Tips to Bring Changes to Your Life During Your Monotonous, Shelter-In-Place Days

I have almost no concept of time anymore. Lately, I’ll blink on a Sunday, and suddenly it’s Thursday and I missed all my weekly Zoom classes … again. To put it simply, life has become monotonous. 

Quarantine started late in the winter, then spring began; now, we are etching eerily towards summer. For the last two months, the necessary state lockdown order and need for extended staying in has caused a general feeling that life is on pause. As human beings, we need frequent change to feel like we’re moving forward and lately, it just feels as if the seasons are changing around us while we stay stuck.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. With the end of classes drawing near and the “freedom” of summer without classwork to attend to, it might be scary to think of the future as a series of uncertain, empty days. But think of it this way: The upcoming months can provide you with lots of free time to devote yourself completely to something new, without feeling guilty about the days you just lay in bed doing nothing. 

So without further ado, here are five simple things to (safely) do to bring changes to your life in a time where change feels unattainable

1) Discover and Fall in Love with a Movie, TV Series, Novel or Album

This may sound simple, and it is; that’s what’s so great about it. When was the last time a piece of media consumed you so much that you couldn’t stop thinking about it? That you finished it almost as quickly as you started, and once you did, you had to go back and watch/read/listen to it all over again? That the ending made you angry because you became so invested? Maybe you memorized quotes from it because the lines were so perfect. When I say discover something new and fall in love with it, I mean it. Movies, shows, novels, albums, plays — any type of media really, has so much power to enthrall and inspire us, but with our usual busy lives and piles of classwork, we don’t have much time to devote ourselves fully to them. I know I haven’t since I was younger and spent limitless summers with nothing else to do. Now that there may not be a variety of things to do, maybe it’s time to see if you can become infatuated with a piece of art again

2) If You Haven’t Already, Re-Do Your Childhood Bedroom

Maybe it’s time to repaint your walls, give your John Green books to your pre-teen sibling and put your prom photos in a scrapbook. If you have been cooped up these past few months or so in a childhood bedroom that’s looked the same since 2012, now is the time to re-do the entire thing. If that feels like too much to take on, try at least shifting your bed two inches to the right or turning it to face the other way. Even minor changes can be exciting, new and bring a world of difference. But why stop there? You could go all out and completely Marie Kondo your room; Get rid of everything you no longer love, make it a brand new space. Your bedroom is the space that reflects who you are — isn’t it time it grows up with you? 

3) You’ve Heard it Before But Seriously, Now is the Time to Change Your Hair

If you’ve always wondered what your hair would look like dyed purple, completely shaved off or you want to try your luck at cutting your own bangs, what better time to try it out than now? There’s one of two ways it could go. First, you completely hate it and curse everyone who told you to go for it, including me. But if that’s the case, a very limited amount of people will see it, you no longer have to wonder what it would look like and you have a funny story for when all of this is over. Or, you absolutely love it and never look back. No matter the outcome, I’ve always felt that changing up my hair is the quickest and most minorly committed way to open up a new chapter in my life and feel that change has come. 

4) Invest in Learning a New Skill or Hobby

Think about it, what have you been wanting to learn to do forever? Yes, you can actually do it, I mean it! Can’t think of anything? Okay, throw a bunch of skills/hobbies in a hat, make a spinning wheel and just choose whatever you pick first/what the wheel lands on. Be it gardening (a great thing to learn as the days get warmer), painting, pressing flowers, a new language, even whistling (if you don’t want to get out of bed) — picking up a new skill or hobby right now is a great way to find a way to fill your days with something new and exciting and to feel like you are taking control and bringing change to your life.

5) Remember Not to Put Too Much Pressure on Yourself, Everyone is in The Same Boat

Try focusing on a change in mindset. If you’ve been feeling like you’re wasting your days lately, remember that this is an extremely uprooting time for everyone. No one is spending their year exactly how they wanted to, and it’s okay. Finding ways to bring changes to your days is helpful, but don’t feel too pressured that you have to do anything special during this time. Do whatever feels best to you for your peace of mind, health and clarity.