Given that this is an uncertain time and everyone’s daily lives have been thrown to the wind, I thought this was a particularly good time to re-start my mental health blogging. I was working away on content to re-launch this blog (and a YouTube channel) in August, but I thought I’d get started now because we need mental health content more than ever.

Honestly, I need to reflect on my own mental health more than ever, so that’s my selfish reason for writing this. My situation is a little bit tricky – if you’ve been keeping up, I moved to Ireland to complete a master’s in August. So when all hell broke out this March, I was thousands of miles away from my home in Pennsylvania.

But I chose not to go home, and now I’m in Ireland for the foreseeable (check out the YouTube video if you want to know why). It’s a strange experience to be isolated away from my family in the midst of a pandemic. I’ve had many days where I feel like I’ll never adjust to the “new normal.”

Rewind over a month ago when I got wind that my university was closing, I felt like it was time to start isolating. My original plan was to leave my apartment in the city and move into my boyfriend’s place, but his roommates were uncomfortable with the idea of bringing an extra person into the household so that plan fell through. So, we decided to move in with my boyfriend’s parents who were further away from the city, and that’s where we’ve been for the past month or so.

This was a last minute plan and we only expected this to last a week or two, so I really only threw my asthma medication in a bag and left the majority of my stuff behind. Also, no one wrote the manual on how to be a good guest in the middle of an international emergency, so it’s been tough trying to balance being mindful that I’m living in someone else’s home and figuring out how to take care of myself through all this.

The first weeks were a huge adjustment (understatement of the year). I definitely wallowed in my fair share of self-pity, feeling bad for myself that I was self-isolating away from my own home, my college routines were completely thwarted, and I’d lost the opportunity to do so many of the things I enjoy like taking walks around town and going to coffeeshops – all the things that make me feel better whenever I’m low. I had to pull myself out of this headspace pretty quickly because I didn’t want my mental health to slip through my fingers – I had to figure out a way to make this work for me.

I've come up with a little list of things to remember whenever I'm feeling down about the whole situation. Whether you're also isolating away from home or just having a hard time adjusting to all this, these reminders may be helpful for you too. 

You can make a home out of anywhere

I know a lot of people are self-isolating somewhere other than home right now and it can bring up a lot of emotions on where “home” really is. What do you consider to be your true home  - is it the place where your partner is, the place where your parents are, or the place you feel like you have ownership over? It really can be all of these things.

At first, I felt bad because nowhere really felt like home, at least like a home I could happily self-isolate in. The shoebox room I rented in the city didn’t seem like somewhere I’d want to be holed up in for weeks, but the idea of staying with a partner or parent made me feel acutely aware that I’d be staying in someone else’s space. It made me think that maybe I hadn’t “settled down” in my new home abroad as much as I should have, but on the other hand I had grown so removed from my old family home in Pennsylvania.

Then I realized that I actually have a valuable skill – I can make a “home” out of wherever I am. This skill primarily comes from a history of moving back and forth between my parents, spending time abroad, and all the transitions I’ve been through over the last few years. Good news to everyone else isolating somewhere new – you’re currently honing this skill.

Home doesn’t need to be somewhere familiar, or somewhere you feel like you can control. It can be anywhere. The key is figuring out how to make your new home comfortable – unpack your belongings, declutter the space, set up a small area where you can work and an area where you can relax. Be creative – you may not always be able to manipulate the space in the way that you want, but you can figure out a way to make it make it more comfortable for you.

Take one day at a time

This has been my mantra for pretty much every difficult situation. It’s especially important now when there’s so much uncertainty – we don’t know if we’ll remain in lockdown for another week or another month, many of us have had trips and events cancelled, we don’t know where we stand with our education or our jobs or our livelihoods. If you try to think about the future all at once, it is endlessly overwhelming, teeming with possible threats.

This time has to be broken down into manageable pieces. For me, the biggest chunk of time I can handle is a day. It’s not daunting, I know what I have to do to make it through a day – get up, get dressed, check-in with friends and family, focus on one task at a time, and take some time to check in with myself. There’s nothing I can do today that will give me any sort of clarity on whether I’ll graduate on time, when I’ll get back to work, or when I’ll be able to travel again – so I won’t worry about it today.

Productivity isn’t everything

Yeah, sure, you’ll probably feel a bit better if you implement some kind of routine rather than lying in bed watching Netflix, but JESUS we all need to go easy on ourselves right now. I have an entire blog post on quarantine productivity coming next week, but it’s something that needs to be touched on right now. I’m definitely not being as productive as I usually am, and that’s okay.

I like having a bit of a routine because it makes the day less daunting to get through. I also like to do a bit of work every day because it keeps me from getting in a loop of news-watching and overthinking. But this is a chaotic time, and it’s important to give yourself breaks whenever you feel like you need it. Like everyone, my motivation waxes and wanes throughout the day. I’ve always tried to schedule my days around times when I typically feel most productive (my peak is at 10am) but if I’m not feeling it, I don’t push myself to get stuff done. This is a habit that has become super important now that we’re all working at home.

Take the opportunity to take care of yourself

This goes hand-in-hand with my point about productivity. A lot of us have more free time on our hands than we’re used to, so use it to take a break and practice some self-care. Before the whole lockdown situation happened, I was rapidly approaching burn-out with an onslaught of college work, regular work and just day-to-day obligations. I often though I needed a week off, and I never expected to be handed it in the form of a global pandemic.

Obviously, the situation is less than ideal, but we can all use it to take time for things we usually don’t get to do. I’ve read FOUR books so far. FOUR BOOKS! I love reading for pleasure, but it’s something I never had time to do outside of school. I’ve also had time to work on some of my creative projects – cross-stitching, writing blog posts like this, filming videos. All things I typically overlook when life gets too hectic. And of course, I’ve had time to just relax and watch Studio Ghibli films on a loop. You don’t usually get time to prioritize self-care, so make sure you’re taking time for all the things you find fulfilling.

We’re more resilient than we know

Some days, it’s hard to feel like we’re not living in dystopia. All the talk of death tolls and hate crimes and restrictions sometimes makes this feel insurmountable. But it’s been so refreshing to see our communities come together to find innovative ways to stay connected.

From shopping for elderly neighbors to making homemade face masks to mass virtual hangouts, I’ve really been amazed by how compassionate and creative we all are in times of crisis. Although we have to keep apart, we’ve also been coming together more than ever. We’re all appreciating the connections we have rather than taking them for granted. I find myself feeling so grateful for the small things, like being able to sit in front of the window and feel the sun on my face or being made a cup of tea.

With all the luxuries and complexities of the outside world stripped away, we’ve found new ways to appreciate what’s most valuable to us. Although there’s tension, we seem to have banded together rather than break away. Our kindness and ingenuity are our strengths, and that’s what will keep us going no matter what happens with this virus.

If you feel like you’re being tested right now, know that you also have this great gift of adaptability and you will be able to make the most out of this situation. Things may not be “normal” again for a long time, but it won’t always be like this, either.

These are just a few of my mantras that are keeping me sane during quarantine. I’d love to hear how you’re coping, if you’re isolating away from home, maybe isolating by  yourself, or whatever your situation is right now so make sure to comment below!