Things I've Always Wanted to Do, but Didn't Actually Do Until I Was Quarantined

Disclaimer: I’m not actually quarantined (yet). I am practicing social distancing in my apartment with my roommates who are two of my best friends from college. We’re all working from home and making the most of our time at home and all together. We’ve concocted tequila cocktails, broken out Cards Against Humanity, had several dance parties, played Truth or Dare, prank called a few people, and discussed our biggest fears. It’s only been 4 days! Who knows what the next few (?) weeks will bring!

Personally, I have been adjusting quite nicely to a new routine that I like to call my “Qua-routine.” While many mental health professionals are advising to keep up your normal routine as much as possible, I’ve taken this opportunity to actually do a couple things differently. I’ve started working things into my Qua-routine that I’ve always wanted to do, but “never really had time” in hopes of continuing the habits after this is all over.

1. Sip a mug of coffee at my kitchen table while reading the newspaper in my pj’s. 

This is something I’ve seen in the movies and when I visit my friends who are retired (hi Jonesy!). I’ve always wanted to be one of those people who had their life together enough to have time in the morning to sit and enjoy their coffee. Instead of waking up at the last minute, rushing to get ready and get out the door, I’ve been sauntering downstairs, making a piping hot cup o’ joe and flipping through the Boston Globe. I encourage you to take this opportunity to slow down your morning pace. It’s been a lovely, positive, and calm way to begin my long days at home. It’s the simple things, y’all.

2. Puzzle.

I.love.puzzles. Puzzling is the exact type of activity that my personality thrives at, yet I’ve only completed a few puzzles in my life. Turns out, it’s also an amazing thing to add to the qua-routine! My roommates and I pulled out an old, colorful puzzle from college and have been working on it a little bit together each night. One of my favorite parts of puzzling is not touching my phone. It’s nice to get away from the constant news alerts and depressing texts and get lost in putting the pieces together. Puzzling keeps my hands busy and allows me to focus my mind on something.

3. Become famous on Tik Tok

As someone who spent much of her childhood choreographing dances and then filming herself doing them, I was pumped to discover Tik Tok a few months ago. Tik Tok is a video-sharing social network that consumes millions of kids and teens throughout the world. The nature of the app makes it easy to “blow up” no matter who you are. Needless to say, there has never been so much content on Tik Tok than the past 2 weeks. So, I either missed my opportunity, or this is my time to shine. It’s a hobby that many kids are latching onto and I’ve definitely contributed to the craze. I haven’t actually become famous yet, but I’ve been learning the popular dances and  filming videos with my roommates in hopes that something will stick. Will keep you posted on my fame. 

4. Try a virtual zumba class. 

Ok so I don’t know why I’ve always wanted to do this so badly, but I always make these plans to do a zumba class in my basement as my workout for the day and never actually do it. When all the workout studios in Boston closed, I had no excuse. I did a quick YouTube search and landed on this “Latin Dance Workout.” I did Latin Dance for my 7th grade talent show so I guess I’m into that kind of thing? It was actually super fun and a pretty good cardio workout! I will definitely be dipping into a lot of free virtual workouts in the coming weeks.

5. Keep a journal

Since I was a little kid, my grandma has encouraged me to keep a journal. She keeps one and can look back on any given day for a little reminder of what happened that day. I thought this COVID-19 experience, as crazy as it’s been, would be something I’d want to be able to look back on and tell my grandkids about. I’ve also been including 3 things I’m grateful for each day. I’m excited to be able to look back to all the ways I stayed positive during this “dark” time.

6. Socialize without actually leaving my bed. 

I live for the weekends when I can go out with my friends to bars and make (blurry) memories with the rest of the 20’s population in Boston. However, I’ve been pleasantly surprised how this quarantine has brought me closer to friends I don’t regularly connect with. Shout out to my high school sisters who organized a virtual happy hour the other night. We’re usually all spread out all over the country, but we were able to connect over a video chat, drink our wine, and share our woes together. Plus, I didn’t have to put a drop of makeup on, I didn’t have to pick out the perfect “going out outfit,” and I didn’t even have to leave my bed. I’ve video chatted with friends at least twice per day since the beginning of my quarantine. Would highly recommend making this a frequent thing!

I hope you enjoyed reading about my qua-routine and that it inspired you to mix up your routine during this uncertain and unsettling time. One roommate started the fashion Instagram she’s always wanted to start (toss a follow @freshkickfridays) and the other is applying for her official CPA license. What fun things will you be doing differently during the quarantine?