[Part 2] Things I've Learned During Self-Isolation
Here is the continuation and conclusion to my 2-part series. In these difficult times, I took some notes on the thoughts I’ve had during moments of introspection. They shaped into lessons that I want to share with you here.
Stick to the rules
I’ve made conscious decisions and compromised on spending time with my family for my birthday, visiting home and even meeting up with some old friends as soon as the pandemic situation worsened.
Even though I was born with asthma and haven’t had an issue with it for at least a decade or so, I still remain cautious and remain indoors whenever possible. When I do venture out for groceries or to retain some sanity, it is done with strict adherence to social distancing rules - mainly because I don’t want to be the reason someone else gets sick.
Why can’t other people do the same?
There is still the issue of people (you know who you are) not adhering to government advice and regulations...
I get that people want to get away from all of this mess. But is it really the best time to go to a holiday home or have a group hang out at the beach?
People may think that this situation doesn’t affect them, because:
a) You’re not in the age range of those at risk
b) you don’t have underlying health conditions and aren’t at risk
My answer:
Firstly - we don’t know all the facts yet. There are still unclear details at this present time as well as misinformation being spread about the coronavirus. There are unusual cases where younger, seemingly healthier people are dying.
Secondly, even if the viral disease barely affects you, you will affect a huge number of people if you remain outside and around dense areas of the public - yet, some still choose to do so and this is not okay.
Solidarity has never been more important in a time like this. If people can’t stick to the rules now… It makes me think: what happens if an even deadlier virus outbreak occurs several years from now?
Whatever the case, I’ll do my part to help and will stay home. I just hope others will do the same.
Don’t feel guilty for taking more time to relax
Again, I want to re-emphasise that this situation is not normal - we are currently living through extreme circumstances. I don’t care what the hell other people say or how dismissive some people are to this “flu” - this is serious shit.
At times, there will be a lot of emotion and frustration and anger… we need to do things to help us relax and even help us be cathartic indoors. For me, it was simple things like:
Reading that book I’ve been yearning to get back to
Binge watch some TV shows or movies if it makes me happy
Do some home exercise to get my blood flowing [and running outdoors, if need be]
Play videogames to death and unleash all my rage through button-bashing etc.
Dance to music like no one’s watching* [*although be prepared for weird looks from my girlfriend]... hell, I’ll dance and sing my heart out/be weird anyway!!
If there was a day when my schedule didn’t suit my mood, or I simply was floundering around it certainly helped to remind myself that: “this is perfectly okay”.
Do what feels right to you today.
Change up your routine every once in a while: Try new things or rekindle old hobbies
Lately, binge-watching TV shows or movie marathons in the evenings (or the whole day, I don’t judge) have become rather stale. While it is a relaxing activity, during this time it felt like there was no clear break between days and all the hours of the week mushed together into one giant timelapse.
More often than not, it became difficult to keep track of what day it was, as the lack of structure remained absent. I had to remind myself to change things up a bit: do my usual routine in reverse order, or do one new thing to keep myself stimulated and refreshed while indoors.
Something that helped significantly, was the reintroduction of old hobbies.
When I was younger, my family and I used to play board games a lot: games like Cluedo, Monopoly, and Scrabble. With my older brother, we even had epic Yu-Gi-Oh card duels (yes, they were “epic” in every sense of the word - we were kids). Yet, as we got older, that past time withered away as life got busier and busier. I still miss those days, chilling out away from a screen and spending mindful time with my loved ones on a lazy afternoon.
I also started teaching myself how to play the acoustic guitar for fun at some point in my teens - another fond past time that makes me smile every now and then.
So, when my girlfriend Ruxy suggested that we play board games again - I leaped at the chance and we instantly got hooked. She introduced me to one of her favourite ones: King Of Tokyo and for the first couple of days we played for endless hours, having the time of our lives (even though I got competitive as hell and sometimes got moody when losing…)
Funnily enough, the new activity led to us researching other board games out there and now we are hooked on playing others like the RPG board game Gloomhaven (which I highly recommend if you’re into fantasy games similar to Dungeons & Dragons).
