The Isolated Life

No matter where we are in this planet, we have all been forced to stay at home. Willingly or unwillingly, we have now spent weeks getting familiar with the four walls of our house. Cleaning, cooking, sleeping, watching tv and getting bored has become the routine but in the back of our minds, there a looming question of how life is going to be when these lockdowns are over.

Covid-19 has flipped our lives inside out. At least, it has mine. During this time of rest, I’ve had so much time to think and reflect. I will admit that the first few days of watching the news was terrifying. What is this Corona Virus? Where did it come from? Should I care? And why should I stay inside? were all questions I asked, but the happy side of this is, I get to stay home, not waste precious three hours of my day in traffic, enjoy my tea and use all that extra time to complete projects that I have kept pending.

Watching the news was scary but hearing the stories of how people were suffering was even worse. So I did what I naturally do, reached out to people and asked them how they were doing. If at this time, there is anything that we are seeing in all humanity, it is the strife to unite with all who we truly care about.

The war we are at is with an invisible enemy that could possibly affect our body but before most of us could even test for this virus, many of us have been attacked by fear. So before declaring that we are at war to contain the virus, it’s safe to say that we are at war with fear. Along with this fear, for some people came overthinking and physical manifestations of that fear. Real people who needed treatment on a daily basis could not access them as they would before. Pregnant mothers, dialysis patients and therapy goers all freaked out but on an everyday scale, so were the mothers, babysitters, maids and teachers. How are we going to teach our children and keep them engaged? they asked and, doctors, physicians and nurses unable to see their family due to long shifts at the hospital. No matter what profession, people were frazzled.

The biggest threat to all of us to achieving that calm was misinformation or lack of information. WhatsApp messages and facebook posts spreading like wildfire, twitter criticizing and twisting politics for personal benefit, grandparents freaking out for their life–ALL TOO OVERWHELMING!

If there is one thing I have learned, it is to practice self control. The control to stop watching the news, give up listening to conspiracy theory podcasts and to take time to enjoy the sun while sipping a cup of tea. To keep the creative juices flowing, it is necessary to keep the mind open and shut out all these empty noises. Instead, resting to observe the goodness around is so important. When I learned to rest, what came out of that was critical thinking. Critical thinking in areas of faith, business, health, tech, government and so much more. Out of all this, the most important need I had and received, was peace. The calm and the quiet that told me that everything will be alright.

Out of this time, has already come beautiful things. Deeper friendships as I spend time on them. Reflection on my weaknesses and building myself into being better. Polishing and sharpening the skills that I invested time in long ago. I’ve noticed lower stress levels and better eating habits. I’ve taken time to renew my mind and heart by working on my emotions and my faith. I’ve learned that I am not perfect and there is far more to go but I have also realized that when I can critically think and improve myself, then I visibly become a better soul.

I’ve learned to shut up, shutout and focus on only what I need to do. Take in the calm, be thankful for what I have and keep working. Until it is declared that I am free to roam, I will exercise my freedom inside these four walls. That is my duty as a citizen, a daughter and a friend.

If this time is propelling fear in your mind, take action on physically shutting down all the voices that cause fear. This time is a gift in many ways, so enjoy it while it lasts. For tomorrow, we are going to become busy and have different battles to fight.