11 Quarantine Tips for the Extrovert

It feels like the whole world is under quarantine right now. I know we are here in California. If you couldn’t tell by my blog, I’m a total extrovert. I love people, I love being outside and I love talking. It’s officially been 7 days since I’ve been able to leave my house and hang out with friends and eat at restaurants. This has been such a challenge. Especially since I live alone, don’t have a partner, kids, or a pet. I’m straight up alone. The good news is that I’m not alone in feeling isolated. Sometimes it’s easy to think that everyone else is OK because they have something you don’t, but in times like these, we’re all the same. We’re all anxious, nervous, lonely and going through this together. So whether you’re an introvert, an extrovert or something in between, today’s post is for you. These are my tips of how to survive quarantine as an extrovert or anyone who’s struggling to find the joy in isolation.

Exercise

• This is probably the most important one for me. I’m not a total health nut or gym rat, but since I’m spending all day lying in bed, sitting in front of the computer, then sitting on the couch, life inside is really hard on my body. Exercising for at least 30 min a day not only helps to keep my body moving and alive, it also helps get rid of some of those negative and anxious thoughts. Some of my favorite at home workouts apps are

  • Nike Training - Free to use!

  • Fit On - Free to use!

  • Headspace - because meditation is a life saver.

  • Your fave fitness guru on IG is posting live videos, so tune into their videos.

  • Go for a walk - Recommended 15-20 min walk around your neighborhood, but be sure to practice social distancing!

Marie Kondo your whole home

• Yes, that’s right I’m recommending you take on that monstrous task of cleaning and organizing your home. You can break it up and handle 1 room per day. Whether or not you follow Marie Kondo’s guide is irrelevant, what’s important is decluttering your space so you can feel sane. There’s something so relaxing knowing that your home is clean and organized. Plus while decluttering you can clean so your home will be germ free.

Go to a virtual museum

• Whenever I travel solo, I make time to visit a museum. It’s always nice to take in some culture and silence while on the go. Even though we’re all stuck inside, these museums are offering virtual tours to keep culture alive:

  • Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

  • The Louvre, Paris

  • Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, NYC (my favorite museum)

  • Getty Museum, Los Angeles

  • MOMA, NYC

Dance party

• It’s weird when the weekend means absolutely nothing because you’re stuck inside. Well people are taking to IG and DJing as if the bars were still open. Make yourself a cocktail and turn on some of these DJ sets and dance. Even if you do it for a little while and facetime a friend, it’ll make you feel better. Some of my favorites from this past weekend were:

  • Electric Feels - 90s/2000s indie pop and electro

  • Fake and gay - they put on an entire drag show with set times and DJs, it was amazing

  • D-Nice - 10K people joined his dance party on IG live, including MICHELLE OBAMA

Crafternoon

• I’ve hosted crafternoons in my old apts in NY and LA and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that everyone secretly LOVES crafting! Making something makes you feel good and productive. I just finished my vision board for 2020 a week ago and hung it up in my bedroom. Now I can see my goals clearly and manifest what I see. Grab some old magazines or pick some up from the store and create a vision board for the rest of the year! Some other fun activities for a crafternoon are:

  • Making alterations to clothes

  • Make your wallet (shown below)

  • Frame some of that art lying around

  • Draw without purpose

  • Buy an adult coloring books

  • Puzzle

Escape reality by reading & watching TV

• I absolutely love watching TV and reading books. These are already normal pasttimes for me, but with quarantine you have all the time to catch up on that show you’ve been dying to watch or finish that book you bought 3 months ago and forgot about. I’m re-watching LOST on my IG stories and reading 2 books at the moment. Here are a few of my favorite TV show and book recommendations:

  • Books:

    • Where the Crawdads Sing

    • The Dutch House

    • The Red Queen Series

    • Becoming - Michelle Obama

    • Little Fires Everywhere

    • The Silent Patient - Currently reading this one, so join me!

  • TV

    • Castle Rock

    • The Outsiders

    • Westworld

    • Love is Blind

    • The Sinner

    • Jack Ryan

Learn something new

• I’m sure you’ve seen the article about the free online course from Yale about “The Science of Wellbeing.” With all of this extra time at home it’s an opportunity to learn something new and focus on some of your passions, or just learn about the science of wellbeing. I’ve signed up for this course, so let me know in the comments if you have too!

Become a chef

• That’s right, it’s time to become a chef! There are tons of sites that share recipes and cooking tips, so why not take the time to learn a new recipe. Baking usually takes forever, well guess what, you have time now so try baking!

Keep your normal routine

• I know you’ve seen this everywhere, but take it from someone who fell off their routine, this is KEY to thriving in the quarantine. Wake up early, exercise, be productive somehow, cook a meal, watch tv. Staying on a schedule can help you find peace.

Relax

• It’s ok to do nothing. Even though I’m listing options of things to do, please don’t feel pressured to do anything. If you need rest and just want to sleep and watch TV, that’s ok. Give yourself permission to rest and take care of yourself in these weird times.

Call your friends and family

• Now is the time for connection. Check in on your friends and family, a quick 10 minute call can brighten your day and theirs. If you live alone like me, face time has been a life saver because I get to see people and that makes me feel better. A few group call apps that have been life saving:

  • House party - good for face timing with up to 8 people

  • Zoom - great for face time with coworkers and larger groups

Those are a few of the tricks I’ve learned in the past week about how to not only survive, but to thrive in the quarantine. Stay safe, social distance and message me in the comments if you have other tips and tricks! We’ll get through this!