By: Kyra Carlisle
From Tuesday, October 13th to Friday, October 23rd, I was under an order to quarantine due to possible close contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19. This was a bit of a difficult transition because I tend to keep busy between work, school, and extra-curricular activities, even during these times that require social distancing. I did not realize how much I had come to enjoy being around people; I have become more extroverted than I used to be and had not even noticed until I had to be completely isolated. When the COVID-19 pandemic first began in March, I still lived with my parents; so while I was still staying home as much as possible and only leaving for work and essential errands, I still was not completely alone because I was with my family. Since then I have moved out and live alone with my cat, and quarantine was much different this time around.
I understood why it was important for me to quarantine, and took it very seriously, but it definitely took a few days to adjust from a fast-paced lifestyle to complete isolation, only leaving my apartment briefly to get my mail each day. I did not know what to do with myself at first. Once I developed somewhat of a routine, the days passed more easily. I made it a point to open my blinds and curtains to let in more natural light in the morning and closed them before I went to bed. For me this marked another day down, with x more days to go. It was a small ritual but gave me more of a sense of time passing.
On Tuesday, October 20th,I made a point to document by photos each thing that I did that day. I began my day the same as the others by opening the blinds and curtains, and then went to make myself a cup of coffee with my Keurig (which is SUCH a great appliance to have when living alone!) in my “Meow” mug.
For breakfast, I had a plain bagel with plain cream cheese. (I’ve always preferred more bland breakfast foods; not sure why. Sometimes a blueberry bagel will make its way into my meal, but usually I stick with plain.)
While I ate breakfast, I wrote in my daily quarantine journal. I began this on my second day of quarantine as a way to remember what I did each day, to reflect on my productivity and keep myself accountable, and to keep my spirits up by focusing on recording specifically good things that happened. I made it a goal to not watch TV or use my phone during breakfast time so that I could devote that time to journaling, and I was pretty good about it almost all of the days.
After breakfast, I went to go make my bed. I liketo do this every day for a similar reason as opening the blinds; it gives me a sense of routine(and makes my room look much cleaner!). I had a little buddy to help me make the bed each morning, too.
My cat’s name is Lyla. We grew much closer while I was home 24/7 for so long. We’re definitely besties now.
Since it was a Tuesday, I didn’t have any lectures to complete for any classes, but still had some schoolwork to do. I made sure to spread out my work throughout each week (which is a habit that I did not have until quarantine, and still benefit from today), writing down 3-4 things to complete each day in my planner, whether it was reading a chapter, making a Quizlet set, completing a few pages of a study guide, etc. This way I made sure I was getting something done every day, and still allowed myself to stop once I completed my tasks for the day and had time to relax. Of course, I also had a study buddy while I was working, who reminded me to take breaks every so often to pay attention to her.
Once I finished my schoolwork for the day, I had some apple slices as a snack (I usually don’t eat much for lunch, especially when I sleep in and eat breakfast later in the morning), and then decided to do some cleaning around my apartment. I had been wanting to vacuum the carpet in my bedroom and the living room, and so I took advantage of the time I had and got that done. I have a neat little compact vacuum cleaner, and I highly recommend something like this for living in an apartment. It’s easy to transport and store, and does the job for a small space.
I also had been wanting to put out some tealight candles that my aunt gave me a few months before as a housewarming gift, and soI dug those out of the closet and got to work. I think they ended up looking really nice& cozy, and made my apartment smell amazing.
Before long it was time to start making dinner. One goal that I set for myself during quarantine was to really cook a full meal. I had been slacking on cooking and eating well since moving out, and relied a lot on quick meals that could be easily microwaved, in part because I was so busy and simply didn’t have the time to cook. So, I decided that night was the night I was going to make one of my favorites that my mom would make back home-BBQ pulled pork and fried potatoes. I also warmed up some green beans and carrots, paired it with a 7up, and before I knew it I was eating a meal that made me feel like I was right back at home. It came out great for my first time making the potatoes, and I would definitely make it again.
It was also dinner time for Lyla, who made sure to remind me that she was hungry, too!
After we enjoyed our dinners, Lyla and I laid down on the couch to relax and watch our new favorite show, The Haunting of Hill House, on Netflix. (I had been wanting to watch this show for a long time, and finally had the chance to!! Even though there are only 10 episodes, I would absolutely recommend for anyone who likes supernatural/horror shows).
Soon after that, it was time to go to sleep. I closed the blinds & curtains, got into my pajamas, and crawled into my bed, where Lyla had already established her spot for the night.
Even though quarantine was far from an ideal situation, it was nice to sleep in, establish my own routine, and work at my own pace without worrying about having to be somewhere. With that said, I would do it again if it was necessary for me to, because at the end of the day, the most important thing is staying safe and healthy, and doing my part to help others stay safe & healthy too.
