By now you probably feel that you’ve run out of ways to entertain yourself at home while self-quarantining from COVID-19. You’ve binge-watched the last of your shows, cleaned incessantly, caught up on sleep, but you can’t seem to break the cycle of quarantine. Possibly because you don’t know that you’re stuck in a cycle. Below I have listed the six stages in the cycle that is self-quarantine.
- Cleaning
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We’ve all done it. Day 1 of quarantine you have this burst of energy to clean everything from the floors to the drum of your dryer – @ myself.
This stage is nice. You’re being productive while making your apartment or dorm homier.
- Relaxation
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Relaxing while doing all the things you have been putting off because you never had the time. Now with the unexpected free time thrust upon you, you take advantage and read that book on your nightstand, take time to stretch out the months of stress your body has been holding in and even getting a couple extra hours of sleep. It’s glorious…until you feel like you’ve reached your relaxation limit.
- Bingeing
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Next comes the stage we all know quite well, bingeing. Whether you prefer Netflix, Disney+, Hulu or some other streaming platform, we all have caught up to say the least on an ungodly amount of series, movies and YouTube videos to last us until 2022.
But even with the endless amount of content swirling around the internet, it all doesn’t seem to be enough to fill the excess time in your day.
- Exploratory
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Once you hit that wall where you don’t know what to do after finishing that one series finale, your creative side starts to show. Whether you pick up painting, yoga, or even Tik Tok dances, this is the quintessential mid-quarantine crisis where we all try to reinvent ourselves. Sometimes it’s a complete miss, while other times you will surprise yourself and gain a new hobby or skill along the way.
- Sadness
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Unfortunately, at some point throughout this cycle you will get to the place where you wonder when will things get better or at least normalize? And the world around you will begin to feel overwhelmed by the severity of this virus. The constant news articles popping up everywhere you look. No matter what you talk about or who you talk to, there’s a silent reminder that this is our current reality.
Realizing how this situation affects you brings us to our final stage…
- Self-care
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Throughout all the ups and downs that happen during self-quarantine, eventually there comes a time when you need to treat yourself.
Whether it be watching your favorite show in a bubble bath while doing a face mask, or taking time to cook your favorite meal, this is a great time to reflect and do the things that make you happy.
With what is happening in the world right now, the spaces we quarantine in can make us feel confined and caged.
It’s normal to miss the outside where social interaction and life used to be, but by being inside, you are helping flatten the curve and put others above yourself. Regardless which stage you are in right now, please remember that by sacrificing your social life or that trip you planned or something in between, you are helping slow down the spread of COVID-19 and that’s something you should be proud of.
You got this!