10 Things To Do While Quarantined

It has now been over a month since we have all been ordered to stay home. Covid-19 or the Coronavirus has prevented us from doing the things we love to do the most.

1. Pray. If there is anything Covid-19 has taught me, it is that nothing is guaranteed in this world. We are all dispensable. It doesn’t matter if we are rich or poor, if we are educated or high school drop outs, if we are black or white … Covid-19 has made it clear that none of us are in control of our future. None of us can make sense of why any of this is happening, but we can pray for the safety and health of ourselves and each other. We can be grateful that we have homes to stay quarantined in, we have basic needs fulfilled, we have loved ones next to us, we have various media to stay connected, and more. We can pray for the sick, pray for those who have lost loved ones, pray for the economy, pray for health care practitioners, pray for those with anxiety and pray for grace. When we don’t have a lot to do, it is easy to get our thoughts get consumed with negativity and lose hope. Praying will ease you from that and hope for the better.

2. Put a smile on someone by checking in on them. These are uncertain times, and we all need someone to tell us there are better days ahead. If you haven’t spoken to someone in a while, text and see how they are doing during this difficult time. Call your parents and ask if there is anything you can do for them while they are quarantined (it might be as simple as dropping off groceries). Call your friends and share your self-care regimen (there aren’t enough regimes in this world). Have a brunch party on Zoom. Host a virtual happy hour with your coworkers and catch up over a homemade gin and tonic. It is important for our emotional as well as mental health to stay connected to those we love during this time (and always).

3. Organize your home. Have you been waiting for the perfect time to organize your home? Welp! This is it. Now is the time to put up the art work you have been putting off for months. Clean out your closet and sort clothes you want to keep and give away. File away your tax documents in your file cabinet. Find a new space for your indoor plant to flourish. Support local and small businesses by ordering online for any organizational items you may need for your home.

4. Take care of yourself. Self-care is so important to boost your confidence, strengthen your mental and emotional health. Take a few hours off a couple of times a week to tweeze your eye brows, do a facial mask, polish your nails, or do your hair. My personal favorite self- care regimen includes writing 5 things I am grateful for every morning, incorporating HIIT into my workouts, making sure my nails and hair are on fleek (errday), having an oat-latte with my morning breakfast, and watching a movie at night.

5. Read a book or two. There isn’t much to say here except that books are therapeutic. Books are educational. Books are entertaining. During this time, they are also ways to keep our mind off the surrealistic condition that is happening in the world. They are also great for passing the time as most books take a good chuck of the day to finish reading. Do you want a recommendation of few of my must-read books? Click here.

6. Budget and save for your future. I don’t know about you guys but I have been loving how much money we’ve have been saving by staying at home. Our grocery budget has sky rocketed, of course, but hey, no judgments on how much snacks we’ve been buying while staying home. On a serious note, now that we aren’t spending a lot of money on happy hours, brunches, gas, or Uber we have been appreciating the amount of $$$ that we are saving on a weekly basis. Growing up, my Dad had this saying he preached to me almost every time I asked for an allowance. He said, “Every penny saved, is money invested.” I didn’t understand that as a kid, but it is crystal clear to me now. Save your money folks, and put a down payment on a home. Invest on some stocks, or your 401k. Be strategic about your money and you will see it grow.

7. Grow your plants. I am a plant Mom. I love taking care of my plants. They warm up my space and make it feel like I am welcoming nature in to my home. Depending on the type of plant you have, you might need to make sure there is enough light for them to flourish and grow. Different plants need different levels of light. Make sure you pay attention to that and stay consistent. Also remember not to change things up a lot. Plants are sensitive to change – they are slow to adapt to new environments. If they are doing fine by the window or in the living room corner, leave them be. Remember to cut off the dead ends. To promote healthy plant growth, trim off the dead ends.

8. Have a date night. Before the state of emergency was issued bae and I used to love date nights. The simplicity of going out to eat or grab a cup of coffee around the corner used to excite us. Now that we are both staying home, we have been resourceful on date nights while staying in by trying a new recipe, playing card games, watching a movie together, and praying together. We’ve also experimented on me trying to be a barber and unfortunately, it saddens me to say that I am not cut out for that line of work.

9. Try a free workout on YouTube. For most of us, our bodies are not used to this much dormancy. We don’t get enough steps to promote blood flow or stimulate our metabolism. There are so many free workouts on YouTube that you can try. For best results, I would suggest for you to incorporate HIIT into your workouts. HIIT is best for losing weight because it raises your resting metabolic rate for 24 hours or more (yes even after you stop working out). I've included some of my favorite HIIT that are easy to do at home here.

10. Start a new show or watch a movie. If none of the above 9 things work, you can always revert to the God Father, Netflix. Netflix has so many cool new shows and movies that they have been releasing lately. If you don’t have a Netflix subscription, you can also check out Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, or YouTube TV. I love to binge watch, and catch up on some of my favorite shows like Black-ish, Homeland, or the Handmaid’s Tale on those platforms.