Since being quarantined in my house, I’ve felt like I was the main character in a coming-of-age movie. I am living in my childhood bedroom, which feels weird to say because this was my full-time bedroom until recently, that has purple walls, a blue ceiling, and posters varying from Shawn Mendes to Harry Potter. Whatever I do in my room, I feel like a 16-year-old girl who is finally learning who she is. Sitting at my desk doing homework, I instantly feel like I am in a movie because, let’s be real, only people in movies do homework at a desk. And when I’m singing into a hairbrush and dancing in my pajamas, I am every teenage girl in every movie that has ever been produced. No matter what I do, I cannot escape this movie.
My mom officially put us on quarantine today, even though I have not been to a public place in over a week. Today we had our first scare with the virus and my parents realized how real this situation is. Before today, my brother and I were allowed to see very specific people. My circle of people was my sister and her baby and my best friend.
But today, we realized that it doesn’t matter if we only see one person and no one else. The people we see will also only see one person who also sees one person who happens to all of a sudden show symptoms and then despite me being so careful, I now have the chance of being sick. And even if I don’t show symptoms, I may still be a carrier and that makes me a risk to anyone and everyone.
That’s the scary thing about this disease. it doesn’t matter how careful you are. It doesn’t matter if you avoid sick people. The unsick people you socialize with may still have the virus. Or they may socialize with sick people and then spread to you. That is why it is so critical that we social distance and self-quarantine. When we stay in our house and avoid public places, we are limiting the chances of one of us spreading the virus. So when people say stay inside, listen to them.
Quarantining can get boring. It can also get dangerous for your mental well-being. Some people are lucky enough to be with their significant other or their roommates or family. And some people are unlucky enough to be alone or with their family. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of FaceTiming or calling. Calling may be outdated, but if you are in a place with no one who makes you happy or to keep you busy, call someone. Don’t feel embarrassed to have a FaceTime going on for five hours and you guys have only talked for five minutes. Sometimes having someone with you, whether in person or through the phone, is comforting. Or give an old person a call. They’re probably even more lonely than you are.
To keep your mental state high and your boredom at ease, find projects to do around your house. The first one should be cleaning your room. Before you do anything, create a safe and happy place for you to spend time in. Clean out all of the clutter so that when you look at your room from your bed, there is nothing to make you nervous or anxious. Once you’ve cleaned your room, you should then focus on rearranging your room so you have enough room to dance whenever you need to. Don’t stop cleaning and organizing until your room is a place you want to be in.
Now is the perfect time to begin a project that will keep you busy during these trying times. Do anything. Learn to embroider. Knit. Crochet. This is for men and women. This will make anyone feel good. Keeping yourself busy is important. You want your mind to be busy so that it isn’t focusing on any negatives.
Now one of the most important things to do, in my opinion, is make sure you are staying active. Any form of working out is important. There is no need to do an intense workout you find on YouTube, unless you want to. All you need to do is go for a run daily, walk daily, skip daily, anything. It is important to workout and stay active because this will help you feel good. Being active releases endorphins that we really need right now. Knowing that you are taking care of yourself and doing what you can to stay active will make your brain be happy.
I write this to you from my bed in my very clean room and the paint drying on my wall. I am trying my best to be my best during these weird times and I hope you can too.
Julia DiGeronimo is a 2019 graduate of Verona High School. She is now studying writing at Ithaca College.
