the quarantine that we thought would only last weeks took much longer than we expected.
During the quarantine, we've gone through many struggles. like, adjusting to the new normal, being forbidden to go outside, hang out with your friends, and go shopping. This was one of our ways to relieve stress and enjoy ourselves. But with the pandemic, we can't do any of that. We're stuck at home, left with nothing to do. This causes our mental health to get worse. As a teenager, I also experienced that and it is indeed a hard experience.
So here are 5 things that help me cope up with the situation and enjoy myself during the quarantine that might help you too!
1. Engaging in Arts
The first week of quarantine I was already bored. So, I browse through “shopee” an online shopping app, and the first thing that caught my attention is the cute and affordable drawing materials and stationery. I thought that this would help me to kill some time during the quarantine so I pressed the add to cart button and “check order”! after weeks (some took a month because of the pandemic) items I ordered finally arrived and I don't regret anything. the drawing materials I ordered indeed help me a lot to kill some time and enjoy myself.
Drawing, painting, designing my room with the cute and cool designs I bought, helps me distract myself to think negative things that relieve my anxiety, it disconnects as from stress, express inner thoughts, and even meditate. Aside from that, When drawing, we actively use both sides of our brain, the right for creativity, and the left for logical thinking. This strengthens both and helps develop the ability to focus and think strategically.
Here are some of my works!
2. Journal Making
now that we are quarantined, we can't hang out with our friends, classmates, and enjoy ourselves with them, we can't tell them our stories, no one's gonna listen to our problem. We have our families to speak to that will also listen to us too, but I'm just not open to them, it's hard to open up to my family. I'm not the type of person who shares their problems with their friends. I just tend to keep it myself until I recover from it. But this situation still made an impact on me. I used to love it when I'm alone, but now it's different, It feels lonely. I want to go outside and talk to my friends. I can't handle being alone anymore. My mental health got worst and fragile because of that.
Mid- January I had a panic attack. I was anxious for an unknown reason, to the point, my head hurts from thinking too much, then I start shivering like crazy, I couldn't control my breathing, tears keep falling from my eyes. It lasts almost an hour. I was so afraid. What I did during that time, is wrote in my journal random things, the thing that makes me happy, encouraging words, and my problems to calm myself and distract myself from negative thoughts. Journaling is a tool that allows you to explore the experiences that make you anxious. It helps you clear your mind of intrusive thoughts that “won't leave you alone”. Journaling helps you calm your mind. It releases negative feelings and thoughts.
Here are a few of the pages from my journal!
3. Taking Pictures
Quarantine and left nothing to do. Just scrolling through my social media, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. Admiring their pictures, their visuals. It made me a little bit insecure about myself, of how I look like and lose my confidence. So I thought to myself if I can do it too. So I tried it thinking I can get my confidence back.
Aside from pictures connects us to our past, remind us of people, place, feelings, and stories. It becomes my coping mechanism to dress up and look decent and take a picture. Especially now that we are in quarantine, stuck at home. There are no rules that my hair should only be 3 inches long and such. I can express myself and my creativity more. Now that I've been posting my pictures on my social media I gain my confidence back. The amount of love, compliments, and validation they're giving to my pictures are just astronomical.
Here are some of my pictures of me feeling myself!
4. Making Friends Online
I've been feeling lonely since the quarantine started. I'm not a friendly person. so, I only have few friends in real life, and I couldn't message them every time because they have their own lives too, and I don't want to bother them.
So I started by making a new Facebook account to have a new set of friends I can talk to then I posted the pictures I took. Through that, people added me from different places Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, and even from other countries like China, Japan, and Lithuania. Some of them I meet through online games. They become a big part of my life as they're the ones who help and cheer me up when I'm down, encourage me, and boost my self-esteem. Though it is kind of sad that you can't meet them for now because they are from far away, and it's hard to communicate with them. Especially when they speak a different language. But with the help of the new technology, we can now watch movies together, translate messages, video calls, and more!
These are some of the screenshots of me and my online friends' face time!
5. Watching Netflix
And Of course, watching Netflix!
Anime, K-Drama, J-Drama, Movies, Cartoons, you name it, you can watch it all on Netflix.
Since I was younger, I always watch anime to kill some time and enjoy myself at the moment. It also becomes my stress reliever. Also, watching movies encourage emotional release. Even those who often have trouble expressing their emotions might find themselves laughing or crying during a film. This release of emotions can have a cathartic effect and also make it easier for a person to become more comfortable in expressing their emotions.
here are some of my favorite scenes!
That's all! thanks for reading! stay safe!