Isolation. Reading the word alone is enough to make anyone feel distraught. Unfortunately, to contain this virus the world is currently waging war against, this is something we all have to endure in one form or another.
Lonely as it sounds, it really doesn’t have to be. It’s all a matter of perspective.
True, being cooped up isn’t as much fun as being outside with people. But there are things you can do to brighten up this period of isolation. You can:
Interact with people online. Just because we have to maintain a 2-meter distance from people physically doesn’t mean we can’t chat them up online. We’ve got smartphones, computers, and practically every household has some form of online access. Group video calls are the way to go.
Switch perspective. Instead of looking at this as a time of being alone and lonely, let’s think of it as me-time. So why don’t we make a list of the things we can do now that we have time. Working from home? Why don’t we enjoy the fact that we can actually work in our jammies?
Organize and redecorate. Let’s face it; this isolation thing has really given us more time. So why not change the way things look around us. Our room is messy, the desk is cluttered, the cabinet is busting at the seams—let’s clean up! Or maybe everything is clean and in order—then let’s rearrange things and give our space a new look.
Learn something new. There are tons of videos online that can teach you a thing or two. Now is the best time to try and learn new things. Maybe we can even learn how to make face masks.
Ask about other people. Let’s take our mind off of our situation and think about someone else’s. Maybe check-up on someone we haven’t spoken to or seen in a while. Spend some time catching up with them online. Everyone already accounted for? Then maybe we can challenge ourselves to find ways to help other people from where we are. Sometimes looking at it from someone else’s perspective makes us see our situation differently.
Take the time to breathe. We don’t have to fill every moment in isolation with some form of activity just so we don’t feel lonely. We can simply sit and enjoy the silence. Now would be a good time to develop the habit of meditation.
Exercise. Yes, this is nothing new; this is probably among the top three things that we get as a suggestion for what to do with extra time. But we have to admit it isn’t a bad one. If exercising alone sounds dreary, we can always organize a group exercise activity online.
These are but a few of the things we can do to make isolation more bearable. To list everything down would probably take up the entire prescribed isolation period.
How we react to this situation largely depends on the perspective we choose to take on it. We can choose to feel sorry for ourselves and wallow in loneliness. Or we can be grateful for this time to ISOLATE. Being in isolation, for now, doesn’t mean you have to be alone, but in times like these, it does mean being safe.
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