Staying Productive During a Pandemic

Byline: Patrick Cao, Editor-in-Chief

Photo:https://www.pexels.com/photo/group-of-people-watching-on-laptop-1595385/

Due to the emergence of COVID-19, people across the nation are forced to stay home to ensure their safety. While staying home is safe and comforting for most, it can also be extremely boring and/or unproductive. With this limitation in mind, I have brainstormed some ways to be productive during this trying time.

Create a schedule and stick to it. When you’re home and don’t have to go to work or school, you’re going to have a lot more time on your hands. It’s tempting to take this time to sleep in more or stream your favorite shows to pass the time, but you can’t do that. Human beings are meant to be active and do things, otherwise, we can grow depressed since we lack purpose. Before the quarantine it’s more than likely that you had a routine: wake up, brush your teeth, eat breakfast, etc. With your routine gone, you may find your days to be aimless and drag on. To combat this, create a schedule and follow it. It doesn’t have to be as active as the one you previously had, but at least have one so you can rely on it whenever you feel your day has no meaning. Set an alarm, do some exercise, get work done and I bet your day is going to go by so much quicker.

Exercise. Right now, we are living in a depressing time. You may feel depressed and that’s nothing to be ashamed of, however, your emotions still need to be addressed. Countless studies have shown that exercise causes your brain to release endorphins which in turn increase mood. What can be a healthier way of coping with your sadness? Exercise is beneficial to both your mind and body. You may be a little hesitant to start incorporating exercise due to a lack of equipment but there are plenty of alternatives that have little to none equipment. Yoga for example only requires a mat (mainly for comfort) and there are countless other workouts to try out. Another good form of exercise that requires minimal equipment are workouts with resistance bands. Resistance bands are affordable, durable and versatile. You can take them anywhere and can do an array of different workouts. However, if you’re a person who has trouble motivating themselves to work out, the YMCA has recently launched a free online program called YMCA 360. Under this new program, anyone who signs up will be given an array of options for exercise and an instructor to guide you through whatever you choose. Links will be provided for yoga as well as resistance band workouts, and information on YMCA 360 at the end of this article.

Learn to cook. I’m not expecting people to start cooking gourmet meals due to the quarantine and lack of available ingredients, but I feel people can still cook delicious meals at home with pantry staples such as canned goods, rice, flour, etc. If you’re intimidated by cooking or don’t have any clue what to make, there are plenty of cooks on YouTube that have shared pantry recipes in this time of limited resources. YouTube channels such as Adam Ragusea, Binging with Babish, Joshua Weissman, Tasty and Bon Appétit that have come up with simple, delicious dishes tailored by basic pantry essentials that you probably have right now. Since you’re home anyway, you might as well try these recipes out. Who knows? You may obtain a better understanding of the kitchen at the end of this quarantine.

Write in a journal. During quarantine, you’re going to have a lot of time to yourself. When you’re by yourself, your thoughts can weigh in on you and it can be overbearing. These thoughts are natural and they shouldn’t be feared or treated with resentment. As long as you handle them in a healthy way, you’ll be fine. Writing in a journal is an inexpensive and beneficial way to understand the thoughts you may have. When you sit down and write out your thoughts, you can literally see them and evaluate them. You can shed light on your negative thoughts without any judgment and criticism and just be yourself. Every problem you write down will feel less severe since you’re getting it off your chest. Please don’t fall into unhealthy habits such as doing drugs and alcohol for escapism. Doing these only makes you suppress your thoughts rather than addressing them.

Hopefully, you have gained something from reading this article and will apply it to your time in quarantine.

Please use the links below for more information of what was discussed:

Exercise and happiness:

https://medium.com/luminate/can-exercise-make-you-happy-or-does-happiness-help-you-exercise-ef3d47ab1bbc

Yoga and resistance band workouts and information on YMCA 360:

https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/poses-by-level/beginners-poses

https://www.runtastic.com/blog/en/resistance-band-exercises/

https://www.ymca.net/news-releases/ymca-launches-free-online-classes

Pantry recipes:

Adam Ragusea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmJcwc5UBW8

Binging with Babish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfzKfD_WuDM&t=526s

Joshua Weissman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENynhlNk5V8&t=433s