When I first heard of the coronavirus, the reality of the virus did not hit me and I did not realize that the virus would make such a significant impact on our society. 

People made jokes about the coronavirus and no one expected it to affect our society. I think we all knew that the virus was a big deal and it was killing many, but the thought of the coronavirus scared me and I tried to avoid thinking about it. 

Once the virus started to spread, I became a little more anxious and worried. I started wiping down door handles and washing my hands more often, but I still was not as worried. When my school said that it was shutting down, COVID-19 became even more real to me. I was in the car with my mom and a friend. We had been talking about the virus and trying to convince ourselves that even though it was spreading, we would all be fine and it is not as big of a deal as we think it is. Then, at that moment we all got an email from school. The only thoughts that could go through my head were: if school shut down this virus is a big deal. 

I started to become really anxious when I found out that one of my close friend’s uncle(who lives in Italy) contracted the coronavirus when going out to the grocery store and is in serious condition. That is when reality really hit me hard and anxiety took over. I was confused with what I was supposed to do next. I decided to wash my hands more often and go outside less. 

Since the official stay at home policy was imposed, I have been really bored. Especially with my concussion, I do not know what to do with my time because I am not supposed to be looking at screens very often.

A normal day now is waking up at noon, washing my hands, and then eating breakfast. After I eat breakfast, I will usually start painting and listen to music or turn a movie on while I paint. Later on in the day, I call my friends and we do random things like cleaning out our closets together. Then, I usually go on short walks with my dog around the neighborhood where few people walk around and we always avoid talking to people or making any contact. 

Sometimes I work on my driving course or other work depending on how my head is doing that day while eating some snacks. After that, I usually eat dinner with my family and end up going to sleep pretty late. 

The quarantine has caused my family and I to become closer, but my friends and I(especially those at other schools) have grown more apart. My friends and I can not hang out and the closest to contact we can get is over facetime. 

The quarantine has made me also think about myself. I have been cleaning my room and bathroom more often. I cleaned out a bunch of my drawers and shelves. I have also been taking mental breaks from everything going on and just doing something that will distract me from everything. 

I also have been spending more time on painting because it helps me calm down. I have learned new recipes for meals and I have been cooking more because I can distract myself and enjoy some delicious food that I have never made before.

The quarantine also has made me realize that I took some things for granted. For example, school lunches, the possibility to hang out with friends, beaches, nature, and regular school. I have always wanted to just stay at home and watch movies, however now that I have the chance to do that, I realize that I would rather go outside and do something else.