7 Tips to Pull Yourself Out of a Quarantine Spiral
PLEASE NOTE: These tips are not designed for someone who suffers from severe mental health challenges. If you suffer from depression, or are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please refer to CAMH’s support page.
Anyone who knows me well, knows I practically have positivity coming out of my butt. I usually see the glass as half full, and genuinely believe an encounter with a fluffy dog can change your life.
Which is why I was totally caught off guard when, two weeks ago, I hit a real quarantine low.
Work was becoming slow, I was permanently exhausted, I had a headache that wouldn’t quit, and suddenly, I couldn’t see my way out of a quarantine spiral. Everything seemed like it pretty much sucked. And might suck forever.
And I have a sneaking suspicion that I’m not alone in my quarantine spiral - that some of you might be feeling a bit of darkness creep in too. But now that I’ve made it through to the other side and have my rose-coloured glasses back on, I’m here to tell you you’ll make it through this too.
So, in case you’re feeling like total garbage, or your quarantine anxiety is through the roof, I thought I’d share a couple of tips that really helped me feel like myself again:
1. Be Bummed
I am in a pretty good quarantine situation. My family is healthy and safe, I have a roof over my head (which is not our former 420 sq ft. bachelor apartment), I can comfortably work from home, and my husband and I don’t have kids, but do have similar tastes in Netflix. Things are pretty good. Which is why I didn’t want to admit I didn’t feel good. I felt like I didn’t have the right to be sad. But all I was doing is burning myself out from pretending I was fine. Turns out, the first step to feeling like myself again was letting myself be bummed. I miss my friends, I miss hugs from my mom, I miss talking to strangers, I miss patio beers, I miss being on set. And that’s okay. Admitting I miss that stuff will make me appreciate it all the more when my life is full again. So, when you start feeling crummy, let yourself actually feel it. Let yourself be selfish about your emotions. Even if it means you spend the day in bed, binge-watching Community (or Too Hot to Handle…I’m not here to judge).
2. Change out of your PJs
Anyone who works for home already, knows this golden rule. Even if it’s changing out of one pair of fleece pants into another form of fleece pants, put on some fresh clothes once you’re up and about. You might not feel like a new person, but at least you’ll feel like a person.
3. Tap into your Creative Side
Bust out your coloring book, knit, write something, sew, bake, whatever. And you don’t have to finish the project, or show it to anyone. Think of it instead like an exercise class: just the act of doing something creative is the benefit, as opposed to the end product. And when you tap into your creative brain even just for 30 minutes, you’ll find you get a little boost of energy. Plus, it will pull you out of bed or away from the TV for long enough to remind you there’s a world outside of “continue watching”.
Music Tip: While kneading my dough and colouring my blues away, I was listening to one of my favorite radio specials: House of Strombo’s Tragically Hip tribute. It’s 4-hours of beautiful inspiration from Canadian artists that I highly recommend to battle these dark times.
4. Get Sweaty
You’re halfway out of the spiral, so now it’s time to do a little work(out). I know for gym rats out there, this one is hard: “Without the mouldy smell of used mats, strangers grunting loudly and a weight rack, how can I get my gains on?” But physical activity is more important now than ever, especially if your commute has been downsized to five paces from the bed, three paces to the kitchen, and back. Even if it wasn’t part of your regular schedule before quarantine, why not try a Youtube yoga class or boot camp? (Here’s some great free options: Barry’s Bootcamp, Do Yoga with Me, Workout Like Nina.) And if you’re a fellow gym rat, stop trying to order weights on Amazon and try something you’ve never done before. I’ve been attempting Les Mills hip hop classes. I’m so uncoordinated that physically going to a dance class would have been a danger to myself and others, but in the privacy of my own basement, (with the lights off so I can’t even see my own reflection in the mirror) I’m kinda having a blast. Most importantly, it’s an accomplishment you can tick off your to-do list. You can even make it social; I have a girlfriend who lives in Spain and does nightly workout classes with her friends in Canada over Zoom.
5. Schedule Weekly “events”
Whether it’s Zoom happy hour with colleagues, Drawful with friends, or weekly What’s App calls with family; try and book something “social” every other day of the week. Not only will it help you remember which day of the week it is, your friends’ smiling faces will remind you we are all in this together. Quarantine may take your freedom, but it can never take away your friendships.
6. Create a Chore/Reward System
With everyone talking about how productive they’ve been during quarantine, I got to a certain point where I was actively feeling guilty when I wasn’t doing a household chore. But guilt has no place in your life when you’re coming out of a hole. Instead, create a list the stuff you want to tackle, splitting them up by room or task type. Then schedule them out over as many days as you need, with one chore per day (or every three days, if you hate chores like I do). And for the chores you are dreading the most, create a reward system: I earned myself a glass of wine for each set of blinds I cleaned and after organizing the fridge, I had a hot bath with bubbles, a face mask, the whole shebang. Finishing the chore itself will actually be really rewarding, but sometimes you need the extra motivation of an instant reward, especially when you’re feeling crummy.
7. Check in on Someone Else
Hopefully you’re starting to feel like yourself again, which is the perfect time to help someone else. Because I bet at least one of your friends/family members is feeling the exact same shitty way you did 48 hours ago. We all need each other right now and if I learned anything from my own slump, it’s that we don’t always reach out when we need it the most. So take your new found energy to check in with someone you love. And call me selfish, but I’ve always found cheering up a friend, cheers me up too.
Remember, getting out of the spiral doesn’t mean you’re bulletproof. If quarantine starts feeling overwhelming again, spoil yourself with a magazine, a nap, ice cream for dinner, or your favorite movie. It’s okay to curl up and feel bad. And when you’re ready, pick something from this list to get yourself up and moving again. Lather, rinse and repeat until the end of (quaran)time.
PLEASE NOTE: These tips are not designed for someone who suffers from severe mental health challenges. If you suffer from depression, or are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please refer to CAMH’s support page.