Sara Rowley

Majestic misconceptions

Gardner

How To Survive the Quarantine

The year 2020 has definitely been a year that will go down in history. It is not often that

we are faced with a global pandemic. Our seniors won’t get a traditional graduation, people

aren’t able to celebrate holidays, or go to school and work. Adapting and learning to live on

while our world is shut down is a skill we are all building together. In order to survive this crazy

quarantine, we need to maintain normalcy. The best way to do this is by keeping up with

hobbies, continuing our exercise routines, and finding ways to relax.

When it comes to surviving the quarantine, one of the biggest struggles to tackle comes as

boredom creeps in. Normally, people are able to keep their spare time occupied with different

hobbies. Since everything is shut down at the moment, there is a great deal of empty space that is

being filled with enough boredom to invoke madness in most. To avoid going stir crazy,

improvising, and adjusting some of your hobbies to fit our current environment helps a lot. This

varies from hobby to hobby, but with some creativity the possibilities are endless. I was able to

maintain some normalcy and “take a little time each day or, if you prefer, take a crash course in

one day,”(Brittany) to do the #LarsFlowerChallenge, as well as draw, tattoo, and practice my art.

Currently, all the community classes and clubs that we spend time at cannot be accessed, and

virtual substitutes are a great way to experience part of our normal routines.

Unfortunately, the quarantine has also thrown off everyone's workout routine. We are no

longer able to go to the gym, rec centers, or studios that help keep us active. Maintaining this

part of your routine in some other way is crucial right now because we spend so much more time
at home being sedentary. Additionally, exercise is an important outlet for frustration and helps

with staying mentally healthy. After spending all day inside at home doing homework, watching

TV, or staring at a wall, I watch GracieBreakdown Jiu-Jitsu lessons on youtube “designed so you

can learn it all from home” (Gracie) and practice with my family. Exercising from home is one

of the most beneficial ways of maintaining your normal because we cannot control much in this

crazy time, but we can keep ourselves happy and healthy.

Lastly, and most importantly one of the best ways we can achieve normalcy is by doing

whatever it is that helps to relax. 2020 has been a hectic and stressful year, and without time to

relax it is impossible to stay mentally healthy. A great way for me to relax is by listening to

music. There is one song in particular that has some great advice for all of us out here in 2020:

Breathin’ by Arianna Grande. In her song, Arianna Grande sings “Some days, things just take,

Way too much of my energy, I look up and the whole room's spinning” this quote effectively

explains how sometimes things can get too overwhelming, but when that happens we just need to

“keep breathin’”(Grande).

Though this quarantine may seem never-ending, and surviving it does not always feel

realistic, there are so many ways to survive. All we have to do is find our new normal, and the

best way to do that is to adapt your hobbies, exercise, and relax. Regardless of whether or not

you like to draw, or grapple, or listen to music, doing what you love will help you survive, just

like it has for me.

Sources:
Ilya Salmanzadeh. (2018, February 2). Breathin'. On Sweetener [streaming]. MXM.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN0iD0pI3o0

Gracie Breakdown. (2015). Women's Self-defense Technique - Man Pinning Both Wrists in

Mount Position [Video]. YouTube.

The House That Lars Built. 2020. Quarantine Creativity: Flower Drawing Challenge - The

House That Lars Built. [online] Available at: <https://thehousethatlarsbuilt.com/2020/03/31-

flowers-in-31-days-starts-now.html/> [Accessed 7 May 2020].