[Part 1] Things I've Learned During Self-Isolation
We are currently living in a strange time. Everywhere you look, the streets are quieter, sometimes feeling as if humanity had abandoned the great outdoors overnight. At least, that is how it feels in the city I currently live in. The coronavirus pandemic has certainly changed our usual lifestyle over the past several weeks, as we now self-isolate and deal with nationwide lockdowns on a global scale.
However, even in these troubling times, there is a silver lining. It can be something as simple as learning important truths about our current way of living. Now, this is not an article to “preach” about how we should change the way we live or even a set of guidelines for people, but rather it is simply me just jotting down some notes about thoughts I’ve had, during some moments of introspection.
Thoughts on things that I thought I already knew, yet still managed to take me by surprise. Maybe it is the cabin fever setting in after living in self-isolation for a while… Or perhaps it is just me acknowledging the things I’ve taken for granted, for far too long.
Who knows, maybe these lessons will somehow help others in the process as we deal with this situation in the long-term.
Fresh air is of paramount importance
It’s a weird thing to say right? We all know it to be true. I guess we don’t understand the statement until we neglect the fresh air for a while.
It is strange to live in a time where our freedom of movement is restricted, as we are advised to remain indoors for the foreseeable future.
I already adjusted to not being outside for several days at a time in my twenties - side effects of a part-time night job, heaps of writing projects and a pinch of general social anxiety thrown in for good measure. Although I didn’t think that the small outdoor excursions for groceries, commuting or an occasional walk could have such an impact on my mental and physical health.
I began to notice a change in my body after a couple of weeks into self-isolation. It got easily agitated, often making me pace around frantically in different rooms on most days. My sleep pattern seemed to be out of sync - no matter what I did, I couldn’t fall asleep properly. It remained rigid and anxious, sometimes even feeling like it was confined in a cell.
Even with plenty of indoor exercise, my body didn’t feel satisfied. It felt like I had misplaced a missing component of humanness. When we finally went outside for a much-needed walk and some grocery shopping, that is when things felt better. After walking around in the park for some time, my body eased up and it felt content breathing in the fresh air.
It can be quite distressing not to walk outdoors every now and then (especially now), so if possible, make time to go outside when you can. The fresh crisp air on the lungs does wonders for the body, so don’t neglect it - but also be respectful and adhere to current social distancing rules outside!
The shift in life’s priorities
This is something that has been at the forefront of my mind lately. Over the past couple of years I grinded away working several different jobs, yet I never seem to reevaluate my priorities. At times, I shamefully admit that I neglected family and friends during this period of my life.
I yearned to achieve the unattainable goal of “balancing work with play”. Though it never happened.
Now that our normal lifestyle has been temporarily reset, I took the opportunity to take a step back and reassess what matters to me.
I make more time for my family, where we now have weekly scheduled video chat sessions every Sunday for a catch-up.
I’ve been reaching out to friends - old and new - keeping in touch as much as I can during this time.
With my girlfriend, we started to structure our days better so we kept to a working routine till around 6 p.m.: it felt better to structure that “together-time” later in the day, so we could fully be in each other’s presence during leisure activities.
My heart and mind are thankful for the conscious shift in my life’s priorities: health [physical & mental], wellbeing and relationships. It always helps to take a step back and take the time to assess what truly matters to you.
Communicate boundaries and concerns
Now, this is vital so you don’t inevitably rip someone’s head off!
It is a stressful time living in self-isolation, shut off from the outside world. You can’t physically spend time with friends and family anymore and every damn day the media is relentless in its news updates. There seems to be a constant stream of death tolls, increase in infection cases worldwide etc. and everyone is panicking and it is all… just too much to deal with.
So I learned to vent out how I felt at times - whether it was about needing some physical space or unburdening my worries and concerns about the current situation. Talk to your partner/significant other or whoever is living with you or even call someone, so they know how you’re feeling. Firstly, it gives you time to vent and unload all the troubling thoughts ruminating on your mind. Secondly, you’ll find that more often than not - everyone else is feeling the same way and there is some comfort in that.
People will understand, as there is a general consensus of panic and distress right now. Do what you need to do that will help you breathe normally again and declutter your brain.
Avoid the pitfall trap of pursuing “productivity” every day
This one really hit home for me. In this modern world we live in, many of us are obsessed with productivity. Everywhere you look, there are articles, video tutorials and countless other resources all focused on self-development for the perfect day routine/schedule or hacks to maximise efficiency on a day-to-day basis.
Even now, social media feeds are filled with things like “home workouts”, “productive things to do at home when you’re bored” and other unwarranted advice.
This time we are currently living in is an unconventional, unexpected circumstance that no one expected. No one thought we would be in self-isolation or countries would impose police-enforced nationwide lockdowns a month ago.
This is not normal. LET ME REPEAT - this is not normal.
So, why on earth are people - social media influencers, corporations, workspaces etc. - preaching this asinine idea of daily productivity?!
This is not a time to keep to the daily grind… Sure, that may seem like an efficient way to use one’s time during this crisis. Distractions are good. Sure, people will argue that this is the perfect opportunity to work towards your personal goals and achieve milestones with this “free time”. Sure, we need to overcome periods of adversity and not let it deter our morale completely.
But - this is a big “but” - don’t think you should keep to this schedule. Every. Single. Damn. Day. Don’t delude yourself because our general freedom of movement is limited and there is perpetual stress from the news about the coronavirus pandemic. Plus, we are confined to our homes and our daily routines and usual habits are distorted. Our mental health will quickly deteriorate and we will suffer for it if we continue to drive home in our heads the incessant noise of “productivity” and “efficiency”.
So, as a reminder (for myself and maybe others):
You don’t have to come out of this self- isolation with a summer body
You don’t have to come out of this self- isolation having read 20 + books
You don’t have to come out of this self- isolation with a 150% increase in work performance/pile of finished side projects
You don’t have to come out of this self- isolation with a new set of life skills
You don’t have to come out of this self- isolation as a culinary genius
I think it is important at this time to ease up on the work performance to take a “hard reset” for once and simply exist.
Reassess what you need and be considerate to others
I’ve never personally felt the need to hoard. To me, it doesn’t matter what situation we’re in - whether you have a big family, have older/vulnerable people in your household, live with a partner or alone, we need to look out for everyone.
Fuck this dumbass idea of “self-preservation”.
In equal measures, it is honestly disturbing and terrifying to see/read/hear about stories where household groceries and goods are being stockpiled by others at the expense of the less fortunate.
It got me thinking about how much I actually need as an individual - and honestly, it’s not a lot. No one actually needs such an excess amount of anything: whether it is canned goods, pasta, flour, hand wash/sanitiser - or even toilet paper.
There are people on welfare or who are in poor living situations because of this pandemic. Local businesses are temporarily closed, with most of them suffering from a huge financial crisis. Plus, there are many elderly and vulnerable people at risk around us.
Personally, I felt that we need to help out these types of people - they need compassion and support now more than ever. It is vital that people stick together in this critical period, so try help out in whatever way you can to the community around you. Support local businesses. Help charities who are trying to make a positive difference. Reach out to those who are at risk and need basic necessities.
My girlfriend and I decided on a simple task of baking food every other week (or on a needed basis) and donating it to a local charity helping food banks in our city. Also, I’ve donated some money to the National Emergencies Trust, to help those most affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. While these are only small gestures, it still makes a difference.
Just. Try. To. Help…
… Or. Ask. For. Help.
This is the end of Part 1, I hope you have enjoyed reading it so far. I’ll be posting the next half soon.
Amaan x