We are in a weird time, that’s for sure. Quarantine is not easy. Every email and we send consists of something like, “hope you are doing well during this crazy time,” and, “stay healthy!” I for one struggled with this new normal a lot towards the beginning, and although we are finally starting to see a potential end to the madness, I have started to feel much better about the whole thing and I’m finally starting to feel comfortable with it all.
It wasn’t easy to get out of my slump, but once I did, my whole perspective on the situation began to change. I started quarantine with a lot of anxiety. I had come into it after having a few family emergencies and abruptly leaving home after spring break because of potential lockdowns that turned into real lockdowns later on. I had had a few online classes before, but I’m the kind of student that requires a routine and a traditional classroom setting in order to be able to focus on my work properly. None of my professors required us to meet on Zoom and just posted all of the notes for us to copy down on our own time. To some, this may sound like a luxury, but at the beginning of everything that was about to happen, this was my worst nightmare. I tried creating my own routine in my one-bedroom 550 square foot apartment that I share with my boyfriend but I found it very difficult. Our shared laundry room no longer became usable because someone in our building was diagnosed with our beloved COVID, and things began to get very messy very quick, but it was completely out of our control. I was anxious from the mess, but with everything the media was saying, on top of the many earthquakes Utah was having, I was also too anxious to go outside. I found myself in this uncontrollable spiral of anxiety that I was afraid that I would never be able to shake off. I came to the conclusion that I needed to just try and focus on one thing at a time, whether it was school, my internship, or an activity for myself. I decided to put the blog on the backburner, only posting on the instagram with little mini-blogs, which ended up reducing my stress quite a bit, but not completely. I hit my breaking point about two weeks before finals, so with a lot of consideration, my boyfriend and I decided to pack up our bags and head back out to California to wait out the rest of quarantine with my family. Having a change of scenery was exactly what both of us needed. Both my boyfriend and I had been struggling with severe insomnia for weeks when we were back in Utah, sometimes not getting any sleep for over 48 hours. As soon as we got to California, that immediately changed. Once I saw how easy falling back into a normal sleep schedule was with the change of location, I slowly got my routine back in order. I added one new thing to my routine everyday until I had a set routine for the entire day that I was comfortable with. I am not saying that this works for everybody, but I encourage you to try this tactic in your own home during quarantine! Here is what my day looks like:
I let myself wake up naturally. I don’t have a set alarm so that my body can get the amount of sleep that it needs in order for me to feel good throughout the day. When I first got to California, I was waking up closer to 9:30-10:00 AM, but as time has gone on, I’ve been waking up naturally closer to 7:30-8:00 AM.
To get my day started, I immediately make my bed and turn on either a show or some music before going down stairs and getting a cup of coffee. Once I’ve finished my coffee, I like to do something wellness related. Some mornings I journal, sometimes I meditate, and sometimes I do 30 minutes of yoga. There are mornings that I do all three, but it really just depends on how I am feeling at the moment and how much energy I have to release.
Once I have finished my morning activity, I make my boyfriend and I smoothies for breakfast. These have been a great way to get our extra servings of fruits and veggies at the beginning of the day, giving us the energy we need to get everything we want done!
After we finish breakfast, I get in the shower and then do my makeup. I wasn’t doing my makeup at the beginning of quarantine, but once I started to get into a new routine, it made me feel really good throughout the day and made me feel more productive. I also found that putting on a real outfit, rather than just changing back into sweats, made me feel the same way. It has been boosting both my confidence and my productivity throughout the day!
Once I’m dressed and ready to go, I start working on stuff for my internship and for the blog. I Like to sit outside and get some sun while I do this because I was dealing with a lack of Vitamin D back in Utah due to my poorly-lit apartment. For me, Vitamin D plays an important role in my mental health. Growing up in California, I was exposed to Vitamin D almost constantly. Moving to a state that has seasons that require you to be inside a lot was a big change for me and it caused me to have seasonal depression, so when I do come home, I make sure to spend a lot of time outside!
Since I take my time throughout the morning, I don’t sit down to eat lunch until about 1:30 PM. I try to keep it healthy as much as possible, but I never restrict myself. Some days I have chicken salad, but some days I’ll give into my cravings and I’ll swap that for chicken nuggets. Not worrying about diets has actually helped me a lot through quarantine. I see posts all the time about diet culture and post-quarantine bodies, but in all honesty, these are toxic posts. You should be able to eat whatever makes you feel good. You do not need to be worrying about what other people think about your body, especially after being quarantined for months. If you are doing and eating what makes you feel good, then keep doing that! Don’t fall into the pressure that social media may be putting you under.
After lunch, I like to put some focus on the blog accounts. I do mini photoshoots at home and edit pictures, and even got into making Tik Toks. This has given me the ability to allow my creativity to continue flowing. I enjoy this because it all ends up going back into my work for my internship and also allows me to connect with other college girls, like myself, that are going through a lot of the same things in the moment!
In the afternoons, I also like to make time for spending some time with my boyfriend and my dog. Sometimes we take the dog for a walk, sometimes we play with her in the backyard, and sometimes we just take the rest of the afternoon for ourselves and watch a show together. Since we are sleeping in different rooms while we are staying at my parents house in order to have some alone time throughout the day, this time spent together has become really important. We have been rewatching our favorite movies and TV shows, going on drives, playing games, doing puzzles, and just sitting outside to enjoy nature. Quarantine has given us the opportunity to focus on our relationship through quality time and it has been so good for us. We are communicating better and have been more intentional with our time together.
In the late afternoon, I love to start winding down right before dinner. I typically take off my makeup and change into something more comfortable. After a healthy dinner, I like to do something self-care related. Sometimes that’s a facemask, sometimes it’s doing my nails, and other times it’s catching up on a show that I’ve been watching on my own time. I also like to do a lot of my photo editing during this time, just so that I’m keeping myself busy.
I’ve been trying to get to bed around 11:00 PM, so with my extra time before bed, I make sure to straighten up my room and put together any laundry that I want to get done the next day. I finish off my nightly skincare routine, turn on a show (yes, I’m a TV sleeper, don’t judge me), and climb into bed! Now this may seem like a lot to do throughout the day, but like I said before, I slowly built up to this! I don’t always get everything done that I want to get done, but that’s okay because it’s quarantine. If you take anything out of this, I want you to take these few things: ★If you are spending quarantine with a significant other, make sure that you are both making time for yourselves and time to spend intentionally with each other! ★Giving into diet-culture during quarantine will not do you any favors, unless it is truly what makes you feel best! Just don’t put others down by making jokes about post-quarantine bodies. This is a form of body shaming and that is not okay ★Do what makes YOU feel best throughout the day! If you want to spend your time trying new things, then try new things! If you want to stay in bed all day, then stay in bed all day! Listen to your body and your mind and don’t push yourself too hard. Conquer quarantine your way! Like everything I post, my routine was created from my personal experiences during quarantine. I am doing what makes myself happy and you should too! Focusing on how you are feeling rather than what other people are saying about what you should be doing will take a lot of stress off your shoulders and will help reduce your quarantine anxiety! Let’s keep in touch! Let me know how you have been conquering quarantine! Hopefully we will all be out of this soon, but in the meantime, stay happy and stay healthy! Xo, The Undergrad
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AUTHORCamille Baron is a 20 year old attending the University of Utah and is in her third year as a Strategic Communications major. She strives to educate college women like herself to achieve their full potential in all aspects of life. ARCHIVES
July 2020
CATEGORIESAll Business And Professional College Culture Education Health And Wellness Self Care Travel |