© Shutterstock

Have patience with partners - Learning how to communicate better and learning more about each other is what will keep your relationship alive through quarantine, and these skills are essential for long-lasting love.

© Shutterstock

Keep in touch with family -

Everyone has been reaching out to loved ones, near or far, to check in on each other, and this habit can enrich your lives far beyond isolation.

© Shutterstock

Cook more -

We’re all getting the opportunity to exercise our cooking skills, or develop nonexistent ones, and keeping it up will save you money and help you eat healthier!

© Shutterstock

Getting the most out of our groceries -

Food waste is a huge environmental problem and an economic problem as well. Now that you’ve learned to buy the essentials and use up everything you’ve got, continuing this practice will have an enormous impact for you and the world.

© Shutterstock

What we don’t actually need in life -

Whether it’s makeup, extra clothes, small talk with people you don’t actually like, a gym membership, or anything superfluous you thought you needed.

© Shutterstock

Learning to enjoy your own company - Learning from introverts, you’ll realize how to be alone and to actually enjoy your own company, which can do wonders for your mental clarity, self-awareness, and long-term happiness.

© Shutterstock

Sifting out fake news -

Many of us are glued to our phones and receiving updates from all kinds of people and sources, but in crazy times like these there are equally crazy updates with absolutely no substantial research or evidence behind them. Learning how to tell real from fake news will stop your future panic before it happens.

© Shutterstock

Appreciating the arts -

During isolation you probably rely heavily on books, music, movies, games, and TV shows—all of which are art! Out of isolation, we should emphasize the importance of these fields.

© Shutterstock

Proper hygiene -

It’s clear that many people were not familiar with the effective way of handwashing or coughing/sneezing into the inside of their elbow, but post-quarantine hopefully this will mean the slower spread of even the common cold.

© Shutterstock

Exercising more - Maybe you set up the perfect home gym, or maybe you just had to find a way to move after being stuck inside all day—whatever reason it is, exercising more is never a bad thing.

© Shutterstock

Being alone is not the same as loneliness -

As an observer, when you see someone by themselves—in a restaurant, at a park, or at the movies—you might instinctively assume they are lonely and that they’d like company. But after spending time alone, you’ll realize that this is often far from the truth, and maybe you’d like to do the same!

© Shutterstock

Compassion for your community -

The main reason for isolation is to slow the spread so that vulnerable people, especially the elderly, the poor, those with health problems, and young children, can make it past this pandemic. This level of compassion is certainly something we can benefit from in the future.

© Shutterstock

Respect your coping process -

Instead of filling up your schedule and distracting yourself, you’re forced to sit down with your emotions and respect them.

© Shutterstock

When to stop reading the news -

As a matter of self-preservation in these dire times, we’re forced to put away the constant stream of information to maintain our sanity. This practice is helpful to keep as the news has been proven to inflict negative mental consequences like depression and anxiety.

© Shutterstock

Kids learn to fight boredom again -

Kids these days are saturated with devices and entertainment, but that can hinder their ability to access their natural creativity. Isolation has been proven to increase creativity, and that’s a trait that will come in handy for the rest of their lives.

© Shutterstock

Self-care -

With all this time we can finally start giving our bodies what they need, whether that’s skin-care or time to reflect on our thoughts with journaling.

© Shutterstock

Pay attention to who you are -

When you’re removed from social situations, distractions, and other people’s energy, you distill the person you actually are. Keeping some time for yourself in the future will strengthen your feeling of self and make you more confident, secure, and happier.

© Shutterstock

Identifying unhealthy attachments -

Only when you pull yourself away from something can you fully appreciate how strong your attachment to it is. It can be a person or a thing, and identifying any feelings of unhealthy attachments will help you move forward and rely less on them.

© Shutterstock

You don’t need validation -

It’s all too easy in the age of social media and competitive work environments to search for your own value in the external validation of others, but with a pandemic in the world “likes” inevitably lose their value, which is necessary to living a genuinely happy life.

© Shutterstock

Valuing society’s unsung heroes -

From nurses and doctors on the front lines, to janitors, cooks, and sanitation workers behind the scenes, it’s all the people who couldn’t stay home to help the world keep functioning (and who deserve proper pay and working conditions).

© Shutterstock

Quality over quantity in interactions -

Removed from the endless small talk, niceties, and forced friendliness, it’s soon obvious that what matters is not the number of people you interact with, but the quality of those interactions. Your relationships will all benefit greatly from this!

© Shutterstock

You can rely on yourself -

Cut off from the shortcuts, you’ll have to figure out most things for yourself, and learning to be independent is deeply empowering.

© Shutterstock

You have to be selfish sometimes -

Spending time in isolation with others will quickly show you that you have to be taking care of yourself in order to take care of others, or else you’ll quickly go mad. If alone entirely, you’ll see that prioritizing yourself once in a while won’t actually ruin your social life.

© Shutterstock

We’re not that different from each other -

This virus has shown us yet again that at our root we are all human, all vulnerable, and all in need of support. We must put politics aside when it comes to our basic rights and needs.

© Shutterstock

Gratitude -

Every day in isolation there are various things we can be grateful for, including the very ability to isolate, our health, our loved ones, and so much more. Gratitude will boost the quality of your life instantly.

© Shutterstock

Budgeting -

Nearly everyone is being hit financially by the pandemic, and we’re forced to budget better. This is a skill many of us learn too late, but best to take advantage of this learning opportunity now!

© Shutterstock

Global challenges have no borders -

People all around the world are in isolation trying to do their part not only for their community, but for the world at large, as the new coronavirus has shown us that we must all band together to tackle future global challenges, like climate change.

© Shutterstock

The value of humor -

Funny videos and memes about isolation allow us to feel seen by people around the world, and they’re a necessary and hilarious release of emotion that are key to surviving absolutely anything in life.

© Shutterstock

You might actually be able to do your job from home -

While these are unique circumstances, a lot of companies are realizing that they’re able to continue functioning with employees working at home, thus creating less pollution and opening up the possibility to continue this after isolation.

See also: Essential tips to becoming an effective remote worker.

© Shutterstock