Coronavirus Quarantine: 10 Things To Help You Deal

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Last Updated on March 24, 2021

Let’s keep it real.

We are living in a historical and unprecedented time. The global situation and quarantine due to the Coronavirus (or Covid-19) outbreak is strange.

There are lots of questions and uncertainties. It seems like no one has the answers and we are all trying to understand something that is unknown territory while trying to stay safe.

Many around the world are suffering.

We grieve for the sick and the hurting, but thank God for the medical workers and the scientists who are risking their lives to heal them and are creating a vaccine to save the rest of humanity.

When life gives you lemons…

While the world is at a standstill, I feel like this time under quarantine is a beautiful opportunity.

We can either make the most of the situation or in the end, feel like it was time wasted. I don’t want you to experience the latter, so I hope to inspire, encourage, and help you to cope with the situation.

We can all try to stay positive for each other and put into practice the proverb “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

My disclaimer is that I am in no way an expert on the Coronavirus. I am just one human being trying to encourage and support my family, friends, neighbors and peers through this difficult time.

You can read my other post about travel in 2020. I include some really great links and resources about the Coronavirus. 

 

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Here are some tips to help you deal with global quarantine due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

 

1. Remember that you are not alone in this fight.

You are not alone in the suffering, the confusion and the uncertainty. We are ALL going through this together.

Whether you’re in France, the US or South Korea, everyone is impacted by the Coronavirus outbreak. As of this week (from 16 March 2020), the world has put in place strict quarantine measures to curb the spread of the Coronavirus.

Schools shut down, people in the workforce were told not to go to work, and many countries have shut their borders from non-residents and non-citizens of those countries including the US and the EU.

 

2. Know that your feelings are valid

We may not know exactly how to feel about the current situation, but it feels weird because our generation has never gone through something like this.

We simply don’t know who to feel about a global pandemic. The best we can do is to put our feelings into words like uncertainty, confusion, frustration, sadness, disappointment, anger, overwhelm, fear, boredom.

I want to tell you that it’s totally ok to feel whatever you’re feeling right now.

 

 

3. Don’t panic and think of the bigger picture

Yes, people have stopped working and the economy is a wreck. But we must trust that our governments and the health experts’ advice are for the public’s best interest. If society is healthy, then whole communities can function and prosper, again.

This whole experiences has brought me to my knees. We must remember that this isn’t about us or our plans any more! It’s about the community, the elderly, those that are fragile and who have pre-existing health conditions.

Although we do need to work and we do need to feed ourselves and our kids, we shouldn’t panic. Panic never solved anything.

I invite you to think creatively about ways that you can channel your fears into productivity, work, and rest. We will heal once again.

This isn’t the end of the world, and life will ultimately go on. The economy will bounce back, people will get married, and babies will be born.

I was reminded of this beautiful memoir video by my friend Hope Curran. Life will return to this, and even greater again. I feel like Paris and the world is going to bounce back incredibly from all of this and there will be 10 fold joy, laughter, music, dance, singing in the streets when we return!

 

 

For more Paris secrets check out:

Coronavirus: Is Travel to Europe Possible in 2020, your guide on how to stay proactive with your travel plans this year 

Enjoy 10 Remarkable Ways to Experience Paris Like a Local 

The Best Things to do in Paris this Summer (that are off the grid)

Discover and embrace these 10 Secret French Lifestyle Rules Revealed

Where to stay in Paris: Insider Secrets to book Luxury Apartments to discover alternatives to booking luxury hotels. 

 

4. Find a new work routine. A #QUAROUTINE?

Continue working under the quarantine, whenever possible. Try to live life as normally as you would if you were on a long weekend or a stay-vation that involved some work emails and tasks.

Don’t give up on your projects, dreams, and ambitions. Do continue writing that book, working on your blog post, singing that song, painting that tableau, building your clientele.

Don’t retreat from life and remember this famous proverb: Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.

 

“If you’re bored, you don’t have a big enough imagination.”  – Every Parent

 

Photo Credit: StockSnap–894430

5. See the Coronavirus quarantine as an opportunity

If you aren’t able to work from home, use this time to learn, grow, and do. Create a bucket list of goals you want to achieve during this time of confinement.

