Four Quarantine Tips From The Doctor

Jodie Whittaker as The Doctor – Doctor Who Season 12, Episode 10 – Photo Credit: James Pardon/BBC Studios/BBC America

The Doctor is in quarantine just like the rest of us, and she has some tips for how to make it through the whole ordeal mentally and physically healthy.

The BBC has been posting messages from various people on social media during the quarantine, but the messages from the Doctor have been particularly entertaining and affirming. Whoever decided to give Jodie Whittaker the Doctor costume before everything got locked down was a genius, because her clips have been helpful and an absolute delight during these extremely dire times.

Today’s clip has four tips for getting through the quarantine with our physical and mental health intact.

“Stay strong, stay positive. You’re amazing”.

Four tips from @bbcdoctorwho to get you through self-isolation. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/8l9GFs4nLi

— BBC (@BBC) April 9, 2020

Her tips are helpful for both our physical and mental health, providing some ideas for how we can get through all this together, as well as some much needed uplifting words of wisdom from the Doctor herself.

Tip 1: Stay in touch with your friends, your family, your neighbors, and even your archenemies.

This tip has been hugely important for a lot of people, especially for us here at The Geekiary. We’ve been putting out new episodes of FEELINGS… with the Geekiary every weekend and even throwing watch parties of some seriously strange stuff (see: Cats and Tiger King). It’s immensely helpful to know others are out there, even if we can’t be in the same place physically.

Personally, video chatting has been super helpful even more than a phone call. Just seeing another person while communicating with them has gone a long way to lift my spirits. I’m sure there’s something psychological there to analyze, but it is what it is. It helps. Do it.

The Doctor is even taking her own advice here. She goes on to say that she even “Whatsapped a Cyberman,” so if she can do that, you can send a message to your friends too.

Tip 2: Be thoughtful. Think of others.

We could all use this bit of advice right now, because sometimes it looks like we are losing sight of the idea that we are all in this together. I’ve been seeing the occasional clip on social media of people being less than thoughtful of others in this crisis – people ignoring the stay at home orders, people fighting over supplies, just plain rudeness – but I’ve also been seeing humanity come together and help each other out.

Humanity has been good, too, and it’s important to highlight that, and continue putting positive and helpful vibes out into the world (even if you can’t actually put yourself in the world because, you know, quarantine). People have volunteered their 3D printers and sewing skills to make PPE. People are running errands for their immunocompromised friends and family (and sometimes even strangers!) who can’t risk going outside. People are supporting local businesses that may not be able to stay afloat during the shut down.

We’ll get through this together, so be thoughtful and think of your fellow citizens of earth as we try to navigate this strange situation. We all need support, but also all need to give each other support in whatever way we are able to do so, even if that support is just staying home.

Tip 3: Stay active, even in the smallest of spaces.

The Doctor mentions the positive effect of endorphins for this tip, and she’s absolutely right. Endorphins are natural pain and stress fighters, so this helps both your physical and mental health at the same time. Don’t neglect either vital aspect of your health during all this. You need to have some balance here.

It’s good to do this even in your tiny spaces, even though it may not feel like it’s possible. My studio apartment is less than 200 square feet, but if I wanted to I could put on a little one person dance party if I wanted to (gently… I’m on the top floor and, well, going back to Tip 2, I need to be thoughtful of others!). If you’ve got an old Nintendo Wii kicking around your house, it might be a good time to dust it off and go bowling.

In some places, you can go outside for exercise, though as we enter a crucial few weeks here, some jurisdictions have banned even that much contact. Make note of the current stay-at-home orders where you are and get active in whatever way you can.

Tip 4: Think creatively to keep entertained.

Entertainment will keep us going in these troubled times. For a lot of us introverted nerds, this isn’t a hard thing to tackle. We’re used to keeping ourselves entertained alone even without all this quarantine stuff keeping us inside. But for our extroverted companions, this might be a bit rough.

Thankfully we have some ideas for you:

Since those lists were published, we’ve posted even more recommendations elsewhere. Battlestar Galactica is now available for free, and Parasite is also online to stream. BookCon is also having a virtual event.

We also have an episode of our webcast that is primarily recommendations for stuff to do while on lock down.

“Finally, stay strong, stay positive. You’re amazing. Things will improve, and you’re a big part of making sure that they do. You’ve got this.” – The Doctor

The closing may the most important part of all, even if it’s not an official ‘tip.’ We just need some positivity and a reminder that we can get through this. Sometimes we may actually lose sight of that and start to feel hopeless. But we are resilient. We are amazing.

We’ve got this.

Author: Angel Wilson

Angel is the admin of The Geekiary and a geek culture commentator. They earned a BA in Film & Digital Media from UC Santa Cruz. They have contributed to various podcasts and webcasts including An Englishman in San Diego, Free to Be Radio, and Genre TV for All. They identify as queer.

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