The Covid-19 name has got us in ways so extreme we would never have expected the world to be capable of. Hardly had we envisaged that all it would take is a virus dose- one that of the flu- to take us all down or worse, take us all in. The mess we are all into at the moment, there’s no guarantee if we would ever emerge the same out of it. And yet we do not lose sight of the silver lining in the cloud because hope and belief is all it takes to work out a world of difference.
In all this quarantine dilemma, amid all this social distancing drama, we seem to be losing our calm which however is the only way we would ever be getting ourselves all out of it. So if you are as clueless as the majority of the world as to how possibly could you survive this quarantine, let alone the coronavirus, then here’s some of the things you could be possibly doing to make lives a lot better than what they currently are-
Declutter away all the mess
There is no denying this- we Indians are innately drawn towards the lure of ‘hoarding’! Be it tossing age old bills to the back of our purse to reluctant moms not parting away with their children’s clothes even when they have far outgrown them to the men refusing to ditch their favorite wallet even when it is in shambles, our attachment spans way beyond our emotions to crossover to the materialistic. Not to mention induced spending and panic buying, and we can seriously turn our homes into literal godowns in literally no time at all!
While that speaks highly of our values and stuff, stocking up isn’t always a good thing. Even if we choose to ignore the hoarding of essential items which might change perspective in relation to circumstances, cluttering is never a boon. It might seem like you are piling on a box full of memories right now in the hope that one fine day in the future, you will be served whiffs of nostalgia out of it. But unless a situation like the current one again mars our existence, we would be too busy to even come revisit all those piles of remembrance. That’s sad indeed but then that’s the reality.
So this quarantine season, why don’t you just do with those memories what you had been planning to do all along? Take them out, relive them, treasure them in your heart and throw the stuff away! Sounds insensitive but in the process of hoarding, you unknowingly stash away also things that are far more relevant or essential. So if you are reluctant to throw the entire stuff out, start at least in bits and pieces. And even outside the memories, you will discover a whole lot of such stackings that are of seriously no meaning. Take them out, tear them apart and toss them in the bin because decluttering, not just as an act but also an art, has always been the need of the hour for us desis, if not for the world!
Go pop!
Decluttering itself is some sort of therapy but cleaning the whole pile out at one go can be somewhat overwhelming. Which means you need to work your way out of the mess into relaxation. And for once, this can be a task as easy to do as it is to say!
Because the quintessential humble name in the whole stress busting business is one that isn’t even acquired- it’s that very gratifying! We are talking about popping some bubble wrap, which for us is the ultimate euphoria of our times. There is a special joy in just sitting and having your fingers pop away some of these bubbles that happily idles away your time. And beneficially as well. Apart from helping relieve stress, bubble wraps encompasses a whole lot of other benefits as well. And everywhere in the universe, anywhere in the modern day, there would be a couple of bubble wraps lying around- all thanks to the incessant ordering we do from Amazon. Put them to use in your hour of crisis and you will gain what we call a lifelong friend. After all, a friend in need is a friend indeed!
Get some cooking done
Cooking can be theraupetic as well, but it also is a necessity. And while we all are everyday cooks dishing out some dal- chawal or some chicken masala or a couple aloo parathas with characteristic ease, we hardly venture into the realm of extensive dishes. That may be part attributable to our own laziness and part to our dearth of time or even wholly to our loathing of the task of cooking.
But now with ample time on hand and a lot more ample reasons to be bored of, cooking can be our savior. For the not- so cooksy types, it’s the ultimate rescue from the current meaninglessness of existence, for the enterprising one, it’s time to take that plunge into meticulous cooking!
From trying your hands at the variety of rotis that are not mere kulcha, naan or paratha to going patient with some slow fire flavorful cooking to digging out exclusive specialties, now is the time to rekindle the cooking flame. Turn up exotic fare on your dining table and take the opportunity to have the entire family bonding over some shared love of food!
Read and re- read
A sparsely encountered art in the times of today, reading however is a delight. But with looming deadlines and booming businesses, we hardly have time enough to partake of such unadulterated bliss. Cut to the present and you have no excuses whatsoever. What with business doomed to be in the doldrums for at least some time now and the deadliness of disease replacing that of deadlines, this is the best time to read!
Take out all those worlds of happiness you have forever treasure or if you are short on the physical stuff, go online for savior. While there’s no match for the pleasure one gets from a nice, crisp book emanating warmth right throughout, online uploads also serve the purpose of whiling away of time just fine. Read and re- read the classics or even some comics lying there in your childhood closet and relish the inexplicable nostalgia of all the good ol’ times when luxury was way cheaper but more enriching. Embarking on a reading spree is all you need to be a happily and responsible soul in self- isolation.
Watch some television
Haven’t it been ages since someone chided you for sitting in front of the idiot box for long? With all things on the web the definer of the modern life, we are sadly missing out on some simple pleasures of life and being glued to the tele is strangely one of them.
Remember all those carefree days when watching your favorite show was all the indulgence you ever craved for? Or returning home from school as hurriedly as possible so that you managed to catch as much as a glimpse of your favorite cartoon? Or all the times you forgot to eat because all you did was sit back with mouth awide at the turn of events of the chartbuster serial of the times? Consider this quarantine as an opportunity to return to all those days of the past when the cool quotient of Netflix and Chill hadn’t yet got onto the world. Go instead tv- shivi to relax, not just by yourself but also with family by your side.
Turn productive
Source: Iobint
Quarantining however does not mean that all you need to do is idle your time away. You can even choose to be financially productive as many monetary opportunities can be explored online now. Be it concentrating on your own blog or emphasising your viral presence on YouTube or even taking to data entry jobs to earn some cash, this is the reward you can reap out of all those never ending complaints of not finding enough time to pursue your passion. From earning passive incomes to keeping yourself occupied, this is the time to do whatever you had always wanted to do.
Channel your inner fashionista
Source: DIY Projects for Teens
Because fashion isn’t always what you wear but also what you do, now is the time to let the fashion fanatic in you touch higher skies. In this time of DIYs, you can easily manipulate your old tee into a trendy dress or turn your mom’s timeless saree into a skirt of your choice. Turn to the net for inspiration and combine them with your own sartorial sensibilities to come up with something exclusive and refreshing. You can even do your own photoshoots for another chance at a passive income or choose to loan your friends out some of your exquisite creations.
And there’s still so much more you can do. From crafting your own beauty soaps out of home stuff to even getting adept at making jewelry to redoing your wardrobe and room, let your fashion fluidity change your life for the good in these home- bound days.
Learn to silence out the clamour
Source: RACGP
Perhaps the greatest lesson you can take from this whole self isolating necessity is realising the profound solace that solitude can bring unto you. It is a time when the reality and ironically also the futility of human existence takes greater significance. Because we have to do without the clamour, we also learn to see our lives without it. That itself is gratifying for in too much hustle and bustle, we have been increasingly surrendering the essence of us to the din of superficiality.
Solitude harbours far greater power than what we expect out of it and in having us self isolated we begin to realise and cherish this alone experience. We all are in this together, yet on our own and what better manifestation do we need than the present one to owe some undisturbed solitude for the health of our soul that is at the core of all we are? Letting our soul live for once as the world takes another chance at breathing free and fresh- self isolation seems to be the panacea of all ills characterisng our existence at the moment. And the better we learn to deal with it, the better we will become at acing life altogether.
