How to survive a 21 day hotel quarantine. Breathe…..
I live in Hong Kong. The city with the strictest quarantine rules in the world! I recently returned to Hong Kong from the UK and have been mandated to sit out a 21 day quarantine in a hotel room. I was dreading it.
However, I wake up today on Day 20 and I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone. The first six days were rocky. I had no motivation and I was so angry that I was being forced to spend 21 days in a hotel room for no logical reason. Then my mindset changed and I chose to BREATHE:
BE KIND TO YOURSELF – eat what you want, sleep when you want, have 10 baths a day if you want.
ROUTINE – design a routine that works for you and makes you happy. Have several goals you need to achieve each day i.e. exercise for 1 hour, speak to 3 friends, read/study for 2 hours, etc. Make a chart and tick each goal off each day.
EXERCISE – rent or buy a walking pad, exercise bike, yoga mat. My walking pad saved me and everything - sleep, mood, motivation - changed once I started moving my body.
ACCEPTANCE – it’s unfair, it’s unscientific, it’s stupid – but it is what it is, you have no choice. Things got so much easier once I accepted the situation.
TALK – it’s true, it’s good to talk. Social contact makes all the difference – seeing a smiling face and hearing the voice of a loved one really lifts your spirits. Talk to anyone, use the time to catch up with long-lost friends.
HOLIDAY – it’s not a holiday by any stretch of the imagination, but it probably is one of the only times in your life where you will have so few demands on your time. Rest. Read. Relax. Reflect. Find time to embrace the solitude and have some breathing space from real life.
ENJOY – I never thought I would say this, but I have enjoyed these 21 days. I’ve walked 6 marathons, had the time to work and study as much as I’ve wanted, been spoilt by my friends and family, and I’ve actually thrived in a situation where I felt I would be lucky to survive.
It goes without saying that I am praying for the day that the HK Government comes to its senses and takes a realistic view of COVID but until then, whilst 21 days in a hotel room is far from ideal, it doesn’t have to be 21 days of pain.