Even introducing other activities such as cooking new dishes, certainly helped a lot. Around six weeks ago, ironically, I really wanted to make more pasta dishes from scratch - cue to the first week of self-isolation and literally every day for the past several weeks, there has been no dry pasta on the store shelves (*cry*)...
However, fortune came my way in the end: we found fresh pasta and still made it work, trying a couple of new recipes from scratch that came out incredibly well.
For now, we’re keeping busy with board games and experimenting with new meal recipes.
Though my old guitar still sits lonely in its case, perhaps I might just pick it up if I need a refreshing change of pace once more.
Limit screen time whenever possible
It is going to be a turbulent time and we will all inevitably find ourselves online: either on social media, watching videos, doing work (especially if you’re working from home).
Our current cultural norm is the following: After a typical working day of looking at our smartphone and laptop screens a lot either during breaks or in-between tasks, we then usually commute back home in the evening or do other stuff like go to the gym. Now that we’re in lockdown, our inevitable go-to solution for relaxation is to… turn another screen on - the TV. Or even just browse on our phones.
Eventually (or what I noticed for myself anyway), the eyes can only take so much and they will inevitably start to feel the strain and even throb and ache. I scheduled breaks often, because my eyes needed it - resting them by taking a nap, or doing another activity that doesn’t involve staring at something for hours on end.
Limit your exposure to the news and social media updates
This goes hand-in-hand with the lesson above, but I felt it deserved a separate dedicated section. It may be the most difficult lesson to practise, especially during this crucial time.
Everything we read about the coronavirus pandemic will be distressing and alarming. That is guaranteed. I assure you. Having just skimmed over the latest updates about the coronavirus situation all over the world, there are some bits of information which are downright disconcerting and baffling… at times it will even question your faith in humanity.
I found that the most important thing to remind myself is to protect my mental health and wellbeing (using the lessons above) during this time at home. I refrain from being glued to every news update and story about the pandemic, often limiting my exposure to it with a time limit of ten minutes a day. As I understand that the storm will inevitably get worse before we see the dawn.
For your own mental health and wellbeing as well, I urge you to at least stick to this too.
Things will get better. Eventually. It will just take more time than we initially thought.
Practise Gratitude
When I feel overwhelmed, this is what I tell myself:
“As of this moment, you are lucky to be alive.
Every day, people are dying from this pandemic, so it is important to acknowledge this truth. Be grateful for what you have, everything you have achieved, the events which shaped you into who you are and all the wonderful, marvelous people that have come and gone in your life.
Please also remember this. The number we see about the rise of infected cases and deaths due to COVID-19 are not simply a statistic - they are individual people who have suffered and should not be forgotten. We have a chance to flatten the curve and prevent more needless deaths.
Keep safe, stay home to protect others. No one else has to get sick. You’re doing the right thing - yes it is extremely tough to deal with - but, you should be proud that you’re doing what you can to help.”
Thankfully, in the UK, we still have key workers and those on the front lines protecting us: from the supermarket employees who risk being exposed to COVID-19 yet continue to keep the shelves stocked for everyone, delivery services who are still operating, and NHS workers and staff who are working their asses off around the nation to save lives.
They are all fucking heroes and deserve all the praise!!
Be grateful that we have these kind of people looking out for us during this crucial time.
These are the lessons I have learned so far during this strange, distressing time. While some are simple, they are all profound. More than anything, I put these down to [metaphorical] paper as a cathartic way of writing down how I feel during this difficult period. Some of it shifted into a rant. Other points gave me a gentle reminder that whatever I choose to do during this time, it is perfectly acceptable and okay.
They helped keep me sane at times, when all manner of things are going wrong in the world. I hope that anyone reading these, will find some solace or peace of mind. To know that they are not alone in the way they feel.
To you, the one who is reading this now. Wherever you are, I hope you are safe and your loved ones are safe as well.
Amaan x