I live in Southern China, which means we have been in isolation since February. We are now in Week 8 and I am getting a severe case of restlessness. Like everyone I just want life to go back to normal. On the other hand, I am very thankful that the Chinese government enforced isolation and tried to make life here as safe as possible. Did the country take a hit financially? Absolutely! But in my mind if you have a drop in people available for the workforce and are dealing with something that is going to suck all of the healthcare resources isn’t that more damaging to the economy in the long run? I just hope that the rest of the world gets onboard and tries to do everything possible to make sure that COVID-19 is contained.
The days when we could go where we please.
A big complaint that I have heard from friends and people on the news is the fear of boredom. I feel like I sound so old when I say, “Well back in the day we were always bored, but we just dealt with it.” When I was in primary school there were tons of time we were bored. We couldn’t rely on the internet or smart phones. We had to get creative and think of something to entertain ourselves with for long periods of time.
Over these last 8 weeks I have been trying to reset my mind. I have been making myself a to do list every day to stay productive. I have found that doing things that make me feel productive give me a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day and combat some of the feelings of idleness.
Here is what I have been up to.
- Organizing my house! I hate hate hate hate clutter. So I have started to organizing my house. It has started with the clothes. I took a note from Marie Kondo and I have to say that lady is a genius.
- Caught up on my knitting. I don’t have a huge stash issue per se, but I do have a queue issue. I love purchasing and downloading patterns so I can be ready to start something new when I finish a project. Right now I have about 15 projects waiting in the wings. One of the top ones is the Clementine.
- Tried some new recipes. We live in a pretty rural area so I need to do most of the cooking as there are not many restaurants open. This Mango, Cucumber, and Tomato Salad was great with some chicken wings.
- Online learning. There are tons of resources out there to broaden your knowledge. Find a blog, webinar, and/or Youtube video and learn something new. I am currently learning about how to be better reading instructor.
- Learn a language. My husband and I are trying to learn Mandarin. After living in China for 2.5 years (and hiring a Mandarin speaking nanny for our baby) we decided to get serious about mastering the language. We enrolled in online classes. Prior to this we were using APPs and Rosetta Stone. Check out free APPs like Duolingo and Babbel for many popular languages to get started.
- Get exercise! Our living compound has a lot of open space . We try to take walks at times when there isn’t a lot of people outside. If you can’t venture outside there are always Youtube videos for all types of exercise. I personally love Zumba and Pilates.
- Catch up with friends. Remember when you use to call people all the time? Like actually picked up the phone, dialed, and communicated with oral language? If you are anything like me you text all the time. Due to the time difference between China and the US, it is often easier for me to text people. Recently, I have been using FaceTime to have some long chats and catch up with friends.
Social isolation doesn’t have to seem like you are in jail. I am not going to lie it sucks, but I feel it is my duty as a human on earth to do my part to protect my fellow humans. We can all do our part! Wash your hands, stay away from crowds, and take some time to do things that you have been meaning to do!
What have you been up to during your isolation time?
Until Next Time,
-Whit-
knitsbywhit 