I used to wonder if it possible for me to stay at home 24/7 and still be called normal by society. With this coronavirus situation coming, naturally I’d be happy as this is like a dream come true, but some things might actually be better in dreams than in reality. No matter how much I love staying home, it’s getting too much.

I noticed that after the first few days, my husband and I started being bitter and we have more small fights than usual. I spent more time looking at my phone, and browsing shoes and handbags to wear in summer. This is a bad sign. I know I need to stop, but it’s just so easy to keep doing this guilty-pleasure with all the negativity in the news and at home with our bickering.

I thought this was going to end after Golden Week, yet yesterday I read in the news that the government is probably going to extend the emergency state until the end of May. HA-HA-HA. Damn.

So I decided to get out of this too-comforting zone and try my best to do positive things and actually get things done. I’m definitely not an expert at self-discipline but here’s the thing I’ve tried and are actually working :

1. Make a to-do list

And actually writing it somewhere, not just keeping a to-do list in your mind. The act of ticking off the list or scratching it off after it’s done is helping with the feeling of accomplishment and makes you actually want to do more. I’m using this MinimaList app. It also has a timer which you can set for each list so you can stay focus doing only 1 thing at a time.

2. Marie Kondo-ing my apartment

In case you don’t know who is Marie Kondo, she’s a Japanese who loves to tidy up and keep only things that spark joy. I started with my closet, where I found out I have so many sets of pajamas that I haven’t worn for so long. Then I move to the kitchen, where I found around half of the seasonings are actually beyond the expiry date. I spent so much time on these 2 areas so I’m going to do the rest of my apartment in the coming days.

3. Learn something

I learned how to make pizza and Japanese style diced beef steak (saikoro steak). I started to learn Chinese with help from DominoChinese. I also learned to write a blog by starting this blog!

What I meant by learning isn’t always textbook learning. You can learn simple things like cooking something you’ve never tried, or anything really!

4. Have a me-time

The problem with being at home with someone is that you don’t have a me-time anymore. Even if that someone is your husband whom you love, you are still an individual and you need me-time. To solve this problem, I set a time with my husband where I can’t be disturbed and he can’t be disturbed. A few hours a day will do. I usually use my bathing time for my me-time. Normally I spend 10-15 minutes in the shower and to do my skincare routine, but this time I allocated around 50-60 minutes a day. I do things much more slowly and enjoying my time. I also tried this hair removal cream and I’m awed. Definitely going to recommend this to ANYONE who wants to get rid of unwanted hair quickly without pain, without a razor, with an effect that lasts longer than when you shave. Somehow I feel like my hair has grown thinner since I started using this.

5. Look good to feel good

Don’t stay in your pajamas all day. Believe it or not, when you look good you actually feel better. I put on makeup on days I feel overwhelmed with the gloominess of being at home.

6. Take a break

Play games, read, go to an empty park, sunbathe in your balcony, online window shopping—don’t press that check out button! Some books I would like to recommend for light reading are The Culture Map, The Power of Habit, What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20. I would recommend Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow and The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty too if you’d like, but those aren’t exactly ‘light’.

So, I hope you are reading this from the comfort of your home. Together we can do this little thing to help the world heal. Let me know in the comment if you do something at home that helps with the gloominess. Stay safe and have fun from home!

xoxo_anastasia