Is it Monday? Friday? Sunday? I have lost all track of time. Quarantine has disrupted my healthy daily routine, relapsed old habits I worked hard to repress, and has fixed me into a different version of myself. At my worst moments, I overlook the silver linings and fall into an anxious and lonely consciousness. However, I have found creative and fun ways to avoid the downward spiral into utter listlessness.
I pick certain hobbies for each day and set a goal I want to reach for each hobby. For instance, one day I might decide to sit out in my backyard and read three more chapters of the book I’m reading. I can never maintain my motivation to do things if I arbitrarily begin an activity. Since I like routine – I’m a Virgo, if you couldn’t tell by now – it is crucial for me to organize my day into pieces of activities. I like to plan my days in advance so that I add purpose to life in our confined domestic bubbles.
One of my favorite hobbies is working out, whether it is from a fitness YouTuber or a virtual dance class. I need to move my body or else I will lose not only the skills I worked all my life for but also my ambition and determination for my dance career that I want. Staying active fosters a healthy mindset, athlete or not. I try to vary my workouts so I do not get bored from repeating the same motions. I highly recommend exercising at least a few times a week so that you come out of quarantine ready for summer – and to burn the calories from all of your incessant (nonetheless rewarding) baking.
Hopefully, by now you have partaken in at least some of these activities to avoid the melancholy of quarantine. However productive or unproductive it is, you cannot go wrong with whatever you choose. In the end, all that matters is your mental health, so do not push yourself too much with what you do and try to learn how to have fun using only what you have with you. I promise that it is possible.