Coping During Quarantine

Its been over a month of mandatory stay at home orders and self-quarantine. Being isolated from friends and family can take a toll mentally, add to that the pressure many of us feel to make the most of this time at home - its rough out here. During this time of uncertainty and fear, I wanted to know how other women were coping with quarantine and self-isolation. Hear them in their own words below.

Roxanne 30, Georgia

Being in quarantine or isolation means being away from family and friends; something that I [in a million years] would not have never imagined; a total loss of control of my normal life routine.  The worst part of it all, I was scheduled to launch my vintage brand, “Roxanne Rachel Vintage” the same week COVID-19 was all over the news. Out of faith, I launched on March 16th, 2020 regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic announcement. There are days when I feel anxious during isolation; I question my brand and wonder why it’s not selling as fast I as imagined it would be. I try to remind myself that I am on nobody’s journey, but my own. I allow myself to feel my negative feelings because I don’t want to shame them. But at the same time, I do not want them to stay. Therefore, when I’m feeling doubtful, I turn to prayer and reading. My favorite books right now are, “You are A Badass Everyday” by Jen Sincero and “Battlefield of the Mind” by Joyce Meyer.  Both books are very powerful tools that have helped me strengthen my intuition and provide me with motivating words to overcome challenges and influence powerful action toward my goals during isolation. I decided from the start that I was going to take a productive approach. With that being said, I’m coping with quarantine and isolation by concentrating on my brand. I’ve made a long to-do list to keep me motivated like; practice my sewing skills, build confidence in my brand with daily affirmations/gratitude journaling, create marking/promoting ideas, and design fresh new looks. Anything to fabricate a successful brand. You can look at this quarantine/isolation pandemic as a “total mess” and complain about not being able to go outside, you can do nothing because you’ve been working your ass off all year or you can view this as an effective way to concentrate on yourself and those goals you’ve been placing on hold. It’s totally up to you!

Erin, Georgia

ART! In any way, Quarantine has taught me the beauty of creating with your hands.

Jordy 27, Los Angeles

My biggest emphasis right now is to capitalize. The goal is to come through this reinvented to some capacity. I have challenged myself with new projects, written emails to people I want to work with in the future, active job hunting ( fellow job hunters don’t get discouraged there are JOBS available, we just gotta creatively look, ex: the tech industry is popping ). I am learning more and more daily about economics and overall I am maintaining gratitude. My faith is stronger than ever, I have been doing guided prayers through an app on my phone and really feel refreshed for what’s to come at the end of this. My advice to people is to truly focus on what we can control. Map out the ideas you want to achieve and start planning execution. This isn’t idle time it’s IDEA TIME. In closing, I hope everyone remembers to ‘Stay yo ass at home’.

“This isn’t idle time it’s IDEA TIME”

Marcela 25, Pleasanton, CA

My expectations for coping with this pandemic have changed as the weeks go by but I’ve definitely found myself trying to “work on myself” a bit. I’ve started practicing French, reading more, and trying my hardest to exercise. I’ve called my mom every day hoping I can offer her some reassurance because for some reason I find myself feeling better about myself when I’m helping others or at least being a source of information for them. I think the best advice I’ve read about dealing with this, is to let yourself have good and bad days. I no longer feel guilty if I don’t job search that day, or if I eat 5 cookies, or if I don’t get out of bed until 2. I have also stopped checking the news every few hours because it’s emotionally draining and leaves me feeling hopeless.

Setareh 27, Los Angeles

Just when I thought I had a handle on this quarantine life, they slapped another month on that order and now I’m feeling like Akon circa 2003. So what’s a girl to do when she’s locked up and they won’t let her out? Cry? Do a 30-day squat challenge? Deep clean your house every day? Binge-watch three seasons of your favorite show in one night? Maybe none, or maybe all of the above, but allowing myself the space to be productive or lazy and not feeling guilty about it has helped make this stressful time a little easier. Whether you’re an introvert or a social butterfly, life in quarantine is hard enough without the added pressures of trying to “make the most” out of this time off. Some might roll their eyes and say, “Save the drama! It’s only a month!” but we’re all going through it, and doing what makes YOU feel good is all that matters. Personally, I haven’t picked up a new instrument or learned a new language and I’m not writing that off, but I am doing my best to do what feels right for my mind and body. In my spare time, I’ve mostly been watching skincare gurus on IG, listening to my favorite throwbacks on YouTube, and trying to get my daily stretches in — and that’s been enough to get me through. Take care xoxo.

Araceli 25, Tracy, CA

Coping with self-isolation has been a BIG struggle for me. The first week was a breeze. I completed a puzzle, cleaned out my room, and relaxed but that got old QUICK. Some days I cannot find the motivation to get out of my morning pjs and into my afternoon ones. However, I know myself and I know I feel best when I do make use of my day. I have been keeping busy by working out, cooking, researching topics of my interests (skincare and finance), and updating my Linkedin. The hardest part has been adjusting from gym workouts to home workouts, but if the gates to summer open up anytime soon, I know this body needs to be ready to go.

Kelcie 27, Los Angeles

“Allowing myself to have both productive and unproductive days. Giving myself grace and taking time to relearn some old hobbies, as well as learning new ones.“

“Allowing myself to have both productive and unproductive days”

Adrianna 26, Los Angeles

After having multiple meltdowns and stress episodes, I find what's been helpful for me during this quarantine is meditating and journaling. I usually do this at night as it helps me to de-stress and think more clearly. Writing down a schedule has also been beneficial since I'm now attending school online and my internship has gone remote. Seeing as we're having brighter and sunnier days again here in Los Angeles, I like to take my laptop with me and go sit outside in my front yard, do some work, and just appreciate nature and the sun. Last, I find that picking up a new hobby or learning something new can really add to your life and stimulate your mind. For me, that’s been practicing yoga and I feel it’s really improved my relationship with my mind and body and I can’t imagine going back now.

Ariel 28, Fremont, CA

I’ve been simply keeping busy by just doing what I do best and that’s being a mom. This has honestly given me the opportunity to kind of slow down and bond with each of my kids more individually. My oldest is also in the first grade so I have had the privilege of picking up the role of a school teacher. Distance learning has its challenges but we’re getting through it. There are days where I want to pull out my hair and then there are days that are super chill. It depends on everyone’s vibe during the day. Everyone is handling social distancing in their own way in my house. But I know we’re all looking forward to be able to be social again since we’re a pretty outgoing family. We have made some pretty cool art projects in place of family outings. This time has also given my spouse and I the time to reflect on what we would like to work on as parents and in our marriage. Although what is going on around us has been heartbreaking to watch we have the joy of the Lord and we’re making the best of it. I’m just thankful God is keeping my family in good health.

Thank you to all the women who helped with this article. We hope you all are staying safe and healthy out there.