Depending on when you started sheltering in place, most of us have been quarantined for about a month and a half.
Now, I can’t stress this enough:
I feel so grateful for the fact that I’m able to stay at home. I understand the risk all the essential workers are exposing themselves to when they have to leave their homes to help everyone else.
While I feel incredibly grateful that I’m able to stay at home, that still doesn’t stop me from having difficult days adjusting to quarantine, like many of you are probably experiencing as well.
The anxiety of wondering what’s going to happen to the economy, the safety of family, and the risk of contracting the virus each time we have to leave for essential errands are taking a toll on many of us.
Today is one of my difficult days.
Since I’m struggling today, I can imagine there’s someone else out there feeling the same way. So, I decided to write about some of the things that are helping me pull myself out of this funk.
Keep reading to learn about my tips for fighting quarantine anxiety!
Fighting Quarantine Anxiety
There are a few go-to’s I lean on when I’m starting to feel anxious or stressed during the quarantine.
Here they are:
Take a Walk
When I’m in one of my anxious, unmotivated moods, the last thing I want to do is leave the house.
That being said, a walk is like therapy to me. Even though it’s hard to pull myself off the couch, away from my desk, or out of bed, a walk instantly makes me feel about 80% better.
Just breathing in the fresh air and taking a look around at all the beautiful greenery in my neighborhood is enough to lift my mood. Even if I’m moving slow and taking my time, a walk is a simple way to ease my anxiety.
Work on Something that Sparks Creativity
Since I write for a living, I’m able to use that as an outlet in some areas.
However, for other projects, I need to write technical, research-based content. This can be really hard to sit down and do when all I want to do is kick back on the couch and eat my feelings!
So, when I’m having a difficult time, I put my energy into my creativity. Right now, this post is that outlet for me. I don’t always lean on writing to express creativity though. I also love painting and working on interior design!
I may create a mood board of home decor ideas, or I might just get messy and paint a sub-par picture for a little bit. It doesn’t matter if what you’re creating is good, it just needs to offer you some sort of outlet for your feelings.
I find that creative projects take me back to feeling like a kid, where everything in life wasn’t that big of a deal.
Find Ways to Laugh
We’re living in serious times right now.
To break up the heaviness of our emotions, it’s so important to find ways to laugh. I’ll watch stand up comedians that I know will make me laugh, or I’ll scroll through Tik Tok for a little while (don’t judge me)!
If you’re quarantined with someone else, just be goofy for a few hours! Watch funny videos together, play a game, or just mess with each other and have fun. Finding ways to bring silliness to my days is what snaps me out of my anxiousness a lot of the time.
While we’re going through something right now that shouldn’t be taken lightly, it’s still important to have times where you put it behind you and laugh for a little while.
Taking Each Day at a Time
Feelings of anxiety and stress are inevitable right now, but to get through this we need to find ways to pull ourselves away from it.
These are my ways of fighting quarantine anxiety, what are some of yours? I’d love to hear about them!
If you enjoyed this post, check out my article on working from home during the quarantine.