If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent the majority of the past few days watching the news and trolling social media in an attempt to make some sense of what in the actual f*ck is going on in our collective world right now. In the span of a week, all of our lives have taken an huge, unprecedented, and uncertain shift as major events have been canceled, schools, bars, and restaurants have been closed, and complete and utter chaos has taken hold in the grocery stores — particularly in the t.p. aisles.
I’m not going to argue with anyone feeling the direct effects of these changes that there are a lot of negatives that come along with them — the financial fallout of a two-week quarantine is no joke. I get it. TRUST ME — as someone who was a waitress for more than seven years and a woman who’s significant other has event-based employment, I get it.
I also know there’s not much we can do about it. What’s done is done: They won’t be reopening the bars and restaurants that are closed. The people that hoarded your toilet paper are not going to put it back. Honing in on the negatives of the situation will not change the position we all find ourselves in. Instead, I’m choosing to focus on the positive things about this quarantine, or shut down, or whatever you want to call it. And yes — believe it or not, there are a few!
In addition to the obvious reasons of reducing the spread of the disease, which will inevitably save lives, and helping to not overburden our healthcare systems, here are 10 reasons to view our current state of affairs in a brighter light.
If social distancing has you down, just remember that Shakespeare most likely wrote “King Lear,” “Macbeth,” and “Antony and Cleopatra,” during a plague-inspired quarantine between early 1605 and late 1606. https://t.co/SOp7SMn1KG
— Tim O’Brien (@TimOBrien) March 14, 2020
1. You’re FINALLY going to have time for all those projects you’ve been putting off.
You know that blog post you’ve been waiting for a rainy day to write? (*Raises hand*). That book (pile, for me) you’ve been meaning to finish? That great business idea you had but never quite got around to researching? Guess what? You’ve got nowhere to be and plenty of time to do it right now— let that thought sink in. You have plenty of time.
I don’t know about you, but in any other, normal week, I’d be dealing with the opposite. I never have enough time. I can’t do all of the things I want to do on a regular basis because there’s only so many hours in a day. I don’t have enough time to work AND be creative AND relax AND workout AND cook dinner AND … the list is never-ending! Time is a gift that none of us have enough of in our regular day-to-day. SEIZE IT.
2. Believe it or not, this could actually shorten your financial burden.
There’s no bones about it: The next two weeks are going to straight up suck for most of us financially. But it’s going to suck even worse if we have to extend quarantines for longer periods because we can’t get the spread of this disease under control. Would you rather do it now, before it explodes, lower the rate, and get things back to normal? Or continue to go out, have it spread, and be strong-armed into quarantine for more than a MONTH (which, by the way, is where China was at before things resolved) because the government can’t get a handle on the disease any other way?
I, for one, want to see this go away as quickly as possible, so that everyone can get back to work at the bars, the restaurants, the event spaces, the theaters, the concert venues, and even the sports arenas — and if you know me, you know this is big, because I typically loathe sports. For the love of God, let’s curb this as fast as we can and not make it any worse than it has to be for the people who depend on those industries to make their living!
3. You’ve been working way too much. Seriously.
I will be the first to admit I’m a workaholic. (Clearly — My idea of quarantining is literally working on a blog post to help lift your spirits.) If there’s anyone who understands actually wanting to go to work and get sh*t done, it’s me. But that doesn’t mean it’s great for you or making you happy. As one of the most overworked nations in the developed world (at least as of 2018), we need a f*cking break.
Don’t believe me? In 2017, 52 percent of the working population had unused vacation time equating to 705 million unused vacation days.
That type of grind has consequences that reach far beyond you bank account. Case in point? 83 percent of employees currently suffer from workplace stress. What’s more, a 2017 Glassdoor study found that 74 percent of working adults are consistently getting just 6.9 hours of sleep — less than the seven to nine hours most adults between 18 and 64 need to function properly, per the National Sleep Foundation and the National Institute for Health. 66 percent of survey participants also stated that they felt their performance would improve if they had more time to get that much-needed rest.
Well? Now’s your chance, guys! Take this time as a forced mental health retreat. You deserve it!
4. You might even save money.
The first time I was laid off, it was 2012, and the print magazine I was the managing editor of collapsed due to lack of ad support. Sure, I was eligible for unemployment, but it was a significantly less amount than I had been receiving for my salary. When I (unwisely) tried to supplement my income with a side job, I was instantly kicked off of my unemployment. In short? I was absolutely panic-stricken. And yet, something curious and unexpected occurred. Somehow, someway, with about half of the income I was making before, I found myself with twice what I was used to having in my bank account.
How, you ask? Without noticing it, I had been spending an exorbitant amount on coffee, takeout, drinks, non-essential CVS runs, and the like. When I no longer had a steady income, all of that came to a screeching halt. That stuff adds up quicker than you think, and a quarantine is a surefire way to nix the monetary extras from your life.
