Well, here we are again. The omicron variant has taken hold of the United States this holiday season, setting record highs. If you’re anything like me, despite taking all the precautions you’ve taken, you’re inevitably going to come into contact with someone who tests positive. And no, it’s not just because I wasn’t being safe either. Not a whole lot you can do when someone you live with tests positive. It can be pretty boring sitting in quarantine waiting to get your test results back, and at some point there really just isn’t anything new on Netflix to binge, and it feels like every tiktok you watch is the same.
First, let me just preface this by saying if you have encountered someone who has tested positive for covid, PLEASE go get tested and quarantine if possible until you receive your test results back. I’ve added a link to free testing sites in Wake County, however if you live outside of there you can just google free covid testing near me and almost every county has a list of community events. Just make sure that you read thoroughly to know if you need an appointment or if you must preregister. Trust me, I know it’s a pain to have to go through quarantine I’m doing it while I write this article! But it’s the best way that I know to keep the people around me that I love safe. Here are some of the things that I’ve done while I haven’t been able to leave my room!
Clean your shoes!
I love shoes. If I could have a closet completely dedicated to shoes, I totally would. That being said, I’m a pretty bad shoe mom. If I get a new pair that’s really expensive I’ll try and put a protective coat on them, but after that cleaning them goes out the window. College is full of events that are going to inevitably get your shoes dirty. Has anyone else had to walk through the free expression tunnel flooded to get to class? Not to mention the fairgrounds parking lot for tailgates is somehow just always muddy. So clean those airforces, you’d be surprised how much better they look after you do it!
Go through your camera roll and delete pictures.
I am a picture hoarder. I have thousands of pics that are not only taking up space on my phone, but that I’ll absolutely never need again. That gas receipt that I sent to my roommate to complain about how much it cost to fill up my car? Yea don’t need that. You’d be surprised at how liberating it can be to go through your photos and get a fresh start.
Make a mood board.
I had been using the same background photo on my computer since I got it august of my freshman year. And not that I didn’t love that picture, but it was definitely time for an upgrade. I felt like a moodboard was a good way to set intentions and be reminded of those subtly as my computer background! There are some apps you can use on an Ipad to create them, but if you don’t have one (and neither do I!) there are tons of other options! You can pull in pictures off of google or pinterest and add them into a pdf or google doc. Personally I think the easiest way is to use Canva! I’m sure that a lot of you have used canva for school projects, but there are actually so many really cool templates for mood boards that you can use. It’s super simple to upload photos, and really easy to learn.
Clean out your email.
Alright, if you’re still in college you definitely have at least two different email addresses. I’m pretty good about keeping my email cleaned out, because I hate seeing the notification on my phone, but I could do better. Did you know that unsubscribing to emails can actually help reduce your carbon footprint? So if you’re still getting emails from clothing stores you never shop at, go ahead and remove those. Not only will it help the environment, but it will save you time from having to delete them every time you get an email.
Watch a documentary
Yea, you’re gonna be watching a lot of tv. But you can watch something that might be a little bit outside of your comfort zone! While I’ve been in quarantine, I watched The Year the Earth Changed. It’s narrated by David Attenborough and talks about the positive environmental effects that have happened to the world since having to go into lockdown. It gave me a little comfort knowing that me being annoyed by having to stay in my room is actually helping the planet. If you need other recommendations, I have another article on HC detailing my favorite docs!
Read that book you got for a gift and never opened.
I love reading, but I’m sure that just like a lot of ya’ll, it’s not something you take time out of your day to do. Between school and work, if I’m reading something it’s usually an obscure academic text, not a guilty pleasure romance novel. But this is the perfect opportunity to read a book that you asked for and never got around to reading. Or, you can always grab an ebook and try that instead. I’ve been going back and forth between a fun read The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley and How I Broke into Hollywood by Pablo Fenjves and Rocky Lang. If you’re into mystery books, you would love The Hunting Party, and I would highly recommend Hollywood if you’re considering going into the entertainment industry.
Ok, so yea we get it quarantine really sucks. I definitely didn’t want to spend New Years Eve talking to my boyfriend through a glass door (in other news though, isn’t he the sweetest?). BUT it is a necessary precaution that we need to be taking. Hopefully some of these suggestions will make quarantine a little less bearable. And hey if you write for HC, you can always write an article like I did!
Wake County Testing Sites: https://www.wakegov.com/covid-19-information/no-cost-covid-19-testing