Quarantine Diaries: I am in self-isolation. And it’s tougher than I thought it would be

Hi everyone, this is Shipra and I’m in self-isolation. Very recently I returned from an international holiday and I thought the best thing to do was to self-isolate and not put my family, my friends, and my colleagues at risk. 

So I am working from home. And I have confined myself to my room. It’s a very difficult time for all of us. And I know a lot of you are working from home and you’re going through a lot of anxiety. I’m dealing with a lot of anxiety. 

I don’t want to put my parents at risk. I have to work, I have to continue working. 

This doesn’t feel like the usual work from home
This feels very limiting. It feels sad because it’s not voluntary, it’s enforced. And while I have taken voluntary isolation, but I wouldn’t have done that if there was no threat of coronavirus. I would have gone about my day like I usually would have. I would have gone to work and meet my friends. I’m dying to meet my friends and tell them all about my vacation! 

I’m playing the rules to be more productive 

I am maintaining a schedule
You know, it’s important to have a schedule and we have a schedule at work. So I am maintaining office hours, from 9:30 am to 7 pm every day. I’m making sure that I’m connected with my team. I’m doing video calls, I’m doing follow-ups and you know, it’s all about technology now. And so that’s number one.

I’m trying to avoid all distractions and interruptions
So the good thing is that I’m confined to my room. You know, I can’t even go around the house because I can’t expose myself to my parents. I have to be inside my room. So there are no interruptions and distractions. I don’t have a TV in my room,  so that’s a plus. Uh, but I do have Netflix. Uh, it is tempting to take that break to watch that video.

And you know, there are so many hilarious memes going around on people who are self-isolating. I know there are so many fun videos to watch, but, um, all distractions aside, I take my breaks when I need to take my breaks. 

 I’m making sure that I’m taking regular breaks
I take snack breaks during the day and have my lunch in peace  My mom is like literally sliding the lunch plate under the door for me. 

I am restricted to my desk from where I work. I have my diary and I have a photograph of my sister to motivate me. I really miss her. 

 I’m also trying to not, you know, be lazy and unkempt. I’m in fact wearing my work clothes right now. I’m trying to do that every day and not lounge around in my pajamas and, you know, be a sloth. 

So I’m trying my best actually to make this work from home experience work. I’m also looking forward to the rest of the coming days because I realize I have a lot of free time now. 

Also, read: Do you really need to quarantine yourself? We answer that and more for you here

You know, all the time that I used to spend commuting to work and back, I can use that time to take up a new hobby. Ummm, maybe read a few books. I have this big, this big stack of books that I’ve kept at my desk.

So you know I’m doing all that and let’s see how it goes. I’ll keep you guys posted. Stay tuned and I would love to hear from you guys. What are you guys doing to keep yourself entertained and active during self-isolation?

Let me know in the comments below.