quarantine week 4, day 5.

I heard that LA is extending the “stay at home” order to 05/15! ~

ONE: BE KIND TO YOURSELF.

I always thought I had this in the bag honestly… but apparently quarantine has taught me that I’m no where near. I defintely need more practice with this. I spent the last few weeks of March beating myself up about how non productive I’ve been in terms of school, work, and life. Then I realized this “lack of productivity” has nothing to do with me, but has everything to do with my surroundings and what’s going on in the world. I needed time to adjust and to cope with these new changes. Being forced to stay home is WAY harder than it seems and I’m sure there’s some people out there who can agree with me.

Our new normal has become face masks and virtual parties, just so that we can still drink with our friends and feel connected with one another. Confined to the walls of our homes, there really isn’t much for us to do besides WFH and eating. If you have’t tuned in to Insomniac, I highly recommend it! These live streams have been keeping me SANE. Turn off the lights, blast your favorite songs and hey, bottoms up.

TWO: THERE NEEDS TO BE COMPROMISE AND BOUNDARIES IF YOU ARE QUARANTINED ALONE OR WITH OTHERS.

Since I have a “forever roommate,” I didn’t think this would change anything, but boy was I wrong. Think about it– you used to live separate lives during the day and reconvene with each other in the evening. But now, we no longer have that luxury.

| It doesn’t matter how much you love that person, personal space is ALWAYS needed and MUST be respected. |

Whether you live with family or your significant other, they need space for themselves. Especially during a time where we are ordered to stay at home, space now feels extra limited.

I’ll give you an example of my life. My bf and I have our own offices. I spend most of my day in my creative corner in my bedroom where all my cute stationary is laid out and this is where I journal, blog, and do my homework. In contrast, he has the space in the living room where he WFH, listens to music and plays video games. Do I need to spend every waking moment with him? I used to think the answer to that was YES… until quarantine happened. Let’s be real here, he definitely does not want me out there bothering him when he’s on Xbox. So I appreciate and value the alone time I get in my room. There’s nothing wrong with some ME-time!

For those who live alone, I can only speak to what I’ve heard from my friends but we also need to allow space for those people who aren’t physically with us. Everyone copes and adjusts differently, so it’s something that we should be mindful of, especially if we’re sending 1000 texts a day, in addition to 5 zoom meetings.

THREE: YOU CONTROL WHAT YOU HEAR AND WHAT YOU SEE.

It’s that simple. I honestly don’t think it’s healthy for someone to spend 80% of their day reading the news to learn the day’s new death rate…. like why?? We should be focusing on the positive and thinking of new ways to support one another. If someone keeps broadcasting COVID things on their stories, mute them. If your mom keeps sending you COVID articles, tell her to stop. DO NOT FEEL GUILTY FOR CUTTING OFF THINGS THAT DO NOT BENEFIT YOU.

FOUR: THE IMPORTANCE OF SPREADING AWARENESS TO YOUR LOVED ONES.

Specifically my grandparents. They are immigrants from Laos so they don’t exactly know the best practice for hand hygiene and the purpose of social distancing. For all we know, their source of information is probably from their friend who heard it from another friend. You don’t have to be in the medical field to understand common language that’s in the news, which is why I’ve learned that taking the time to relay current CDC recommendations about how they can protect themselves is the key. The little things that are often overlooked are usually the things that our grandparents and past generation family members don’t completely understand. And since the elderly are at high risk for contracting the virus, make sure you educate them!

FIVE: SELF CARE RE-EXPLAINED.

When I mention self care I hope you guys don’t think I’m referring to face masks and bubble baths that will make all of my problems go away. I’m talking about doing things that make you happy , things that you enjoy and it helps you forget about life’s problems for a little while. It is imperative you take care of yourself. This is the perfect time to try out that new hobby, practice a new skill, catch up on that TV show. There is seriously no wrong way to do this, but I can’t stress enough how vital it is to do ONE thing for yourself each day.

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I know this stay at home order is driving everyone nuts (or maybe it’s just me), but remember we are not stuck at home. We are SAFE at home.

Love and blessings! @tbh_xtina