When quarantine first began, I was overwhelmed by the amount of school work I received, the uncertain and difficult circumstances in the outside world, and all the free time that came from letting go of most of my hobbies and extracurriculars. It was very hard to stay focused on the tasks at hand as well as not get distracted by what was happening around me. However, over time I learnt to adapt to these strenuous circumstances by keeping myself occupied, but also leaving lots of room for leisure, something I had greatly missed out on during my Grade 11 year. Ultimately, a day in my life during quarantine has become more freeing, fun and relaxing than I could have ever imagined.

#1 Wake up, breakfast + school work

I begin by waking up at 8 am - I find this to be the best time for maximizing my productivity during the day, and so once I am out of bed I eat a quick breakfast and begin my school work.

#2 Exercise

After about two hours of sitting at my desk, I take a break by running on the treadmill. Staying active and fit is very important to me, so what better way to do it then run on the treadmill in the cool basement of my home while listening to my favourite music?

#3 Lunch + more school work

Following this, I usually proceed to eat lunch, which not only clears my head, but also re-energizes me for what follows, more school work.

#4 Calls with friends

Once another couple hours go by, I do a Google Meets call with friends to catch up on their lives, reminisce about the best moments we shared and talk about fun plans for the future.

#5 Go for a walk

At this point, it is already late afternoon and I have completed a good amount of school work for a day, and so to breathe in some fresh air and make use of the nice and sunny weather outside, my brother and I go on a walk around our neighborhood.

#6 Dinner + calls with grandparents

Once we get back, we sometimes cook dinner for the family, as well as call our grandparents.

#7 Relax

This leads into a nice and relaxing evening of watching a movie or a show (at the moment, we are finishing up White Collar), by making the most of our time together and what is available to us at home.

#8 Journaling

With this in mind, one of the hobbies I have picked up on that has proved to be very helpful and stress relieving is journaling. I end my nights by sitting down at my desk and spending around twenty to thirty minutes writing down my thoughts of the day in a diary; These thoughts range from the things I did during the day, to inspirational quotes I heard or saw, to any big ideas that came into my head that day, to three things I am grateful for. I found this to be the best way to end the day with a positive and nostalgic attitude, one that I can look back on one day, and that will help me forget the difficult circumstances we are all facing.