Photographed by Mazen Abusrour for Vogue Arabia
Living alone while worldwide pandemic brews around you, changing the very fabric of our existence can be more challenging than we give ourselves credit for. In a lot of ways, the world is evolving in the speed of light while we all work from home and social-distance our days – Sunday to Thursday. And months from now, when we finally walk out into the freeing sunlight, things will probably be a whole lot different. But for now, we could use this unique opportunity to hit the pause button and really look inwards and celebrate that solitude — with good food, music, and self-discovery.
Take the banana bread challenge
Read: Take up baking. Bake everything from cookies and slowly graduate to that sourdough you have always dreamed of making. Baking is not only a wonderfully therapeutic experience but keeps you busy with the promise of a treat at the end of it. A win-win. Everyone from comedian and Brooklyn 99 actor Chelsea Peretti to The Office co-star Jenna Fischer has been showing off their baking skills on Instagram.
Stay Connected
Living alone in quarantine doesn’t have to mean not being connected to those out there. From online board gaming websites like Steam — where one can play live-games of Monopoly with friends from around the world to sites like Zoom for some face time with friends and family — you are quite spoilt for choice. And the best part is, you can choose when to go back into your solo cave.
Dance like no one’s watching
Because no one is! And it is probably the best feeling in the world — reserved for only those who have the grace and courage to take off alone, in their living rooms, with the ’80s blasting on the speakers. Go forth and carpe diem into the night with multiple music streaming sites from around the world. Boiler Room, an online cult music broadcasting platform based in London, streams live music sessions almost every night.
If you can’t be outdoors, let the outdoors come to you
Candles are the sensory doorways to other worlds. Worlds that are now distant memories from a time gone by. From childhood vacations with our families to the last time we traveled somewhere beautiful— we can recreate the magic by simply lighting the right candle. Tree House by Byredo is an enchanting candle that takes you back in time to those summers in childhood, and with its warm, woody notes of Bamboo, Cedarwood and Sandalwood it can also transport a wet Japanese forest straight to your living room. Figuier by Diptyque is another classic. Embodying every part of the tree — from the fruit, the tree bark, and the leaves – the scent reminds you of an afternoon nap under a fig tree in the Mediterranean sunshine.
Keep a gratitude journal
Gratitude journals are a complete life hack that teaches you to be self-aware and acknowledge the good in your life. Jotting down your thoughts before bed is not only proven to improve sleep quality but also helps better your general perspective towards life by keeping the focus firmly on all that’s good — which oftentimes we tend to take for granted.
