Quarantine Diaries
Isolation. Quarantine. Social distancing. Three terms we have become very familiar with and by now everyone must know their meaning, but let’s recap anyway. Isolation is when you’ve tested positive and you isolate yourself from others. When in quarantine you have been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with the virus and you wait to see if you have any symptoms. And the third and what I’ve come to know personally to be the most common is social distancing. Something every one of us can do to reduce the risk of transmission and flatten the curve.
As all of us have at least somewhat gotten used to this new situation by now and I wanted break it down a little. Not through the pages of an actual diary though, so I sincerely hope you didn’t come here for any hot goss. Plus, can there be any hot goss? As it is only eat, sleep, repeat at the moment. Didn’t think so. Anywho, here’s some of my thoughts and coping habits through this mess we call a life now. Also, my friends have been kind enough to share some of their thoughts with me and I’ll be sharing them with you!
The initial shock was the worst part for me. The first few days after the news about university closing were unreal to me. All the cancelled events and plans sounded like my whole fresher spring semester was being cancelled. Our beloved student organization anniversary dinner. Cancelled. National Meeting of English Students. Cancelled. Mayday. Probably cancelled? Okay, reinvented, which kind of feels like cancelled at the moment. The fact that I just made it into the board and not being able to actually do anything half the term didn’t sound like plans. And then there was the cancelled tutor adventure. What a shit show.
It felt surreal. It felt like I wanted to give up and pull the covers over my ears and stay in bed for the rest of the foreseeable future (if it even existed). Thankfully that passed in a day or two when I realized that normalcy is what I need. So, what did I do? I opened up my laptop and started doing assignments just like nothing had happened. This is kind of a funny story too, because I didn’t have internet at home as I initially. I had thought that I could work from the library (oh, foolish me), but then I got one just before the lockdown and I was all set for social distancing!
So, normalcy was the big thing that got me out of the dumps. Doing work like I used to, though I felt that something was still missing. Fortunately, the first impending Zoom lecture was getting closer and my friend and I did a test run on the app. Oh goodness me, we hit a goldmine. That first test we did with our cameras on, but now we just talk without video, and watch movies together or just tattle away with the most mundane of topics. We even did quizzes together for hours. And talking via computer is better than being on the phone, probably mostly because you don’t have to hold the phone to your ear the whole time.
Since this social distancing has been a very current topic, I’ve talked about this with several of my friends and family and I’ve gotten permission to retell their thoughts, too. One of my dear friends has been living abroad for a while now and their parents would have wanted nothing more than to them to come back as Finland has issued a request for everyone to come back. My friend is not abroad on exchange but for work, so they see no reason to come back. Where they live has become their home and they are there with their loved one, so together they are more than fine, and I support their decision.
Another dear friend shared me a different kind of secret for coping. They feel calmer when listening to a YouTube video form a café as background noise and it really is recorded in a café as at one point, or so I’ve heard, you can clearly hear the barista yelling for Ethan to pick up their coffee. I listened to that for less than a minute and it only made me feel anxious (who are these people whispering at my house), but we all have our own quirks. And I kind of get why they feel comfortable with the background noise as it reminds of those days working from a café.
Creating a schedule has also been in favor among friends and family. It creates the normalcy that might be desired during this unusual time. I’ve also created a shell of a schedule, because too strict won’t work with me. There are two things that are a must. I wake up at the same time (except on weekends) and I go for walks in the afternoon around two. Those are the things that are enough for me to have a routine around them and my day has a structure! Also, the simple things like airing out my room as soon as I wake up and then making my bed are the key. Though not all routines have to be big or anything special. I have ones that are very simple and small. Like the scrunchies I wear. I use different one for walks, for nighttime and one when I want to feel extra fancy!
But let’s get real for a second. Even though we have all this time to ourselves, you don’t have to do anything spectacular. You don’t have to reinvent yourself. You don’t have to master new skills. You don’t have to become the next bestselling author. You don’t have to do anything other than survive. This situation is new and outrageously different than any of us have ever experienced, let alone used to. This is a pandemic. Not a productivity contest. Therefore, it is okay to just breathe and survive. Because we will get through this, and we will survive.
