Love in the time of quarantine

Roads are empty. No roaring honks. I don't think I've heard a plane fly by either. There's little to no life walking the streets. Curfews are a thing. Going out is no-no (only okay if it's for essentials). It all seems very apocalyptic and the thunderstorm that comes every afternoon adds to the looming effect. 

It sucks being away from the people you want to be with the most right now, but we're all safer where we are to flatten the COVID-19 pandemic curve! 

From @jamescrabtree's Twitter

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HELP! I want to love and be loved.

Frankly, you don't have to be in love for this to relate. You're probably missing a couple of people in your life and the long distance sucks. 

I'd like to share five things that I do to keep myself sane and connected with my favourite people!
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5. 1-1 or group Video/audio calls

Group calls are a fun way to get together with your friends and stream games (if you're into that). I'd sometimes watch my friends play Animal Crossing or we'd take turns playing charades in sketch and laugh at each other's horrible attempts. I once got Mona Lisa and it did NOT turn out well. Same with grass. The bot thought I was drawing seagulls.

1-1 calls are special too because sometimes I want to connect with just one person because I don't feel like handling a crowd. ​These calls never have to be long, but they're nice quick catch-up's (that can turn into 4 hours lol).
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4. special deliveries

Lucky for us, deliveries are still on-going which means not only do I get to order things for myself but I can order something for my friends too and so can you.

So I've been wanting to play Animal Crossing with my friends since it came out but I don't own a Switch. I could've waited a month or two but quarantine was getting harder to deal with, so my friends got me a Switch. They're on the other side of the world. 
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But let's be reasonable. Once in a while, if the situation fits i.e. your friend's day did not go well, they aren't feeling themselves, a little gift can help. I'm not telling you to go splurge on a surprise. Again, let's be reasonable, lol. If you know he/she/they need a pick-me-up, order them their favourite baked treat. I think it's nice to know that someone's thinking of you. 
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3. SHARE MEMEs

Tell me why did I have to take the SATs if we're all adults communicating with memes and emojis which can pinpoint our emotions 1000% better? Some Tik Toks actually do that pretty well too and we laugh 'CUS THERE'S ALWAYS A LITTLE TRUTH IN IT.

Nothing makes me smile like some good content. It warms my heart when someone shares something because it made them think of me. Little did I know, it's a video reminding them of the way I frantically run like the goof-ass I am when I see a cockroach. But it's all good, laughs are in order. HA-HA. 
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2. Watch a series together

I haven't tried Netflix party, but maybe you should! 

I still think the act of watching a series together when you're apart is sentimental and can work. You could FaceTime each other while you're watching it, or watch the same episodes (or a few) on the same night/at the same time and talk about it with each other later. 
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1. #SELFLOVE: because you are your favourite person.

It is a big blessing to have a room to yourself, wifi, food and a constant salary. Despite being surrounded with blessings, it's easy to grow impatient and insecure. I definitely was during the first two weeks of quarantine. It was not easy for me and I felt scared until I couldn't get myself to sleep. Some nights I still feel that way and I sort of just lean into it. 

Self love to me is telling myself it's okay to feel this way. It's learning to be patient with myself and reiterating that not every single day has to be the same kind of hustling productive. 
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I could binge-watch a series, spend hours gaming, watch cooking videos and STILL call it a productive day. Making myself happy, restoring energy, which gives positive results for myself is also productive.

​It's a productive rest day.

so the next time you're not "hustling", you're not wrong to give it a rest. It's the best way to stay sane and connect with yourself.

Some things that I've enjoyed doing as part of self love are

• cooking: learned many new recipes and hopped back into all the basics! i.e. I relearned how to make béchamel sauce. 
• gaming: spacing out my time with this one 'cus I get very hooked but I love every minute of it.
• reading: from random articles to news and trivia, it's all good with me. 
• dancing: I dance almost every day, but it's never anything serious. Just basic moves and grooves and experimentation :)

The one thing I enjoy the most... is sleep. Let's make sure you're getting some of that too. 

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LET'S GOOOO

I hope you can keep some of these things in mind when you're stuck in a rut with social distancing. If you already do keep these in mind, then great! I hope it's working out or perhaps you learned something new that works better :)

Thank you for your time! 'Til then. eliorkid ♡

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in case of emergency tip box:

• don't text that ex (you know... THAT ex)
• it's okay to slow down
• prioritise important tasks that should help you move forward once you get out of quarantine
• don't abuse your time. i.e. stick to a proper sleep schedule!