How to stay sane through quarantine
I know this social distancing/quarantining/Covid-19 avoidance has gotten many people facing boredom, demons, sweeping victories for technology, and unprecedented creativity. What I realized in light of this major societal shift is that for the past year, I have already been in my own social isolation. Let’s talk about the internal stuff and then my more technical tips.
Take the time to heal + grow. Going through a pregnancy single, and subsequently raising a baby home alone in my apartment during mat leave really set me up for social isolation. Those nights where baby is asleep and I’m having dinner alone, or when it’s raining and we can’t leave the house for any plans forced me to face and hear any thoughts I could possibly try to block out with distractions, and I had many. This period is truly a time for everyone to find their home base, to learn to meditate and do it with the intention of self growth verses for the ‘gram. A garden doesn’t grow until you pull out the weeds, so start weeding out the negativity/toxic people/insecurities in your life. If you haven’t been happy in general, now is the time to figure out why and to heal yourself. Speaking from someone who came from a very low place the same time last year, this quarantine is a chance to access peace from within during this time of chaos.
Zoom calls and working from home? I’ve been doing that since 2018. My job is solely WFH, I had Zoom Pro before the upgrade where you can change the background, and I never got to see my coworkers in person. It helped for me to force myself to wake up at the same time daily and to actually do my makeup. I did it just so I can see myself glow on the webcam lol. And don’t try to be a hero, just have as much caffeine as you need to not fall asleep through calls while you’re on your couch. Set yourself up for success with lots of snacks, you won’t want to move away from your station if you’ve got things to munch on regularly.
Having to see your friends less can be tough. When I left downtown Toronto and moved back home to my parents’ in Vancouver suburbs for a bit, and stopped drinking while I was pregnant, I definitely felt isolated from the social life I was used to. This is your opportunity to get closer with family. Check in on them, cook for them, bond with your siblings and pets. Of course, all this unprecedented, newfound time back at home presented its own challenges regarding boundaries, space, and discovery of major shifts in values since my growth as a person. You will be forced to enter communication mode with family, perhaps more uncomfortably than you’ve ever had to, or you just learn to hide in your room- nothing like returning to my high school lifestyle. I also took it upon myself to go on a million walks with my dog, and journey through trails. Do this at your own discretion, and based on the feasibility of your surroundings.
With all this said, I do hope we see an end to this crisis soon. It’s an odd time for extroverts like me but if you learn to be your own best friend, I promise it is time that you will value most further down the road.