Finding the Positives in the Negatives of Quarantine

Summary

The article "Finding the Positives in the Negatives of Quarantine" explores how the quarantine period can be viewed as an opportunity for self-improvement and personal growth.

Abstract

The article discusses the shift in normalcy due to the pandemic and how it has impacted people's daily routines. It highlights the importance of sleep and outdoor time, which most people lack due to their busy schedules. The author suggests that the quarantine period can be used to catch up on much-needed rest and outdoor activities. The article also shares the author's personal experience of starting new habits during the pandemic, such as getting enough sleep, exercising, reading, writing, and picking up new hobbies. The author encourages readers to take time to unplug from the news and look for positives during these challenging times.

Opinions

The author believes that the quarantine period can be an opportunity to catch up on much-needed rest and outdoor activities.
The author suggests that people can take control of the simple parts of their day during the quarantine period.
The author shares their personal experience of starting new habits during the pandemic, such as getting enough sleep, exercising, reading, writing, and picking up new hobbies.
The author encourages readers to take time to unplug from the news and look for positives during these challenging times.
The author believes that now is not the time to feel guilty for not being productive enough in the eyes of normal standards.
The author suggests that now is the time to rest, invest in ourselves, and look for positives even during negative times.
The author recommends trying out an AI service that provides the same performance and functions as ChatGPT Plus(GPT-4) but is more cost-effective.

How Quarantine could be viewed as an opportunity rather than hinderance

During these unprecedented times, our sense of normalcy has completely shifted. “Essential” and “nonessential” weren’t the first words we thought of when thinking of what our jobs were, and for most people, having the time to get enough sleep and sit in the sun sounds like an unreachable luxury.

According to the CDC, adults need 7 or more hours of sleep per 24 hour period, but most Americans are sleeping less than the minimum. (https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/data_statistics.html) Sleep isn’t the only thing that most people don’t get enough of, time outside is another. “Americans spend only 8 percent of their life outside on average” according to statista.com (https://www.statista.com/chart/21408/time-americans-spend-indoors-outdoors/)

For those that have to stay quarantined, this could be an opportunity to get the much needed rest and time outdoors that has gotten lost in the shuffle of our old normal. Even if you are still working from home, the eliminated commute time can allow daily movement outside to be replaced, and even an extra hour of sleep. Although these are scary and uncertain times and feel like everything is out of control, we can choose to take control of the simple parts of our day.

Things I started doing that I felt I didn’t have time for pre-pandemic:

Sleep is the first thing that I started to catch up on once stay at home orders were put into place. I typically worked long odd hours where I’d sometimes get off work at 10:00pm, only to return at 7:30am the next day. With my 30 minute-an hour commute depending on traffic, I would usually only get about 5.5 hours of sleep at night. Now getting 8–9 hours of sleep a night, I feel like I can tackle more during the day without feeling like I could crash at any moment.

Exercise/movement was truthfully never on the top of my priority list. With both the extra time and the sense urgency to take better care of myself to keep my immune system up, exercise has gotten off the back burner of my life. Running, pushups and typical at home workouts don’t keep my interest, so getting more into yoga has made staying at home much more enjoyable. Before quarantine I would drop into yoga classes here and there at studios but with feeling tired after work or my schedule not lining up I didn’t make time for it, and now that I do I’m hoping I can carry this behavior into my routine even after I return to work.

Reading/writing have been two of my passions since elementary school. Since graduating high school and starting a job, as the header suggest, I felt like I didn’t have time anymore. Not only is sleep and exercise important for physical and mental health, reading can improve memory and reduce stress as well. Giving yourself the chance to sit in stillness and transport yourself into another world in fiction books, or read about someone else’s life to gain perspective in nonfiction can be very relaxing. The same goes for writing. Our days are usually fairly fast paced, so taking the time to sit down and write can be a therapeutic process.

Picking up new or forgotten hobbies has felt very rewarding throughout this time by giving me the chance to really know what my interests are. When meeting someone new, you are usually faced with the question “so, what do you do in your free time?” This was a question that I dreaded being asked because I really didn’t know, I never gave myself the time to know. Getting home from work and scrolling on social media for hours before going to bed didn’t exactly sound like the most exciting tidbit of information to share. Now is the perfect time to figure out if you enjoy drawing, writing, singing, photography, yoga etc. or if you already know your passions and hobbies, this is a great time to dedicate more time to what you know and love.

Even with the fear and uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, it’s important to take time throughout the day to unplug from the news and look for the positives as it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the overflow of alarming updates. Now is not the time to feel guilty for not being productive enough in the eyes of our normal standards, now is the time to rest, invest in ourselves and look for the positives even during negative times.