Feeling lonely is something we have all been through at some point in our lives. Whether if we are moving out to go to college, solo traveling, living abroad, moving out for a job. Today, I will share with you how it has been for me to quarantine alone in France. Also, what I have done to keep myself motivated and deal with loneliness.
Note: this tips have also been useful to me out of lockdown.
The lockdown in France
On March 16th, Emmanuel Macron, President of France announced the start of France’s national confinement. Schools, Universities, restaurants, shop stores, cinemas were all closed by March 17th. The population was asked to stay home to avoid the virus from spreading any faster.
“Everywhere in France, in the mainland as well as overseas, only necessary journeys like buying groceries, going to the doctor, going to work when the home office is not an option, and exercising are allowed.”
The government’s rules
In France, there were only 7 valid reasons why we could go out:
- To go to work, if working from home was not possible.
- To do our groceries in authorized local shops.
- For health reasons.
- To take children to daycare or take care of an elderly person.
- To exercise individually or walk with the members of our household, within a kilometer from our home for no longer than 1h.
- For administration purposes
- To join missions of public interest at the request of the administrative authorities.
Moreover, we needed to print and sign an official certificate. Yes, you read correctly, print it! There was no digital version till weeks later. Everyone was so excited when the announcement was made, including me (insert a scream of excitement). We could not leave our homes without filling out a certificate. It became a habit.
We could not leave our homes without filling out a certificate.
What happened if we did not respect this rule?
We basically, had to pay a fine. As stated on the French government’s page, “If you do not respect these rules, you may be liable for a €135 fine, rising to €200 if you re-offend within two weeks; for three or more offenses in a period of 30 days you may face criminal charges leading to €3750 fine and up to 6 months in prison.”
Crazy, I know! But necessary, I guess.
Being alone in quarantine
How was it like being in quarantine alone in France ?
So, I have spent a total of 55 days alone in my 12m2 student studio. For this reason, I have not seen my friends for about two months nor my family for about two years now. And let me tell you, a lot has happened. I have experienced a mix of emotions. On one hand, I have felt at times so lonely, sad, anxious, and stressed. On the other hand, I have had great days in which I felt so inspired to work on my personal projects, study for my exams, workout, learn new recipes and edit photos.
Certainly, it took me a while to adapt to this new lifestyle, but eventually, I got used to it. At first, I could not believe it. Everything was happening so quickly that I could barely keep track. The media was talking about the virus. At some point, I had to stop watching and reading them. It was not helping me in any way and made me feel anxious and panic.
At some point, I had to stop watching and reading [the news].
I received an SMS from the government
One of the craziest things for me to see was the government sending us an SMS on March 16th, 2020. They mainly asked us to respect the guidelines to slow down the spread of the virus. Here is a screenshot of the text that I received.
I know, there is some German in there. That is because I am learning and want to improve my German.
Translation: ” Covid-19 alert. The President of the Republic of France has announced strict measures that need to be respected. Not only to fight the spread of the virus but also to save lives. Going out is only authorized with a signed certificate. Furthermore, for professional reasons where the home office is not an option. Also for health reasons or to buy groceries. All of the information is on www.gouvernement.fr “
This message appeared as well on my Instagram feed:
“Prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Consult the latest information provided by the French government to prevent the spread of COVID-19”
When the government sends you an SMS and adds notifications on Instagram, you know the situation is serious. I have to say that receiving a text from the government made me feel in a way kind of special (laughs from the inside).
How the city changed from one day to another…
The news of France being in lockdown did not come to me as a shock. Mostly because, there were a lot of rumors that the President of the Republic of France, aka Emmanuel Macron, was soon going to announce it in his speech. Even though I knew this, it all seemed so surreal.
On March 17th, only supermarkets, hospitals, and certain local shops were open. As a result, streets were less packed than before. Those who could work from home. Students took and some still are to this day taking online classes. As for social gatherings, they were held online. Waiting in line at the supermarket and wearing masks became a habit. Filling out certificates before going out, whether if it was for buying groceries or exercising, became also a habit. We all did our best to adapt to the current situation which has not been easy.
Grocery shopping before quarantine
Days before France went into national lockdown, supermarkets shelves were emptied. I remember going to the supermarket to buy pasta. THERE WAS NONE or very few. Not only did I go to 3 supermarkets, but I also went to an Asian store. This is because from my personal experience Asian stores have everything. Besides, products are always in stock. I mean, at least the one that I go to in Strasbourg. Anyway, I thought I would at least be able to find some ramen. There was barely any! Like, SERIOUSLY PEOPLE! Save some for the others.
Note: I am conscious that eating ramen is unhealthy. However, I always buy some in case of an emergency. You never know if the world might be ending… This time it felt like it in some way.
The photos that you will find below can illustrate better the situation. As for the first one, you can see all the empty boxes. Since there were few products in stock I had to go back. On the second one, a few ramen bags were in stock. In fact, if you look really close you can see that at the end there is none.
