7 Things That Helped Us Through Our 2 Week Quarantine
We made it - two whole weeks of self-isolating/quarantining. I was tested for Covid-19 during our 2 week period due to having one of the symptoms and having been out of the country - my tests came back negative. At this point, we do not have the coronavirus, however, it is still very possible that we catch it - so, we will be extending our isolation period and taking ALL of the social distancing precautions.
Staying at home with your dog and fiance isn’t so bad - we had a ton of fun together working on projects around the house, going on isolated walks, and just simply hanging out. Some days definitely felt quite boring - there is only so much netflix/tiktok you can watch in one day.
Since many of you out in the world will most likely have to experience self isolation at some point to help #stopthespread of Covid, I figured this would be a great time to share 7 of the things that helped to keep us sane.
The Reflectly App - I am the type of person who will start a cute little journal, be super consistent for around a week, and then completely forget about it. The reflectly app has helped to encourage writing something down every day - even if it is small. They also have a mood tracker, where you can express your general mood for the day.
Local Flower Delivery - Though I suspect many small businesses will have to ‘press pause’ over the next few weeks, the best thing we can do right now is to support them while they are still open. Jason and I had an ‘at home date night’ on Saturday and had a lovely bouquet of flowers delivered to make it feel even more special. We got a seasonal small bouquet from Calyx floral in Red Deer - since they closed their shop for now, they are offering free delivery. They dropped off the flowers, rang the doorbell, and then waved to us from the sidewalk - perfect social distancing! The flowers have definitely helped to brighten our moods while stuck at home.
Colouring Sheets - I have found it sort of tricky to find a colouring book/sheet that fits my aesthetic - I don’t have anything against the endless mandalas you see online, but if I am going to spend time coloring something I want to make sure it is a picture I actually like. The colouring sheets by Emily Taylor Illustrations are absolutely PERFECT and kept me busy, and so so happy! I have been colouring one each day (even printing repeats), and am tempted to print another set, leave them uncoloured, and frame them - they are THAT pretty! Did I mention that they are free? Check them out HERE - https://emilytaylor.wetransfer.com/downloads/f273e620727446958a84db3fd307683420200318151338/e8e04f
Getting Outside - Yes, we have been ordered to stay home. However, our health system has advised people to get outside as much as possible while maintaining social distancing and self isolation. We have been doing that by walking late at night/early in the morning when less people are outside. We also have been avoiding all public places (parks, etc.), and haven’t touched anything outside - hands in our pockets at all times. It seems extreme, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. The other day we decided to take a self-isolation drive out to Drumheller. We drove through the canyons, looked at the hoodoos from a distance, and hiked around Horsetheif Canyon. We didn’t stop in the town for gas, or food, or anything. We stayed in our vehicle as much as possible and opted for a picnic in the hatch back, rather than at a picnic table. It was SO nice to get out into the world and forget about all of the craziness going on - we even took a few pics!
Audio Books - As an avid podcast listener, audio books are right up my alley. One of my favourite past-times right now is to listen to Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte while reading along! I have also been enjoying listening to Sir Arthur Conan Doyles short stories on youtube. You can find Wuthering Heights HERE, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyles work HERE.
Coffee bean delivery - We drink a LOT of coffee and espresso in our house, so we knew that being home for 2 weeks, we would need multiple bags of coffee. Maker House Studio here in Red Deer roasts their own beans and delivers them right to your door - so convenient!
Old Cook Books - We spent SO much of our free time in the kitchen, it was so nice. Though we had limited ingredients, we were lucky to have my parents come to drop us off some groceries half way through our 2 week period. The cookbooks we used most were: Mastering the art of French Cooking by Julia Child, and Dirty food by Julie VanRosenthol (the ‘any fruit crumble’ was delicious, we made it with apples)
