Like many aspects of life - grief, heartache, etc. - the experience of quarantine can make us go through stages of emotions and a variety of feelings towards having to stay at home. Here is my personal conclusion as to what those stages are and what they entail:
1) Denial
For the most part, the people I had spoken to before hand about the Corona Virus and the possibility of being quarantined were under the impression that it would not happen in the local areas, and if it did they figured it would not last long. Even once the lockdown had begun, they continued to believe that it was temporary and highly exaggerated. This is denial. It is denying the fact that we are in danger and that it may not be a easily dismissive ocurance. Do understand, this does not come from a place of judgement. I, too, took the news of quarantine with a grain of salt as I thought it would simply blow over like a few storm clouds. That was me, denying the fact that I would have to pause the entirety of my life until this was over. Denial is not all bad, it gives us hope that this cannot last forever and that eventually we will continue with our daily lives as we did before.
2) Frustration
It is no secret that we have all, at some stage, became frustrated and quite angry. It is natural. Very few people can sit at home for long periods of time doing nothing. Especially when we do not know where the end lies. Speaking from experience, it can get frustrating when you have nothing to do but hope it ends, and even more frustrating when it seems like it never will. You become irritated with the people who are around you, and irritating to them. The best way to handle this frustration in a confined space is to create an area whereby, if people get too frustrated, they have a place to go where no one can bother them. A escape zone to calm down, listen to some music, possibly read a book or write or draw. Sometimes we all need a place to get away.
3) Motivation
Eventually, you hit a point where you realise that, though this may not be infinitely permanent, it is in the current moment. You realise the amount of time you have to work on yourself. You turn to learning new hobbies, planning, gardening (if possible), crafts, and of course, exercise. All of these activities are designed to give us purpose, and what better time to find one than when you are locked in your house? It gives a feeling of accomplishment, some satisfaction to this caged life. This gives somewhat of a routine to the day, makes you realise that you can live with this new life.
4) Acceptance
Finding a new routine after many weeks, possibly months, of uncertainty can really bring a sense of content. It teaches you that, despite all that is bad, good can be made. Once you reach this stage, day-to-day life becomes slightly easier to handle. You start to dream of what you will do and become once it is over, the things you wanted to do morph into the things you will do. You accept that this is your life, and all you can do is wait for the future to come.
Like many elements of life, quarantine has its bad, but there is also good. The secret is balancing both, enough so that life is satisfactory, but not so much that the satisfaction dries up, and you have to start at point 1 again. One thing is certain, we've all learnt a thing or two about ourselves in this time