The Positive Sides of Quarantine According to the Fustany Team

Note: Don't forget to teach your kids how to wash their hands properly!

The decision to quarantine wasn't easy for us. After having a routine everyday, going to work and seeing friends, being stuck between the walls of our homes is hard to adapt to. Our team is currently communicating online and in our last meeting we were tried to pick each other up by saying some of the positive sides of quarantine. We found that if we reminded ourselves of how we can hopefully come out better and stronger from this, it will allow us to be more grateful and have a lighter perspective on this whole thing. 

So we decided to share with you some of our own experiences and what we found to be the positive sides of quarantine and social distancing:

The quarantine made me prioritize my health

“The quarantine made me care about my health." Mai starts by saying,"Committing to staying at home and not going out wasn't really a choice for me, it was I believe we all had to do. Although I am not the kind of person who prefers sitting at home all day, because It gets me depressed, I found a lot of positives that made me see things a little differently. For example, In the past few days, I began to focus on having a more healthy diet and I started exercising at home. I've also been taking all my medications on time. For a while now, I had been busy with work or taking care of mom and dad, which I see as something that's more important than my own health. But these last few days, I realized that my health is a gift from God that cannot be replaced."

Make sure you're giving your immunity a boost these days...

The quarantine made me appreciate the blessings in our lives...

As for Sarah, her perspective on isolation is different,  “I think that these last few days have made me appreciate the value of everything, from the freedom of moving around to the blessings that God has given us. We had no time before to notice these things, we come and go, shop and talk  and it's normal and mundane, until we're deprived of it. I've also come to realize the value of my family because of my fear that they could get sick and infected. I think the quarantine has also helped me save a lot money.  I stopped ordering food or coffee and started making them at home. I also started learning yoga at home, I downloaded an app and put on the gym clothes that I never got to wear because of the quarantine.

Here are some apps that can help you exercise at home...

The quarantine was an experience that needed to happen

Jasmine sees this time as a challenge and an opportunity to grow...“I realized during this period that we as human beings are capable of adapting to anything. We started killed boredom by learning new skills, watching movies and shows. We didn't have a lot of time before after work to do so. Now, the working hours end you have so much time left to do so much! Even at work, we adapted and created a new world for ourselves. Instead of feeling alone, we became more committed to the point where we even talk and negotiate more than we did when we were in the same room. Of course we miss each other, but this experience has taught us a lot and mostly it showed us that we can learn to adapt to anything!"

The quarantine reminded me to appreciate the time we spend with others...

"I’m not gonna lie, it’s not been easy and i’m beginning to get very irritated and sad. I know that you guys would appreciate honesty because it wouldn’t really help for you to feel like the only person in the world who's not happy to be stuck at home. In order to make it, we need to remind ourselves of any glimpse of positivity..." And so Farida told us her's, "I always say I’m a grandma because I love to stay at home, chill in Pj's do face masks, so when I found out that I was going to be doing this everyday, I have to say it put a big smile on my face. But, if I’m being totally honest, the best thing about staying at home has been getting to catch up on all the series I’ve been wanting to watch! I know it sounds silly but it genuinely makes me happy and is a form of escape from all the mess around us. Also this time has reminded me of how much I love my friends and truly need them on a weekly basis. We get lost in work and the city noise and we take the time we spend with our friends for granted. This has also made me reconnect with my fiancé. We forgot about the horrors of apartment hunting and looking for rings. We've actually been FaceTiming each other just so we can talk and bond over our coronavirus theories and how much we want to see each other..."

The quarantine made me calmer!

“I knew that the streets of the city were stressful for, but I didn't know it affected me this much!”  Nancy says, "After staying at home for more than two or three days, I found that I became less anxious. When something bothers me, I don't find myself as stressed and upset about it as I used to be. I realized that the city life, driving in the busy streets of Cairo, listening to all the noise from the office windows and running errands all day had drained from me. With everyday I spend at home, I find myself returning to my calm nature, that knows how to deal with things rather than being overwhelmed and stressed for most of the day. "