My Quarantine Life!

May 4, 2020 by nikirath 10 Comments

Quarantine life has made me sit down and practice simple living. It has helped me realize how fulfilling little tasks can be. It has been almost two months now and I have stepped out of my home just once. With nicer weather out, it is getting harder to stick to staying indoors. However I have been doing my best to be productive at home and enjoy my slow paced life. Here are some of the things that have helped me to stay motivated and make the best of my quarantine time.

1. Having a routine

I strongly believe that having a routine is the key to a productive day. I start my day with a glass of vegetable juice and my meditation mat. It helps me be grateful for every single day and bring my focus to the present moment. Showering in the morning before work helps me too. I always make sure I list down my to dos for the day and check them off as the day passes by. This way has really helped me accomplish a lot in the past one year. After all our goals are achieved with a series of actions everyday in the right direction. As I get close to end of work after 5 pm, I also make sure I incorporate an hour of yoga for the wellness of my mind and body. Adding my thoughts to my gratitude journal has helped me to look at life in a positive way too. Overall having a routine has disciplined my quarantine life.

2. Practicing home based hobbies 

I have always loved home based hobbies such as gardening, cleaning, cooking, reading and writing. With so much extra time this year at home, I am going an extra mile in practicing these hobbies. I am so excited to plan out a vegetable garden in my patio. I have also been enjoying trying out new recipes that I learn from my mom and aunt. I have been also putting my efforts into an art and craft project of creating a scrap book of all my travel memories which I realized is such a beautiful thing to do. It has helped me relive the travels all over again and be appreciative of life in general. I am on my 10th book for this year already and its only May. All of these hobbies are therapeutic for the soul and will keep us sane during these times.

3. Keeping the entertainment on

Sometimes during the day, I just don’t want to worry about being productive or following a list of things to do and just want to let it go. That is why entertainment time of sitting back and relaxing and just doing nothing is so important as well. That is when I either watch a movie, TV show or browse random things on my phone. I do make sure I am not over doing it as well. However at times I do try, let it go and just relax both my brain and my body.

4. Indulging in Self care 

One of the key areas that I have been focussing on lately with the extra time by myself has been self care. Self care can be practiced in so many ways depending on what kind of care you need. I have been taking extra care of my skin since I have had troubles with skin problems lately. I make sure I am drinking lots of water through out the day and keep myself hydrated. I have also tried to incorporate lots of fruits and vegetables into my meals. Getting good and enough sleep now that my commute time to work has cut down has been top in my list too. In addition to that, my yoga and meditation are an integral part of my self care routine as well. Bubble baths are my favorite too. The list just goes on and on. Taking care of one self is one thing that is going to stay with you forever and putting effort into it is always worthwhile.

5. Keeping in touch with family and friends

This one goes without saying but keeping in touch with family and friends who care and wish the best for you is very important at this time of isolation. For me it has been realization of how much valuable my family and friends really are. I have been in touch with my family, friends and yoga community via phone calls, zoom video calls and house party app. Appreciating every single effort made by another person to find out your whereabouts and recognizing the gratitude for it is what will bring out even better relationships when all of this ends.

6. Giving back to the community

In this time of hardship when so many small and large businesses are suffering, it is our duty to support them in every small or large manner we can. I have been supporting my local gardening community in my own small ways. I signed up for waste not compost which is a local Chicago based company that collect food wastes and makes compost. It helps support not just the local company but helps mother nature as well. I also bought few plants for my garden from a local nursery to support their business as well. In your own little ways help the ones who need at this moment. It will come back in great ways to you.

Overall I believe, the quarantine time will make each one of us a kind person filled with more compassion in our hearts for each other. For now just praying, may all sufferings end soon and we all reunite. Till then, Adios!