How To Be Prepared For Quarantine At Home

Companies are telling people to work from home, schools are going virtual and there is a nationwide lockdown in effect. Coronavirus or COVID-19 declared as a global pandemic on March 11th has almost brought the world to its knees. The best thing to do during this time is to quarantine yourself at home and spend most of your time practicing social distancing- only stepping outside if it’s an absolute emergency. The CDC explains that the virus that is COVID-19 is spreading easily from person to person and our best chance to combat it is to practice social distancing and stay inside of our homes. This will help flatten the curve of the rapid spread of coronavirus cases. In these difficult situations, the best thing to do is to prepare yourself, not panic and definitely don’t hoard.

Here are a few guidelines you can follow to prep yourself for quarantine at home.

1. Food:

Again stock up on food essentials that you would need for a two week or a worst-case scenario- a month’s quarantine at home. That doesn’t mean that you must only stock up on non-perishable foods and canned vegetables as that can get tedious. It is a good idea to buy normal staples of your diet as they will typically last for the usual length of the quarantine. Few examples include fresh soups, pasta, etc. Contingent on the location, some online grocery retailers have begun delivering fresh groceries to your door. A good tip is to ask your delivery man to leave the items at the door so that you can avoid human contact and keep both yourself and the delivery man safe.

2. Home essentials:

This list includes any items that you would require a lot of in a two-week period. This includes toilet paper, paper towels, feminine hygiene products and if you have infants at home then diapers as well. If you have pets at home, then it would be a good idea to stock their food and essentials as well. For minor emergencies, ensure that your first aid kit is well equipped to treat common injuries like sprains, cuts etc. The kit should also have pain relievers like ibuprofen or crocin which can reduce pains and fever.

3. Effective Work From Home Set-up:

If you are amongst the lucky people who get to work from home or remotely during the outbreak, you need to ensure that your work effectively and efficiently. Here are a few practices that would help you do so. Get dressed for work each day as you might do on a normal workday as it will help you get into the productive zone. It will also help you look presentable on video conferences. Avoid doing household chores during the workday and instead, do them before or after you get done with your work. Probably one of the hardest things to when working from home is setting boundaries. Make sure that you get your scheduled breaks. In this time you can stretch, work out or eat.

4. Change your routine:

The loss of daily routine and being stuck indoors can really take a toll on one’s mental health. Hence a good practice is to exercise. There are ample of youtube channels which offer free workouts and workout apps that you can download to stay on top of your fitness game. Exercising releases endorphins which can relieve stress and make you feel better. Try to indulge in different and new hobbies as this might help keep you distracted lift your spirits as these are very difficult and troubling times.

5. Plan your entertainment:

You must keep yourself up to date with the news but do not stay glued to it. It is probably the worst thing to do and will only make you worry and panic more. A better thing to do during quarantine at home is to get out the list of all the shows and movies you’ve wanted to watch and finally get around to watching them. If you don’t want to spend too much time with screens, get a puzzle, read books or play board games with family members. If you love doing arts and crafts then get some craft supplies and get creative.

6. Practice good hygiene and stay healthy

The easiest way to stay healthy during these times and any other time is to maintain good hygiene. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water as this is just as effective as hand sanitiser. Information is power during this global pandemic and equipping yourself with the right info can help your stop worrying or panicking. While it is not a good idea to go overboard on research just knowing the basics and being alert will help you a lot.

Remember to try and take it easy. During these tough and uncertain times, the best thing to do is be kind to ourselves and others as we all go through it together and we shall overcome it.