For the past 14 days myself, my mum, and dad have been self isolating at our home avoiding all contact with the outside world (aside from essential shopping / pharmacy trips). It’s been a very strange time for everyone with news broadcasts seeming like something out of a zombie apocalypse film.
At the early stages of this global pandemic, I had no idea just how severe and scary it would become for us all. Seeing scenes of fully grown adults arguing in the supermarkets, fighting over toilet paper and hand sanitiser, none of it felt real.
As an extremely anxious 21 year old, I’ve found myself surprisingly calm whilst a lot of the population depends into panic and chaos. I think this is because as those who suffer with anxiety will know, every day feels like a disaster is waiting to happen. It’s as if the world is going to end every single day, so a pandemic like this provides a realistic scenario for me to worry about rather than imaginary ones in my head.
These past couple of weeks to myself have taught me so much already. I had no idea how I was going to cope inside my house for 2 weeks away from my job, my university, my fiancé, my family and friends etc, but here I am doing it without any complaints.
1. A routine is essential - the temptation to stay in bed all day everyday binge watching Netflix is real, but I still have university deadlines and a job to do. Getting up early every day at the same time and creating a schedule and really sticking to it has given me so much structure and clarity. I’ve found myself being far more productive than usual now I’m in control of all my time, and even hitting deadlines days and weeks earlier than necessary.
2. I love spending time with my parents - Usually with all of our lives being so busy with work and education and everyday life, we don’t get to spend a great deal of time together that involves having family time. The past 2 weeks have been filled with watching great films, going on walks, board games, laughter, happiness and love. Even after this lockdown is over I plan to introduce weekly game nights as part of our routine.
3. Physical distance not social distance - despite the term, I’ve never been more socially connected to my family and friends before. Theres much more of a conscious effort on all parts to pick up the phone and have a conversation. I’m in many group chats with different family members and friends, aside from the constant memes and funny videos, the meaningful conversations being had are priceless.
4. Gratitude - I write a list every single day of what I’m grateful for, but since being isolated, the switch has been flipped and I have a new found appreciation for every single thing. When you’re limited in so many things you can’t do anymore it really makes you think of everything you took for granted. Such as, going on a bus, being outside with more than 2 people, hugs, going to work, driving lessons, working in the library, getting a coffee in a cafe, just the normality of day to day life, being surrounded by people.
5. It’s okay to slow down - We’re all living in such a fast paced society and like many others, I’m guilty of rarely taking break and trying to do too many things at once. It’s easy to feel like you’re never doing enough or not working hard enough in such a climate where everyone’s always hustling and working on projects. It’s perfectly fine to slow it down and work at a pace that suits you. Taking a break and prioritising you is key to being successful in every other aspect of life.
6. Our NHS and other key workers are incredible - I have family and friends who work for the NHS and are key workers. While I have always appreciated the great work they and their colleagues do on a daily basis, seeing how much they are doing at this time and how valuable they are really makes you appreciate what we have.
7. Everything is temporary - life is so short. Nothing is certain in this world other than the fact that we have been given this one life which has an expiry date that is unknown. This is something I don’t think I really understood until the end of last year. But given the current circumstances, watching the heartbreaking figures of this virus taking lives rise so quickly, it really makes you think about what is important. I have made so many changes in my life in the past few months, and this entire situation has changed my perspective and even my path in life. I hope that from all of this suffering, we can at least learn from it and come together as one giant community.
I hope everyone is staying safe at these unprecedented times, and I hope everyone is isolating and staying indoors with their loved ones if possible. I am not necessarily religious or spiritual, but I hope every day that there is a higher power somewhere that will put an end to this pandemic and heal everyone and their families who have been affected.
