How to Create a New Quarantine Routine During Coronavirus
When you’re observing self-quarantine to protect you and your community from the spread of COVID-19, you rarely leave the house, and it’s easy for the days to start running together. There may be months, if not more, of social isolation ahead of us. Establishing a quarantine routine can help prevent you from experiencing the sensation that time is meaningless. Here are six tips for doing so.
1. Use Technology to Your Advantage
Most of us have devices like a smartphone, smartwatch or other tech such as the Google Assistant to help us in our daily lives. Use these tools to set reminders for yourself to get up and move around at regular intervals. Alarms and appointments that nudge you to take breaks, work out, eat meals or check in with friends can help give you things to look forward to and create a sense of having a schedule in your day, even if you are homebound.
2. Maintain a Sense of Normalcy
Before coronavirus turned everyone’s world upside down, you likely had specific daily, weekly or monthly responsibilities. For instance, you know you need to pay your rent and utility bills, so you do so at a designated time each month. Part of your goal in creating a quarantine routine will be to copy as many of those old habits as possible. Get up and go to bed at the same times every day, even if you are now working from home and no longer have to contend with a daily commute. Instead of staying in your pajamas all day, continue to get dressed as if you have somewhere to go and people to see – doing so will help you be mentally ready for the day ahead.
3. Set Boundaries for Yourself and Others
If you are quarantined with roommates or family members, clearly defining boundaries to observe each day is essential to your mental well-being. Now that we don’t have any built-in time away from our loved ones, it is our responsibility to carve that out for ourselves. For example, you and your spouse may agree to set up shop in different rooms during the day, or use earbuds to signal when you need quiet time to think. You can also create daily pockets of solitude by having set times when you go for walks or meditate outside.
4. Only Read the News at Designated Times
As tempting as it is to want to refresh your news feed every hour or so in today’s rapidly changing environment, doing this is not a strategy for staying mentally healthy or keeping yourself in good spirits. As you create your daily quarantine routine, build in specific times to check the headlines – for example, perhaps you allow yourself 20 minutes in the morning, and another 20 minutes at the end of the workday.
5. Define a Work/Life Balance
Another essential part of building routine into your day is to make sure not to let your responsibilities overlap. If you have a job you can do from home, try to stick to the same workday schedule as much as possible. Avoid the temptation to let work spill over into your home life. If your normal work hours in the days before self-quarantine were 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., for example, keep those times consistent and don’t allow yourself to work overtime. By the same token, don’t get distracted by household chores such as dishes and laundry in the middle of your typical working hours.
6. Accept the New Normal
While it’s true that there will be some inevitable psychological impact of this sudden shift to self-quarantine, remind yourself it’s unproductive to panic or allow your anxieties to spiral out of control. Instead, stay calm and take proactive steps to control what you can. Nobody knows exactly what the next few months will bring, so it’s pointless to speculate about it. If you find yourself dwelling on the same intrusive worries, rely on the quarantine routine you’ve created to get through the days, one at a time.
Beach House’s Campus Remains COVID-19 Symptom-Free
Thanks to the strategic leadership of our team and the steps they have taken to protect our clients and staff, Beach House is one of the safest places in the country to seek help for a drug or alcohol addiction. To learn more about the evidence-based treatment practices at our secluded beachfront retreat, call our admissions advisors today.