Learn a new skill or language you dream of knowing. Use sites like Skillshare to take online classes. Grow your passions and hobbies.

Complete that to-do list of tasks that never seem to get done around the house. Improve your home: redecorate, do a deep clean or organize that kitchen cabinet you have set aside for years.

Some ideas to kill the boredom:

• • Organize your closet
  • Organize the photos in your cloud
  • Garden
  • Learn a new recipe
  • Bake
  • Paint
  • Play board games
  • Play video games
  • Do pilates
  • Go for a walk or run
  • Write a new song
  • Learn a new game
  • Spend time reading
  • Finish that book you have been writing
  • Give yourself an at-home facial
  • Give yourself a mani and a pedi
  • Take a bath

 

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Coronavirus Quaranting Bucket List

to pass the time

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Photo Credit: Burst

 

6. Use this time to rest and recharge

Try to go to bed early or sleep in. Meditate, pray, and be still while you journal or do an activity that stills your mind and refreshes your soul.

Do some offline activities (like reading, knitting, puzzles, walking in the park- alone) to detox from the media and news frenzy.

I challenge you to take a break from the news for 24 or 48 hours! Trust me, the news will still be there when you plug back in.

 

Photo Credit: Andrea Piacquadio

7. (Re)Connect and spend quality time with your loved ones (even if it’s by video chat)

Treasure the time in your Covid-19 confinement by reconnecting with a friend you haven’t heard from in a while, or calling your parents and grandparents. In our day and age, we have no excuse for not calling our mothers!

If you live far from your friends and family, you can find really creative ways to reconnect like: facebook messenger, Whatsapp makes calls using the internet, Instagram offers voice messages you can record and send people, Zoom and Google Hangout offer a way for groups (of more than 3) to video conference.

This weekend, a group of friends and I have decided to have a remote happy hour together. We will all connect via video call and drink and eat. It’s the new social aperitif!

Find new ways to stay in touch and stay connected to your community. My church is organizing church online on Sunday mornings along with weekly video conferences for my small group.

8. Put in place some rules, boundaries, and expectations

Even though things may be exceptional, having rules and boundaries can go a long way. If you are one of the lucky ones to be able to work from home, put some boundaries in place to identify work and non-work hours.

Also, as you may be trying to cope with closer living quarters and those in your household (roommate, partner, family) longer than usual, you need to set expectations.

It’s great to discuss from the onset with those in your household, what boundaries you need them to respect and what expectations you have to avoid conflict, arguments, or wasted work hours.

Here’s a little tip from Molly Tolsky:

 

 

Have fun with the new life situation. Even though we are confined under Coronavirus, don’t take life too seriously either.

9. Ask yourself how you can help

Whether it’s through comfort and love, you time, buying someone in the “precarious category” groceries and delivering them to their doorstep, or financially.

Can you help out someone financially during this time?

Email your neighbors to ask them if they need any meds from the pharmacy or groceries.

Think of those students or the single parents who are caring for their kids and cannot go to work during this time. Maybe having an extra 50 bucks in their bank account can help get them through one more week.

Donate to a charity or small business like Sanctuary Project.

In my friend Olivier Corimbelly’s words,

This is time of crisis is not only a time to pray or to help people. It is also a time to be present for the ones who need it. Showing the love to the people around you and be there for the ones who mourn and go through the suffering.

 

10. Practice Gratitude

Have an attitude of grace and gratitude. Count your blessings and be grateful for them. Even if you’re going through struggles, know that they are temporary and life is full of challenges and testing.

Finally pray for the global situation and ask those around you how you may pray for them.

You may end up seeing miracles around you where you least expect them!

 

Conclusion: 

Despite these times being very difficult, we can each do our part to help the world recover and heal.

I hope that these 10 things to help you deal with the Coronavirus quarantine put things into perspective for the better. Stay encouraged and remember that this too shall pass.

What about you? What are you doing during the quarantine to stay positive, healthy and busy? Tell me in the comments below!

 

 

 

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