This @washingtonpost article is fun & uses computer simulation to show the importance of social distancing to control #SARSCoV2 #CoronavirusUSA #HCoV19. Everyone gets a new simulation, but the message is the same: social distancing works! #FlattenTheCurvehttps://t.co/OyFpnynXhB
— UW Virology (@UWVirology) March 15, 2020
5. It’s spring.
Know what is not fun? Being quarantined in spring. Know what would be less fun? Being quarantined in the middle of summer (aka prime patio-drinking season). Based on the history of diseases, we know this thing will likely follow the pattern of a bell curve, meaning that cases will likely spike before dying down. Experts see it peaking in May — which would mean we’d be free from this purgatory come summer. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be stuck social distancing now, when it’s 37 degrees outside in Chicago, than in the middle of June!
In light of COVID-19, @Girlboss has decided to make a shift: The Girlboss Rally is going GLOBAL. This spring, we’re hosting our first-ever, live-streamed women’s conference—and it’s going to be absolutely FREE. RSVP here: https://t.co/xnzdfmTgJW pic.twitter.com/VjMBacbvT3
— Girlboss (@girlboss) March 11, 2020
6. You can expand your horizons.
There are a lot of things that are being offered online — some of which are free — that you may not ordinarily be able to afford or do. The Metropolitan Opera, for instance, is currently offering free virtual shows. You can finally attend one of those fancy Girlboss rallies you didn’t have the extra dough to go to and ramp up your business chops. Or, you can currently take a virtual tour of some of the best museums in the world.
Still bored? Why not take this opportunity to learn a thing or two from the masters? Masterclass has online courses taught by Anna Wintour (!), Gordon Ramsey, and Neil deGrasse Tyson, to name a few.
Anxious? Sign up for a free meditation class led by my friend Ashley Dinges — she’ll be hosting sessions for the next three Monday nights at 7 p.m. EST when you register here and enter coupon code “FREE” at checkout.
7. You can up your workout game.
You don’t need an expensive Peloton to get a good sweat in when you can’t hit the gym. Thanks to the interwebs, there are an insane amount of workouts you can stream from the comfort of your own home. (I would know — I wrote a whole article about them.)
Better yet, go for a walk out in the woods (You know. Away from people)! Not only will it make your butt look better and lower your blood pressure, just 20 minutes of QT spent with Mother Nature can quell your stress and boost your immunity — a pretty good thing right about now, no?
8. Cooking at home is better for you.
I love going out for a burger and a beer just as much as the next gal. I also (*gasp!*) don’t really love cooking. But, as it turns out, it’s actually quite a bit better for you. According to a 2014 study of 9,000 people published in Public Health Nutrition, people who make their own meals six to seven nights a week not only consume fewer calories than those who regularly eat out, they also consume fewer calories on the occasions when they do go out to eat.
The study reported that regular home cookers ate 150 fewer calories per day, consumed less fat (81 grams) and sugar (119 grams) in comparison to those who cooked for themselves just one night a week, who ate 2,300 calories per day, 84 grams of fat, and 135 grams of sugar. And honestly, who couldn’t stand to be a little healthier?
9. Pajama pants and robes.
Do I even need to explain this one? Enjoy that sh*t.
10. This is a free pass NOT to cram onto the el, bus, or subway.
If I were never again forced to stand under someone’s armpit on a too-packed el train for the rest of my life to get where I need to be, it STILL wouldn’t be long enough, and a quarantine means I won’t have to do so — at least for a little while. Hallef*ckingllujah!
11. Lastly, and most importantly, you WILL be helping someone this would be detrimental to.
Right now, it’s hard to imagine this crazy disease hitting close to home — after all, it’s “only” killed about 60 people on US soil as I write this — way less than the flu, right? Sure. For now.
Taking a peek at the stats, it can seem like a lot of hype. But if you have a parent or grandparent that is over 80? Their mortality rate is NOT the approximate 3.4 percent that is being reported for most: It’s 14.8. And if they’re in their 70s? They’ve got an 8 percent death rate. I’m no math wizard, but that’s a hell of a lot higher than the .1 percent death rate of the flu.
Know someone who has heart disease? That death rate just rose to 10.5 percent. Diabetes? 7.3. Chronic respiratory? 6.3.
I know plenty of people in that 70- to 80-year-old age bracket. One of my best friends from high school is also in her 30s and living with the chronic illness that is cystic fibrosis — you can read her post above. Additionally, I have personally lost people to heart disease without any help from a f*cking virus, thank you very much. And you have, too.
I don’t know about you, but I am not willing to lose these people that I love so that someone else can have a fun night out.
We’re all in this together, like it or not. Let’s suck this up, look on the bright side, and do what needs to be done, shall we?
What are you doing to stay positive through all of this nonsense? Let me hear your (positive) comments below!
Xo, Nicole
Well done, Nicole! We have so much to be grateful for even in a time of great crisis! Hope you’re taking care of yourself. Xo
Thank you, Rhi! Miss you and hope you guys are staying safe and healthy too! Xo
I read a good deal of interesting posts here. You spend a lot of time writing, Thanks for sharing!
Best regards,
Harrell Zacho
Thanks for reading! 🙂
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effective. Thank you and good luck in the upcoming articles.
Best regards,
Dinesen Valenzuela
I’m so happy it helped Dinesen, and thank you so much for taking the time to read it! 🙂