How I Got Through My 2-Week Solo Quarantine In a Hotel Room
18 hours direct, 14 nights straight — It’s all about mindset.
Enter LAX. I’m about to cross over oceans, timezones, and what in this time of our lives, feels like paradigms. I travel 18 hours direct from Los Angeles to my motherland. I wear my mask for so long (aka the whole flight) that I arrive the next morning with pimples where the outline of my surgical mask was.
Enter Singapore. There is a mandatory 2-week quarantine in a dedicated hotel facility upon arrival in the country. You cannot leave the room. One has no idea which hotel you will be assigned upon exiting. Would I get a window? A window that can open for air? Will the wifi be weak? Will I be strong enough?
Enter the Hotel Room. I have access to fresh air. Hallelujah. I have a Nespresso machine. Heaven. The room is renovated. Tears. This space will be my home for 14 nights. And just like that — Day 0 commences.
I decide to take the whole day for myself, by not taking it personally. That means, not judging the act of lying with cookies in bed to equate I’m a lazy, unproductive ‘quarantiner’. The 1st tip to start the whole process, no apologies. I gently set some personal intentions. On certain days, some were lacking or took precedence over the other, but I would always bring myself back to these one-word ‘traits’ when it all felt repetitive.
Personalize — for JOY
I got a plant delivered. I realized I’d appreciate another life force, as quiet and tiny as it is, around me. Pack a diffuser. Together with my tea tree and lavender oil, it purifies, gives the room a nice scent, and keeps me calm throughout the day. It becomes a life savior (especially if you can’t open your window). I place my candle, a journal, some personal pictures on my bedside table. These walls were going to be “home” for 14 nights.
Giving objects a place in space, gave me a greater sense of identity; an almost immediate connection to an otherwise secluded experience.
Routine— for PURPOSE
Routine in quarantine can be helpful. In fact, it was a lifeline for me. I wrote a daily plan in my journal. Treating it as a bible is flexible, but writing it as inspiration is vital. I tried to keep track and follow through with the outline. I start the days with stretching and meditation — key for me in the AM. I noticed how my practice somehow felt more grounded, perhaps because time felt different. I lacked the same impatience to learn and didn’t feel rushed to get anywhere.
I realized it’s not about taking my time in action, but being OK with the time taken in action.
Movement in space felt more purposeful. I make my bed every morning and try and avoid it at all costs till bedtime. I tune into my ‘Netflix and Chill’ mode only after 7 pm — and dedicate different spaces in my room as “zones”.
Zoning — for CLARITY
Double up your space (it is a hotel room), yet do it intentionally. My ‘work’ desk area is also my dining table — but to denote it as mealtime, I remove my laptop and place my plant in the middle of that same table. I adjust the room lights at different moments of the day to signal time and energy shifts and use the wall next to the desk as my inspiration board.
Who would’ve thought post-its would be key?
I write mantras, to-dos, and time slots of workshops on these multiple colored sticky notes. My workout area is also my meditation and ‘Club Quarantine’ spot (yes, I have solo dance parties). When the time felt repetitive or lost, these post-its in my ‘living room’ give me a subtle nudge and reminded me that I had a gazillion things I could do for myself.
Gratitude — for CONNECTION
The daily doorbell ring from the hotel staff with my meals or deliveries from family and friends always felt like Christmas morning. One of the biggest lessons in quarantine revealed itself through this— to take gratitude in the smallest things.
Whenever I felt anxiety, I interrupted it with another thought of what I’m thankful for and why— and I say it out loud. Vocalizing makes it more real.
Any form of communication from my community (and beyond) was magnified in love. Every check-in call from the concierge gave me a more present, deeper meaning in the work they do. Though made to quarantine by law, the fact is when you do this, you (and other inbound travelers) are helping to keep the country safe; therefore the community is safe, and that ultimately means, my family lives safely here.
That understanding keeps me connected to this moment. I have a roof, an opportunity to safely quarantine. I’m at peace, grateful that I’m motivated by this effect.
Mindset — for FLOW
Uncertainty is uncomfortable. I was shuffling between anxiety and adrenalin leading up to the flight and quarantine. I was preparing for all kinds of crazy situations — till a good friend asked me,
It’s good you’re mentally staying ahead, but instead of preparing for worst case scenarios, how does visualizing a best case scenario feel like?
It hit me then. Changing the language around this experience, supported my mental hygiene. Energetically, I got calmer. When I truly paused between the spectrum of my emotions, I could hear my own resilience rising. Without a doubt, part of the comfort was knowing I was flying into a safe country (all things considered). But just a slight shift in framing the moment, made all the difference to meet it.
Instead of referring to this as my ‘lockdown quarantine’, I started using words like “retreat” — and (ok, this might be pushing it!) “artist-in-residency”. The words I uttered to myself and spoke to others changed the tone of the experience going in and throughout. I treated it as a social experiment. I encouraged the lens in which I walked towards it, with playfulness, exploration (alongside fear), and open curiosity.
I had deep glimpses of what nourishes me and what I’m deeply afraid of. Living in limitations gave me clarity. My muddy mind became clearer, giving me the opportunity to understand these insights.
It also taught me to ask for support, if needed. Most of the time, people do want to help! I arranged zoom calls with friends when talking to myself got boring. I created a ‘quarantine playlist’ when the silence seemed louder than usual.
I was safe, not stuck.
And reminded myself to be a good friend to me, and give myself the company I’d enjoy with another.
Enjoy the silence — for CALM
There is weird freedom having complete control, in a controlled setting. You solely decide the parameters for your time, energy, and actions. There is nowhere you have to (can) be — or anyone you have to see.
This moment of solitude gave me a curiosity to know myself better — and express myself more courageously.
Going back to my very first revelation — no apologies. I gave myself permission. Like digging up an old play I wrote for my very first one-woman show and adapting it again; compiling a digital mixtape of songs that spark joy, hope, and nostalgia; picking up watercolors (the last time I did that, I was 12!) to create an abstract canvas art piece…
…and writing in a Medium publication for the 1st time.
JOY. PURPOSE. CLARITY. CONNECTION. FLOW. CALM.
Purposefully practicing these intentions has been my superpower and saving grace in quarantine. It takes strength in consistency to remind one’s self there is light at the end of this very long tunnel — and that hopefully, we’ll all globally emerge from our mandatory, or voluntary “retreats” with more of these traits.
