1. Clean Out!

We all accumulate things somewhere that we just haven't been able to keep up with. For some of us, this is a junk drawer. For others, this could be the basement or attic. For many - it's a lot of the house / apartment!

I've used quarantine to really get on top of not only my personal belongings in my room, but my overall household as well! My parents have a love hate relationship with my work because I'm making such a great donation pile, but for the time being it's just going to have to sit in the living room! I've found bags and boxes of old toys, clothes, books, movies, etc. that will be amazing to donate once we're able to and I'm sure there's something somewhere you can clean out too!

2. Renovate a Room, or Two, or As Many as You Please!

For me, this meant restructuring a few things in my home like what pictures are on display, what kitchenware we have easily accessible, setting up our backyard furniture and putting TONS of pictures into albums and having them all in one place.

Renovating a room, or two, or the whole house can mean whatever you need it to mean! It can be a more intensive project like painting or ripping up a carpet, or as simple as switching out candles and decor!

There are plenty of benefits to changing your surroundings up a little, so do what works for you and maybe what you've been meaning to do, but just haven't found the time to accomplish just yet!

3. Experiment with Cooking!

I absolutely love cooking, but with the busy schedule I have with school and work I usually don't have much time to experiment much with my cooking. I've really been going all out during quarantine trying new things, which has been especially fun considering the grocery stores don't always have the normal things I would make! I'm trying to stay positive, so seeing the stores not having my usual items is an opportunity to experiment!

4. Write / Journal

I obviously use Odyssey as my main platform for writing, but I have found that journaling can be super helpful for self reflection as well! I recently purchased a 5 year daily journal with prompts so I can look back in 5 years after completing it to see how my mindset has changed! I found this super helpful because while I love writing, I have no idea where to start when it comes to journaling!

The way you journal or write can be totally up to you! Some other ways to creatively express yourself with writing are blogging, writing poetry, bullet journaling or even just writing your three highs and three lows each day! I think that with the busy and often chaotic pace of every day life we often forget to connect with ourselves and check in on ourselves and writing can be a great way to come to terms with what you are feeling or needing.

5. Play (Old) Games

My absolute favorite game growing up was Mario Kart and although my brother and I used to fight all the time over it, it's still super fun to play again now and cherish that nostalgia!

Even if it's not a game that is nostalgic for you, this is the perfect time to practice chess, play jenga or whip out cards against humanity!

6. Go Walk/Jog/Run - Whatever it may be - Just Get Outside!

I live in New York and the weather right now is super come and go. Right now it's about 50 degrees and way too cold to lie outside and get a tan, but warm enough to go for a long walk with my dog!

The other day it was almost 80 degrees outside and I spent the majority of the day reading a book and getting some tanning in! It's amazing how just one full day of sun made me feel instantly better! Not only short term, but long term too because of the nice tan (almost sunburn - thank you to my Irish complexion) I got!

I think using this time to work out is super important too! Not only for physical health but mental as well! Going on a walk almost every evening has really been helping me stay sane!

7. Find a New Hobby

Quarantine has really helped me realize that I don't have very many hobbies. Since I have the time, I've now taken the time to work on some of my hobbies and learn new ones! For me this is photography, drawing and writing!

8. Get on a Better Schedule

Before quarantine my schedule was quite chaotic, to say the least. Many of my friends believe that I never sleep, which unfortunately was pretty close to true! I've been using quarantine to get myself on a better and healthier schedule so then when I'm able to go to school and work again, I know how to budget my time better and take better care of myself.

For me, the most important changes were setting times to eat every day, making sure I'm drinking enough water throughout the day and regulating my sleep schedule to go to bed and wake up around the same time every day! It's a work in progress, but I already feel so much better.

9. Catch up With Friends and Family

This is the perfect time to get all those calls in with the family back home in Ireland, or your friends that you're used to seeing every day and miss extremely!

Happy hour facetimes are my new favorite thing and I think it is so important, especially right now, to check in on our loved ones! Not only are you being a great friend or family member, but it'll give both of you something to do and help you feel better!

10. Take Care of You!

This is the absolute best time to start taking better care of yourself. It is okay to be stressed or less productive than usual because of everything going on right now, but you should definitely prioritize taking care of yourself. Use those face masks, have those chips and guac, take a long hot bath playing smooth music and ignoring the world! Do whatever it is that you need and take all the time you need!