BLOG: Taking advantage of quarantine

With the near statewide order to stay home and classes now online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, students are handling this new way of life in a variety of ways. Some may be finding this time in isolation to be detrimental to them, especially if they are extroverts. 

Introverts of course are likely finding this to be a paradise, speaking as one myself. That being said, this extra time spent at home should not be taken for granted in terms of both their education and personal life as a whole. 

I, for one, am making sure to make the best of quarantine to develop a true better version of myself. With that, here is how I am taking advantage of this period of isolation and quarantine.

A time to catch up

I started 2020 off with a number of goals, including exercising more, meditating daily, eating healthy and of course being better at saving money. All of these were going well, until of course school began. Thus, the intensity of work and classes led to me not having enough time to do all these things. Oh, and hunger strikes often while at school. Now, with nearly 15 hours of classes now reserved for online education, I have been gifted with the hours needed to ensure the goals I set could be done.

While the quarantine has inspired many to go outside more, I for one have been in the house for the most part, but this does not mean I am not able to work out. As an avid proponent of pushups (I happen to think they are one of the most effective workouts), this time off has allowed me to resume doing pushups and other workouts that do not require items other than one’s own body.

Classes

Many of us know that face-to-face classes provide a kind of experience online classes may not always be able to capture. That being said, classes moving to online provides a whole new opportunity to be better and have more time to study. 

With a greater number of hours I would normally use sitting in class to listen to lectures, I can now use those hours to study and learn in ways that fit my style. I have found that I usually have to do most of my studying at night since I have classes or work during the day. But now I can study and work on assignments during this time and enjoy some quality sunlight, from my window of course, while doing so. 

Eating Well 

Speaking from personal experience, one of the worst things one can do during this quarantine is overeat or not eat well. More time at home means possibly not being used to this much freedom during school time and therefore eating sometimes just out of boredom. 

I will admit that upon learning I had to stay at home, my amount of eating greatly increased, especially considering all the contingency grocery shopping that was done. While this time at home has certainly helped hone my culinary craft, I also honed my overeating skills and am currently still trying to shake up my recently developed daily ice cream sundae fixation.

Now is definitely the best time to try not to eat out as much and make healthy meals at home. I for one am making sure I eat the kind of things that will strengthen my immune system so that my body can fight off any kind of viruses and illnesses. This includes fruits and vegetables high in Vitamin C, ingestion of immune building herbs such as echinacea, and drinking the ever beneficial green tea. Admittedly I have given in to a Slim Chickens craving every once in a while, but I am building up my self-control. 

Conclusion

We live in interesting times, and this hopefully short-lived era of isolation and quarantine brings a whole new range of topics and perspectives to explore how to take care of one’s health and wellness. I am looking forward to documenting such a journey. In conclusion, as we continue to combat this virus, now is also the time to ensure we make the right choices so that we do not have to fight both this virus and ourselves.