Isolation doesn’t have to mean desolation

In light of the current pandemic, a lot of people in India are either choosing self-isolation or it has been mandated on them by their employer or their doctor. The number of people in isolation is only going to grow in the next two weeks.

After the first couple of days, feeling stuck at home can become a huge problem in itself.

While I am no expert on how to save yourself from the virus, I want to share some ideas I am going to implement and you can too to save yourself from despair.

- Maintain a schedule so you don’t feel a complete loss of purpose. Take your shower (and do take them), have your meals, work- as per your usual schedule.

- Maintain separate spaces for separate tasks so you can maintain sanity- don’t work on your bed, don’t sleep on your couch, etc. (If you live in a small space, you can still do this by designating different furniture or corners of the house for different tasks)

- Stay informed but stick to sources you trust (I am sticking to WHO, a couple of other sources I trust and verifying any Whatsapp forwards I receive before putting stock in them; they mostly don’t hold up to even a simple Google search)

- Talk to your loved ones- catch up, talk about something other than the virus

- Exercise; or stretch- there are some simple stretching videos on YT.

- Cook!- Your favorite meals and learn new recipes

- Netflix & Chill- we are lucky to be alive at a time of some excellent media content- movies, TV shows, documentaries, etc.

- Read- all those unread books lying around need some love too

- Declutter and organize- it makes both your living space and headspace happy

- Play indoor games and board games with people at home

- Play games on your phone; Some of my favorites are: X2 blocks, BlockuDoku, Crossy Roads, Nonogram

- Remember all this is temporary!