluent in Spanish because my mom is from Peru and I think it is such a beautiful language. When I started to relearn all of the words I was really enjoying myself, but when things began to become more difficult I was starting to struggle. Before, I was able to complete a topic which had 5 levels, 4 challenges within each level quite quickly, and my goal was to finish each topic per day. As things were getting harder I realized that I was struggling to maintain that goal. I was becoming stressed because of external factors and I was focusing on trying to better myself mentally which was taking time away from learning it. I soon realized that I was putting so much pressure on myself to learn Spanish quickly that it was feeling like a job and I was not enjoying it as much. And that is okay, I do not need to be able to be a completely changed person and force myself to learn so much instead of taking my time to truly appreciate everything.

Happy & Healthy thoughts and actions

“ If you are just able to get out of bed today, then that is something that you should be proud of. ”

One of the most easiest, and quickest ways to kick-start my day is by making my bed. Doing that straight away kind of motivates me that today will be a good day. I try and workout early because if I do not then I will not for the rest of the day. I set up a little gym in my second room and just try and do exercises that I find on YouTube. I also try and take a walk everyday. This I feel is important and can be very beneficial for the mental and physical aspects of a person. Moving around lots and getting fresh air is so good for the soul, just be sure to be cautious of your surroundings and continue to social distance around other people. Being in the sun makes me very happy, I love being able to sit on my balcony and tan and relax there for a while. I was supposed to go to Hawaii in June so I will be making up for the loss of beach time on my back patio, and Calgary has been getting hot which I very much appreciate. Go grab some wine or make a pina colada and go relax in the sun, just make sure you wear sunscreen and drink water!!

I have been online shopping more, I will admit that. Of course some people may not be able to spend money shopping but if you do, I suggest looking at local sellers, boutiques and stores. This is such a game changer, especially for the sellers and also the fact that majority of them have incredibly cute things to choose from. I live in Canada so I am always trying to find sellers located here and scout at what they have to offer. My number one favourite website to shop on is Etsy. I am constantly on there whether it be for room decorations or jewelry. Finding local sellers is such a nice thing because you are supporting local people AND you may get free shipping out of it. Shipping may be extremely slow so just be aware that by the time you get your packages it may be months later but will be a nice surprise. You can order paints, chalk or craft supplies and be super creative by showing your artistic side. Bob Ross painting challenges have become increasingly more popular among social media, as well as words of encouragement and artwork being placed on windows and sidewalks of neighborhoods.

Another thing that I do to keep my mental health stable is create to do lists for the day. I am a sucker for check-marking the things that I have accomplished. I will even write down something that I just did and cross it off right away because of the feeling of success is impeccable. I choose to write down the simplest things like brushing my teeth, to eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. I enjoy keeping myself busy and sticking with a schedule as best as I can but I also like keeping it low key and sitting in my comfy fluffy chair and binge watching a show on Disney+ or a documentary on Netflix. I have my go-go-go days where I have many things to do on my to do list but also give myself the chance to relax, reflect and take it super super easy.

Get Talking!

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Something that is so important to me is continuing to work hard on my social life. Talking to my friends and loved ones as much as possible, and making sure they're okay too is something that I prioritize. One of the blessings of COVID-19 happening during this time is that there are so many different ways to connect to people now. Snapchat created "Bitmoji Games" where you can connect with your friends and other people around the world and play different games. Houseparty also is so popular and allows you to play games while on facetime with one another. There are so many different games to play outside of facetiming like a website where it allows you to build a puzzle with another person online. The best ones that I have personally have taken advantage of is Netflix party and Disney+ party. Both of these allow you to watch a movie at the exact same time and includes a comment section to discuss certain parts with everyone. Outside of the virtual communication choices, I often have driven over to my friends house and sat in my car while they sit on their patio and we will talk for hours like that.

It is so important to really take the time to understand and do what you think is best for yourself. It is a good time to be creative to achieve your happiness and remember that it is okay to come out of quarantine the same way that you went into it. As long as you are safe and healthy then that is all that matters.