Quarantine Happiness by Shaina

Hi, Dune Fam! Shaina here, and I am super excited to share my first blog post for Dune Jewelry!

We’ve all been personally affected by COVID-19 in some way, am I right? You probably think I’m talking about the negative effects — things like losing clients or being furloughed, not being able to go to the gym, the salon, concerts, or events, or get to see some of your friends and family, etc. Nope! I want to focus on the POSITIVES. And yes, there are plenty.

In the beginning, this whole quarantine thing had the potential to really take a toll on me, but all it took was a little mind shifting to turn what could have been bad into good.

This is what I’ve been doing to stay happy during quarantine. Hopefully by sharing these tips, you can see achieve quarantine happiness too (if you haven’t already!).

Make WFH A Breeze With Organization

One of the main things that has helped keep me happy and sane throughout quarantine, and has 100% kept work from totally and completely overwhelming me, is staying organized. For me, working from home is nothing new. However, I did find that since other things in my schedule changed, it affected my normal work-from-home routine, so I did have a little bit of a hard time at first. But I find that as long as I’m organized, making to-do lists and such, I’m ok. Even if you aren’t working, having a good organizational system is super helpful to your everyday life.

I live and breathe for calendars and organizers. I use The Happy Planner, and love all the fun stickers and accessories you can get for it. I mean, how can you not smile when the word happy is literally staring at you every time you open your planner?! I write down EVERYTHING, even during quarantine when I don’t have many set plans or work things going on. My virtual workouts, phone calls and Zoom happy hours, Facebook and Instagram Live streaming events…everything. And then, I decorate! Not only does it keep me on track, but it’s relaxing to write everything down and add the stickers to make each page look cute.

Stay Active

Ok, I will admit that when my gym closed, I had a mini meltdown. I take cardio and weight training classes at my gym every single day. What was I going to do without those classes?! I freaked out. But I took a step back and reassessed the situation. The gym closing was out of my control, but working out on my own is something I can control.

So I laced up my sneakers the next morning, and I went for a run. Running is not something I was very good at, or liked to do, so that first run was a struggle. But I kept at it, bought myself a new pair of sneakers for a little extra motivation, and now, two months later, I’m running between 4 and 5 miles 2-3 times per week! It’s a huge plus to live less than a mile from the beach, so I’ve got a nice view!

This, plus daily online streaming classes from the trainers at my gym, has really made a huge difference. I feel stronger because I’m using my body and muscles in different ways, I feel accomplished because I’m pushing myself past my normal comfort level, and I feel powerful because I took a situation that felt out of control, and made it work for me.

There are SO many free online workouts you can do right in the comfort of your own home, and you can even use household items like water bottles (or wine, lol), gallon jugs, laundry detergent, etc. for weights! Body weight exercises are just as effective, and of course running, walking, and bike riding are great for cardio and just to get outdoors, if weather permits!

Enjoy Some Me-Time

If quarantine has caused you to have a little more free time on your hands, use it to do something for yourself! Whether it’s relaxing in a bubble bath, or sitting outside on your back porch, sipping a glass of wine and staring out into the sun without a care in the world, just do it. Me-time is so important, and we tend not to indulge in it enough. Your “me-time” will look different than mine, and mine will look different from the next person’s — we all have our own definition of what me-time is, and that’s the beauty of it!

I’ve been enjoying lounging around on the couch, either rewatching an old favorite TV series (cough, Gossip Girl, cough), or reading — and I’ve been reading outside by the pool too. I used to read all the time when I was in high school and college, and stopped because my schedule was always so jam-packed. Another me-time activity takes place in the kitchen. I have been baking up a storm! One of my favorite things I’ve made are these double chocolate  that are gluten and dairy free, and keto friendly.

Quarantine might take away some of our freedoms, but it doesn’t have to take away our happiness! I’d love to hear what you’re doing at home to stay positive and happy. Feel free to drop me a line on Instagram at @takeabiteoutofboca!

– Shaina