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Everyone is stuck at home and literally no one likes being stuck at home. Previously, we used to enjoy, but from now on, nobody likes to be at home! We all know that we humans are social animals and we need to interact to survive on this planet. But being in quarantine prevents us from doing so! Well, being in quarantine can feel lonely and frustrating, especially when you’re an outgoing person.
It is normal to be stressed when you stay indoors and interact with fewer people, especially when this is combined with the fear of encountering the virus. These factors could increase the risk of developing a mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression.
Now the question is, “What’s the best way to get through this period?” There are many strategies you can put in place to ensure your well-being and good mental health. Most of them involve either distracting yourself or finding better ways to communicate with family and friends! In a nutshell, not following these conventional ways of socializing will not only help you to be safe from the virus, but you won’t fall prey to depression either.
So, allow me to share a bunch of ways to socialize you in unconventional ways!
1. Plan your whole day!
Try to follow a schedule and keep track of all the things you do. All of these types of things will help to be productive in these uncertain times. Let me share my story! These days, I’ve been doing bullet journaling. Bullet Journaling is a way to keep track of all the things you do. In a bullet journal there are 3 types of logs:
Annual Diary -> To record the things you want to do in the year.
Monthly Diary -> To record the things you want to do in that particular month.
Daily Diary -> To record your daily activities.
You don’t need to buy an expensive notebook to make a bullet journal. A simple notebook or journal that you might have at home will do! Also, if you don’t have a notebook, you can use iPad apps to create bullet journals. The Bullet Journal not only helps you keep track of your daily activities, but it also increases your productivity!
2. To learn new things!
“Learning is a lifelong process.” A well said proverb, but now is the time to apply it in all its measures. Learning new things keeps you active and refreshed. Try to learn unknown things, it can be as simple as learning to code and as difficult as cleaning out your wardrobe. Let’s say you want to learn more about web development. Stay engaged in the learning process. If you’re just starting out, you might learn more about HTML. Experiment with HTML. After HTML, try to learn CSS after learning CSS. Apply CSS in the project you created with HTML. It will keep you engaged and you will love doing it. After CSS, add the magic of JavaScript to it and continue to flourish. This will not only add a new skill to your CV, but also make you think logically. Because each country’s economy has plummeted, employment rates have been reduced, especially for those interested in STEM subjects. So, to be part of the race, you have to develop your thinking.
3. Do the things you wanted to do!
You may have wanted to create videos or host podcasts. Well, you can start recording now. I know your smartphone camera is pretty decent for filming stuff! For me, I always wanted to start a podcast while writing stuff. This quarantine allowed me to work on this aspect. I am developing a website to host my podcasts. Likewise, whatever your passion, try to pursue it right now. Because “today is the perfect day to start”
4. “Long story short” is no longer valid!
Share those endless stories that you have been keeping in mind or maybe left untold because those stories need time to be explained! Remember those old stories and explain them to your friend! You can even turn it into a game, where you share stories with your friends that you’ve never told before. You can name your game whatever you want, like I named it “Unravelling”, a fun game! So in this game basically we unravel those stories that we left earlier because one of us was running out of time! We unravel these stories in turn and each month we declare a winner. Those who unraveled more stories would be the winners.
5. Sleep well!
At that time, you might have thought, “My God! Give me a little more time to lie on the bed”. Now is the perfect time to lay back in bed and catch some extra sleep that you might have missed out on due to your busy schedule. Previously, I used to be on the bed for about 5-6 hours, but now I’m on it for 7-8 hours. He removed the bags that I had developed because I was not sleeping well. So grab a pillow and go to bed!
6. Connect with your friends!
To continue the social interaction, talk to your friends and family members using different video chat services available worldwide like Facetime, Google Duo or Skype. I would say you should not use Zoom because there are a lot of privacy issues in Zoom that need to be addressed. Also, you can host Netflix watch parties. I usually do Netflix nights with my friends and remember we do these things at a scheduled time. Like I said earlier, you have to be on time.
7. It’s time to write
You may have written a lot of journal entries during your school time. It’s time to start over, not for grades but for yourself! Start writing, write down all the things you did all day in your journal. Writing enhances the thinking process and contributes to the development of critical thinking. Apart from all this, writing improves your reasoning. You think logically and qualitatively. It helps you turn your opinions into arguments.
8. It’s time to write (Part 2)
If you are deeply interested in writing and want to present your works to the world, then start writing a story. Writing a story depends on your imagination and creativity. Start writing any kind of story. It can be a minor story of a normal school kid who dreams big or a horrific romantic story. Whatever your genre, try to be more elaborate and distill a sense of amazement in your readers. Writing stories does not require you to contact editors to publish your stories, but you can be your editor on different platforms available on the internet like Wattpad!
I hope these things will help you reduce the loneliness in your life and that you will be happy like you were in the good old days.