Beneficial & Productive Activities During Quarantine

I think we can all agree that the past month or so has been a learning curve for us all. From how to stay inside and not get stir crazy, adjusting to being with the people we are with all the time, not eating everything in sight and just getting through the day sometimes can be a tough thing. One of the first things I did when this all started and something I do regularly was audit what I was consuming. This goes for TV, movies, social media channels and news. The first week or so I was so consumed in what was happening and it felt like I was watching the news every second of the day. This quickly made anxieties worse, conversations more tense and overall wasn’t adding anything to the day to day.

We stopped watching everyday and I took a big filter on my social media channels to have it only be people who were positive, providing a benefit to me or sharing things that made me feel good. I recommend this outside of quarantine too because it really enhances how you face your day. So on most days I’ll wake up and watch the news for 15 minutes, scroll through my email for work and then transition into something that makes me feel productive and happy.

This usually is making my morning chai, saying good morning to the fam and Wrigley and then enjoying breakfast with everyone. If it’s a work day I’ll get my to-do list ready, start on some emails and then schedule some things around meetings for the day. When the stay at home order came through for Florida (we’re currently in FL if you are new here, but live in Chicago) we had to get creative on how we were spending our time and where I was drawing creativity and positivity from.

After a couple weeks I found some things that really helped me and wanted to share:

Learn About Yourself

I’ve always loved understanding personalities and preferences in people and understanding those things about yourself and your partner are so helpful in relationships. I’ve written about the enneagram before on the blog, but it is one of my favorite personality tests. It ranks your answers and then assigns you a number between 1-9 that matches your personality best. It’s common to have what are called wings or branches of your personality. Each number means a different type and I’ve found it to be very accurate! I’m a 2 with a 3/1 wing (I had exact scores for both those numbers which are common in Geminis, interesting right!?).

Another suggestion for those of you wanting to learn more about how you are in relationships or want to understand your partner better, I highly recommend the 5 Love Languages. Not only will you understand how you like to be loved and how your partner receives or gives love, but it also has great advice for how those love languages work together or don’t work together and how to work on things. Kollin and I took this when we were engaged and really liked the takeaways from it! It was super helpful when we moved in together - there are single versions, a test for children and teenagers!

Gratitude Journal or Devotional

I started a gratitude journal last year and even bought a planner that made this part of my everyday routine. I’ve found that it helps start my day in a positive manner and even turns around negative or unproductive thought processes throughout the day. Especially during this time it helps put a lot into perspective. We have so much to be grateful for and going back and reading what we wrote down after the fact is a great reminder of that and fun to see what we were thinking.

Start a Workout Routine

So, this definitely isn’t my forte and I wouldn’t say I enjoy working out, but doing some sort of physical activity has been helpful through all of this. We are incredibly lucky to be in Florida during this time so we can take walks outside and enjoy the sunshine. If you’re unable to do so, I recommend looking up some workout routines on YouTube that you can do inside or even getting some small weights to use while stretching. Doing yoga or Pilates in the living room is a great option too!

Listen to a Podcast Regularly

During this time it can be tough to find a sense of community when we can’t be around each other. I started listening to podcasts of people that I follow on Instagram and overtime felt like I gained an entire community of friends by listening and following along. There are so many podcasts in the world with a wide range of topics that there is definitely something for everyone! I love The Morning Toast and The Skinny Confidential, as well as Living Fully with Mallory Ervin. They are all three started by women and range from pop culture discussions (Morning Toast), to health and wellness and being the best version of yourself. With influential guests and hilarious personalities, you can’t go wrong with one of them.

Learn a New Recipe or Cocktail

This has been a fun one for Kollin and me while we are in Florida. We’re cooking a lot as we are staying at my grandparent’s home with my grandma, dad, and little brother so there are a lot of people to cook for each night. We made a weekly menu that we all agree upon and shop for and then help each other cook each night. Not only is this a great way to involve others if you are staying home with family or roommates, but it also really helped us while grocery shopping and can be really cost-effective since we are only buying what is on the menu. I know if we were home in Chicago I would have some trouble not buying out the ice cream aisle.

We also are trying out new cocktails that we don’t normally drink. From pineapple martinis to Aperol Spritz (who am I kidding we drink those regularly lol) and margaritas. We grab a cocktail and then jump on a Zoom call with friends or family and catch up. It’s been a great way to end the workday and relax for a bit.

Meditate

This is something I’ve been wanting to try more. Pretty much every successful person I know or follow includes meditation as part of their routine. I’m going to start utilizing it and see how it helps! I’ve heard the “Calm” app is a great place to dip your toes in if you’re unfamiliar.

Join a Virtual Book Club

With a lot of down time, I’ve been reading more and just finished “The Woman in the Window.” I LOVED it and got together with some girls on Instagram who also read it at the same time. It was great to connect with them over a topic and just learn about each other and what we thought about the book. We’re starting our next book soon so check out my Instagram (amanda_navaa) #BooksAndBubbly highlight! Next up we’re reading “And Then She Was Gone.”

Gather some friends on Zoom and chat about the book as your reading or join a larger book club like Reese Witherspoon’s or Oprah’s!

Paint or Craft

The second we knew that we were staying in Florida for a while I ordered some watercolor paints from Amazon. I used to paint all the time, but as life got in the way that box of paints and brushes moved higher into the closet over time. It was such a fun activity to sit down and just be creative for a bit. While staring at a computer all day for work or just needing a mental break from the news, it was so nice to create something. There are tons of tutorial books and websites out there that you can follow along with.

If you’re home with kids try looking up some craft ideas on Pinterest or activities you can do with them to pass some time. Add in one of those cocktails from above for those of you that are parents and you’re golden!

Take an Online Class

This is another thing I’m adding to my to-do list. There are so many universities adding free online classes to their websites, for example, Harvard. Yeah, that Harvard! From learning to code, history, and religion to legal classes there is something for everyone. Here’s a great article that summarizes a lot of different topics and offerings for courses, including kids!

Clean Out a Closet, Room, Etc.

I feel that most of us may be past this point of quarantine, but it really is a great time to organize and clean out the space you are in. I know that if we were in Chicago we would be cleaning, organizing the cabinets and closets and I probably would have convinced Kollin that we should wallpaper our powder bath lol. If you’re able to be outside in the yard maybe plant a garden or add some greenery to your porch. This is also a great time to do all the house maintenance that we tend to put off like cleaning our appliances and maybe deep cleaning the carpets? This could also be a fun way to see some things that have been hiding in the back of your closet like yearbooks or old movies and games.

I hope everyone is staying safe at home and healthy! Thinking of everyone this has impacted, especially those who’ve lost loved ones and the essentials workers out on the front lines every day for everyone. Thank you so much for what you’re doing!