Empty shelves at the supermarket 
Empty shelves at an Asian store
Grocery shopping during quarantine
During quarantine, supermarkets clearly look different. It was so strange. One of the supermarkets that I went to had a traced route with tape on the floor. The aisles were blocked, so we had to complete the whole route that they traced. In the first photo, you can see the red plastic tape. Then, on the other one, there are red crosses on the floor that delimited the distance required to keep. They even separated each cash register machine with a paperboard.
Aisles delimited with red tape 
Self cash register machines
Another measure supermarkets took, was to limit the people that entered their stores. In the following photo, you can see this paper on the door. It says, ” For security measures, the entry at the store will be regulated. We please you to wait. We thank you for your understanding”.
10 things I do to deal with loneliness
I have lived on my own for almost 4 years and here are some tips that have helped me deal with feeling lonely. Whether if I was in quarantine or not, they have been really useful.
1. Understand your emotions
It is important to understand where your emotions are coming from. What I do is, think about why I feel lonely or sad. Then, if I feel like crying I do so. This is very important. Keeping your emotions is no good neither for your mental health nor your physical health. If you feel like crying do so. It is important to let it all go out.
2. Talk with friends or family
Sometimes talking with friends or family about the way that you feel can be helpful. Do not be afraid to do so. If you struggle with telling them or are unable to do this for any reason, it is okay. Indeed, what you can do is, record yourself talking about it the way that you feel. Let it all out, do not keep all of your emotions to yourself.
Note: if you feel lonely for a long period of time, then reach out to a professional for help. Remember, you are doing this for yourself and not for somebody else. Love yourself, you are an incredible person :D!
3. Watch a film or series that make you smile
I do this ALL the time. When I am feeling down, I just watch a comedy film or series that makes me smile. It is all about cheering yourself up. You can do this!
4. Do something that you love
As you may know, I have this blog haha. For me, creating content is something that I have been passionate about. So that is what I do when I am feeling down. First, I cry all that I need to. Next, I get a very good night’s sleep. The next day, I start doing things that I love. As a matter of fact, this not only motivates me but also allows me to learn something new. Here are two of the photos that I edited while in quarantine. Go check my Instagram (self promo lol)
5. Exercise
Do yoga, pilates, HIIT, or any type of workout at home. When you exercise, your body liberates endorphins. Furthermore, research has shown that they trigger a positive feeling in your body allowing you to reduce pain and stress. Find the exercise that best suits you.
6. Be proud of yourself
Congratulate yourself on your achievements. You have made it through! We are so used to caring about others that we frequently forget about taking care of ourselves. Give yourself a pad on the back and be proud of where you are at. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not suffered. Making a list or a journal where you write down your achievements can help you a lot. Whether if they are small or big achievements, they are all important.
7. Write down 3 things that you are grateful for
Being grateful allows you to bring positivity to your life. When we are going through rough times, it is hard to see all the greatness in our lives. Take a minute to list 3 things that you are grateful for every day in the morning. This helps you to recognize that not all in your life is terrible. There is always something to be grateful for. For example, having a place to live, a family, friends, food, health, and more.
8. Write down 3 things that you will do
Feeling lonely is okay, it is part of life. Nonetheless, for things to change, your life cannot stay the same. I am not telling you to take drastic decisions. No. To explain it better, what I do is that I compromise to do 3 things every day. For instance, doing laundry, reading one chapter of a book, learn one word in German. This has had a huge impact on my life. Certainly, it has allowed me to be more productive but also think ahead.
9. Listen to the music that you love
I love music, so listening to my best jams always cheers me up. For example, you can listen to “party playlists”, classical music, indie pop. Any type of music that makes you feel happier and energetic.
I have created a playlist on Spotify to cheer each other up during quarantine, check it out here.
10. Cook yourself some delicious food
Treat yourself, cook some delicious food. What’s more, you can learn to cook new recipes.
During this quarantine, I made chocolate fudge. You have no idea how happy it made me. Just try it out, believe it can cheer you up. Personally, I am not really good at cooking so I laugh a lot on my own when I cook. For me, it is hilarious because most of the time my expectations are so high and the results… well, not so good looking. Everything that I think is “if Gordon Ramsay was here, he might go all crazy”. Lol… sometimes the best thing to do is to laugh at your own mistakes.
Vegetable and chicken wok 
Les ganses, a specialty from Nice, France 
Strawberries with yogurt and toppings
That is all for today friends! I hope that you enjoyed this article. A lot has happened since the last few months and I decided to stop posting. But… I AM BACK! I am looking forward to what is coming next :). Tell me in the comment section how has quarantine been like for you. I love to read your comments and connect with you. Have a great day!
Another article that will interest you: “What to do when you feel lonely while studying abroad“. Learn more about my experience living and studying abroad.
My first Youtube video where I talk about how it was like to spend 55 days alone in my 12m2 student studio during quarantine in France.
You might also like: What is it like being a foreigner studying in France?
Love this! A very interesting read 😊
Thanks a lot Priten! Have a nice day 🙂
I really enjoyed this. The “10 things” part I feel I could refer to this as a reminder everytime I need to because feeling loneliness can be felt even when you’re around people. I loved this!
It definitely does! I used to think that being with people wouldn’t make someone feel lonely. Nonetheless, it does and there’s nothing wrong with that :)! Thank you for comment Ishara :D!