Getting Out of Quarantine Rut

A few weeks ago, I saw a video comparing quarantine to the 7 stages of grief (see image below). Admittedly, I think I’ve gone through this cycle at least twice now. 

When school suddenly went online in mid-March, in my mind, the rest of the year was as good as over. I spent the rest of March bingeing k-dramas while putting in ~just enough~ effort to do well in school. I was shocked that our dance team’s efforts and hours of practice wouldn’t come to full fruition on stage.

After taking a break for a week, I started getting back into dance training and took classes every other day. I made a lengthy to-do list. Somewhere along the way, I landed myself in an existential crisis and started questioning everything—Ivey, the meaning of money, and my future career. I considered what living an ordinary, average life might mean.

I didn’t exercise for 3 weeks and felt absolutely horrible. Now, I am finally exercising again and feeling better. But sometimes I still go through erratic periods of nothingness.

With the uncertainty of the future, it’s easy to feel like you’re stuck in a never-ending cycle: When will corona end? What will happen to the next school year? However, it doesn’t have to feel like this. I hope that by sharing what’s worked for me, I can help you get out of your quarantine rut(s). 

1/6: Allow yourself to feel

It’s important to know that your emotions are valid even if they aren’t positive. The more you try to force yourself to feel a certain way, the more tension you’ll feel. It’s okay to do nothing, to be unproductive. 

Take breaks as you need them, whether it be one or many naps.

For me, on top of going through random “emo” periods, I sometimes felt like the world around me was too crowded with noise. To isolate my emotions, I created some headspace, almost like an air bubble or buffer gap, by unplugging from some social media sites I used too often.

I also limited the “blue-light effect” by turning down screen brightness and having night mode on 24/7. Only then could I breathe more.

2 / 6: Any progress is progress, no matter how small

Even if it’s making your bed, doing 10 jumping jacks, or cleaning up your desk, be proud of yourself for getting something done no matter how small the task might seem. 

As you get used to doing things other than laying on your bed or couch, you’ll eventually get around to doing what you truly want to achieve, whether it’s tackled in one-go or in small steps.

You can get more things done overtime by doing things in parts. I’ve found it more effective to focus on 1 or 2 tasks a day because previously, I overwhelmed myself with my list to the point where I was too numb to do anything. Focusing on only my top priority in each moment has helped me address part of that list.

Instead of trying to get back into shape by forcing myself through long, 1-hour online dance classes, I pushed myself to do only the exercises I wanted to do for each day. Sometimes that would be a full-body workout consisting of treadmill running and leg, arm, and ab exercises .

Other times, it would be only doing squats and booty work with a wind-down stretch at the end. I also started decreasing my meal portions and counting my calories. Once I got started in just ~doing~, it was easier to continue doing. An important part is setting yourself in a gradual, growth mindset and acknowledging your progress.

One way to set up that mindset is through“athlete’s vision.” Top Olympic athletes are known to imagine themselves practicing their sport before actually doing it. Mental practice is still practice, and it’s proven to be at least half as effective as actually doing it. If you don’t feel like taking on your goal yet, try visualizing yourself doing it for a few days first. By the time you physically try it out, you’ll feel more ready for what’s to come. 

3 /6: Understand how you work best

In my case, I know that I can’t function with a schedule too full or too empty. Having a set plan of to-do items per month also tends to backfire as any slip ups or non-productive days can create an overwhelming backlog. Hence, I tend to only think about my schedule for the upcoming week + some items I would like to do in the next 3 days. 

Typically, having a semi-schedule of any sort may help. For example, allocate an approximate time each day for a certain activity, such as exercising routinely between 9 and 10pm.

Furthermore, during SHAD, we learned that a moderate stress level stimulates maximum productivity. Being too relaxed or too stressed could potentially stop you from accomplishing your goals.

If you’re too stressed, inject some non-thinking activities into each day, such as folding clothes, staring at the clouds, or bopping to music. If you’re too relaxed, try putting yourself in a new environment that can inspire you, whether it be Reddit, Quora, or Facebook groups.

4 / 6: Focus on what you can do

You can’t change what happened yesterday, but you can change what you do for the rest of today and your mindset for tomorrow. Not exercising for 3 weeks has turned some of my muscles into jelly, but doing nothing while worrying about such jelly won’t change it. Starting now will help subside worries that stem from the past. 

“The sooner you begin the less time you leave for your future self to regret.”

I also accepted the fact that I can’t change my body type or metabolism rate, but I can still do my best to do what I can and stay healthy.

5 / 6: Be driven by positive rewards rather than fear

Positive reinforcement has proved to be more effective than negative punishment. Focusing on the positive rewards of exercising—namely, feeling good afterwards—instead of being driven by fear of gaining weight has helped keep me consistent with getting in daily amounts of physical activity.

Rather than trying to take online courses in fear of falling behind as a job prospect, try to focus on the genuine joy you might gain from learning and fulfilling your curiosities.  

6 /6: Let it go

I’ve come to accept the fact that I most likely won’t get everything on my to-do list done, and that’s okay. 

Just make sure you’re taking care of yourself (physically, mentally and emotionally) and staying healthy. Self-care, in and of itself, should be considered a task added to your to-do list.

It’s helpful to have friends whom you trust and are willing to simply listen to what you have to say. Like a can of pop, it’s better to open your thoughts up and share them over time than to have it bottle up and explode. Otherwise, a journal or blog works ;)

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