Make your self-quarantine count

By Abby Swalga, communications manager, PA Women Work

COVID-19 has impacted each of us differently. For some, their days have changed from commuting into the office to walking from their bedrooms to their newly created in-home workspaces. But for others who are unable to do their full-time jobs from home, their days are filled with whatever they are choosing to fill them with. 

What Netflix show can I binge today? How many rolls of toilet paper do I have left? Is 7 p.m. too early to go to bed? These thoughts can drive us all crazy.

We suggest looking at this time at home differently. Let’s make the most out of this situation by being productive, learning new things, exercising, growing personally and professionally, and offering a helping hand when we can. 

Below is a list of suggested resources and ways for you to stay busy during your self-quarantine and most of all, make this time meaningful. 

1. Participate in a free class or training: Universities across the country are offering hundreds of free courses you can take right now in things like computer science, business, humanities, education and more. And if your self-quarantine is getting a little gloomy, consider taking Yale University’s highly esteemed online course on happiness which was released for free last week. 

2. Think outside the box for you and your kids’ schoolwork: Many sites are offering free resources to help you make your children’s daily lessons fun and productive – and keep you sane. You can find assistance with reading exercises, STEAM activities, mathematics projects and more. Some of the activities might even be helpful for adults. 

3. Test the limits in your kitchen: If you bought a new cookbook last year that’s been collecting dust in your cupboard, it’s time to break it out. There are so many resources to find recipes, such as Pinterest or even just a quick Google search. The New York Times offered some suggestions for easy recipes you can try with limited ingredients during your quarantine – give one a go! 

4. Be good to yourself: Getting out of the house every day for a 20-minute walk or some yardwork will really help break up your days and offer a reprieve from sitting in your house. Beyond that, exercise, yoga and meditation can really help curb anxiety and stress. Check out these sites and apps that are offering free self-care exercises during this situation. 

5. Build your professional toolkit: Whether you’re working from home or your job situation has been impacted significantly, this is a great time to expand your professional skills. Work on updating your resume, create or update your LinkedIn (check out our past blog post for tips), search for free webinars in topics that interest you, watch TedTalks, and practice writing cover letters. Need more ideas? We’re here to help you grow as a professional and get your job-search on track. 

6. Help whenever and however you can: While we’re all at a loss for what exactly to do during this time, it always feels good to help another human when we can. As the dust settles, and we dream about a day when we will be in recovery mode from this crisis, we know that thousands of people will be looking for jobs. Invest in our region’s economic recovery by reaching out to us about volunteering or giving to PA Women Work today. 

What else are you doing to keep busy during your self-quarantine? We’d love to hear from you and share your suggestions and ideas. And most of all, we are sending well wishes of safety and good health to all of you. 

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