It’s now been a few weeks since we have all been in quarantine. The “work from home” thing hasn’t really affected me as I have been doing that for well over a year now. But the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak are being felt in different ways. I decided that today I would write down a bit of how I have been feeling.
I vented on Facebook the other day about some of the negativity I’ve been seeing on social media. Facebook has been a great resource to stay connected to friends and family, but it has also brought out the nasty in some people. So-called “friends” who clearly have too much time on their hands are posting long diatribes on Facebook about how others aren’t doing what they should. Yelling and screaming (via CAPS) about how people need to “STAY HOME!” while having no idea around why someone might need to be out.
Let me get this out right now. Shut your mouth and mind your own business. Your judgmental attitude about those around you does not make you a better person. All it does is show how much of an asshole you really are.
Just because someone is out in their car does not mean that they are breaking the rules about being out and about. Do you know them personally? Are they on their way to/from work? Maybe they haven’t left their house in a week and are doing their only grocery run for weeks that day. Are they were bringing food to their elderly parents who haven’t left their home in weeks?
Or maybe they’re like me and just need to get out of the house to feel sane. So, they get in their car, go for a drive, never roll down their windows or stop anywhere, and then come home while never coming near another person.
The hate. The anger. The ranting and raving. The virtual shaking of your fists in the air. Is spreading of that negative emotion through Facebook somehow helping you get through this? If it is, then may I suggest taking it somewhere else.
Sure, we all need to find our own way to deal with the situation, but the constant barrage of negativity does more harm than good.
As time has passed and I see myself pushing towards the “late 40s” part of my life, I’ve found myself steering away from all things negative. Sure, bad stuff happens all the time, but at this point in my journey, I’d rather spend time and energy on the good than bad. It can be hard as there is a lot of negativity in the world, especially online. At the end of the day, I’d rather feel good about something than bad.
So how am I dealing with the quarantine? Most days are good. I have my low points here and there but by far and large I would like to think that I am coping as well as can be expected.
I live on a street that loops around so I’ll do a few laps around the block from time to time to get out. If anyone else is walking the same route, I stay double the recommended distance away from them. But by far and large, my best coping mechanism has been driving. I get in the car and drive. I don’t go anywhere specific, but I just drive around aimlessly, usually in rural areas, just to get away from house. Driving has always soothed me, so it certainly has helped in this situation.
The kids miss their friends, as do I miss mine. Not being able to visit a friend’s house or go out to the club to see my friends there has been difficult at times. But I put my focus on family and those closest to me and that’s helping me get through it all.
When I think about the changes I have had to make, I think the hardest part has been both eating out and resisting the urge to “stop and get something”. Whether it’s the corner store or a supermarket, it’s so common for me to just pick up snacks or something at a store and not think anything of it. Now I am always asking myself “do I really need to stop?”
I am however hopeful that we will see the quarantine lifted sooner rather than later. There’s no way to know for sure, but I’d rather be optimistic than assume this is what life looks like moving forward.
