Self Care During Self Quarantine

Story by Dannah Gunn

Graphic by Hayley Seibel

During this unprecedented time, we all have to adapt and adjust to this new way of daily living. Governor Gretchen Whitmer has declared that all non-essential businesses close for at least three weeks. This means no shopping, besides grocery stores, going out to eat, watching movies at the movie theater and more. As college students, we must find ways to stay busy, healthy and continue (or start) self care. Here is a list of some ideas students can do during this time of quarantine:

Walk your dog

With much more time on our hands, it’s a great time to use it by getting some fresh air for you and your furry friends. This is a great source of exercise and time away from our cell phones. Find a new trail to walk or run on, go to a dog park or just walk around your neighborhood. Anything to get us up and moving is the right move.

Purge your closets

While stuck in your house, try going through your closet.  This is a great way to spring clean and to practice minimalism. It’s a good feeling when there isn’t so much random stuff or things you haven’t worn in years taking up space.

Netflix Party

Google Chrome has a new extension that allows you to watch Netflix with your friends online. There is a chat box on the right side of the screen and you can talk about any movie or TV show with your friends during this time of isolation. They’re keeping the social in social distancing.

Listen to Podcasts

Podcasts are a great way to learn something new, pass the time and get a laugh. There are so many genres of podcasts out there to listen to. There are so many to browse through on Apple Music, Spotify, Overcast and other streaming platforms.

FaceTime Your Friends and Family

Obviously, social distancing is the trend right now to limit any spread of Covid-19, it’s still important to stay in contact with your loved ones. FaceTime can help keep you up to date on everything in each other’s lives. You’ll feel so much better after having “face-to-face” conversations with friends and family.

Embrace This Time

When we are at school, we get so busy and caught up in every appointment, class, lunch date, test, meeting and other commitments. It’s hard to find some down time to relax and self reflect. Now, forced to stay quarantined, it’s a great time to to do nothing for a change, focus on self-care and reflect on everything going on in our lives.

Stay safe, stay home and stay sane! We will get through this with time and patience. Before you know it, we will be back on campus, where we are meant to be.