How to thrive while in quarantine

The world is rapidly changing. The gravity of COVID-19 and the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) challenge us all to adopt these unusual circumstances as the new normal.

The Department of Health and global health experts cite that staying home is the simplest yet most effective way to prevent the spread of the virus. However, now that we have been in ECQ for over a month, it’s getting hard for some people to fight off cabin fever, anxiety and other negative emotions.

Life used to be so fast-paced and busy. Everyone got used to the daily grind. It was the norm to get up and go, go, go. Most people spent more time at the office than they did at home, whether they realize it or not. Now everything seems to be slowing down. Time has seemingly stopped and we’re all trapped in an odd limbo — suspended in our homes as we wait out this terrible bug.

Families are now together 24/7. People finally have the time to garden, cook, play with their pets, organize their homes, take up online courses and simply rest from fast-paced city life. The circumstances that brought us here are definitely not good, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t walk away from this with invaluable lessons.

Every person has a different way of coping at this time. Whatever that looks like for you, that’s okay. You don’t need to explain yourself to anyone. This is a deeply challenging and generally traumatic experience for everyone.

The harder you try to fight the rapid change around us, the more anxiety you will feel. Reality is always what you make it out to be. What if I tell you that it’s possible not only to survive but also thrive by the end of this pandemic?

Challenges usually bring about the most growth in a person’s life. This giant roadblock may actually be an opportunity to grow and balance yourself in three essential areas of your life. Taking care of these three facets will help you make the most out of the ECQ.

Take care of your health. To do this, you must focus, not on “not getting sick,” but on achieving optimal health. The human mind is one of the greatest instruments of healing. Focusing on being healthy, rather than on being sick, will help keep you strong and well.

So what can we do to be in the pink of health? Do we need to drink more vitamins? Eat less preservatives? Consume more fruits and vegetables? Avoid junk food and vices like smoking and drinking alcohol?  Do we need to exercise more? Sleep earlier? This entire situation has been a massive wakeup call to the entire world that health must be our absolute priority. Now is the best time to get to work on building all the healthy habits that will boost your immunity and lengthen your life.

Take care of your mind. What you think and feel has a direct effect on your physical well-being. How are you coping with the stress in your environment? How do you fight off negative thoughts and emotions? Disconnect if you need to. Rest if you must, and take time to just be still and breathe. Have you tried integrating daily practices such as meditation, journaling, tai chi or yoga into your routine? Have you talked to your kids and helped them process what is happening?

Take this as an opportunity to learn the best way you can handle stress and maintain a mindset of peace amid chaos. This will help you face not only the coronavirus but every succeeding challenge that comes into your life.

Balance your finances. The whole world has been rocked by the unexpected pandemic. Business owners and employees alike have had to brace themselves for the inevitable losses that these circumstances have brought.

On a personal level, take this as a wakeup call to examine your own finances. How can you improve, moving forward? This has made many people realize the importance of having sufficient savings and multiple income streams as their buffer for a rainy day.

How are your spending habits? Are you regretting buying anything that you didn’t really need? Take this time to sit with yourself, reflect and figure out a plan on how you can change for the better.

“Business as unusual” is becoming the new usual. When the ECQ is lifted, we will be walking out of doors into a completely new world. Challenge yourself to do the work so that you can walk into that world a better person.

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Post me a note at mylene@goldsgym.com.ph or mylenedayrit@gmail.com.