Day eighteen of social distancing and i could damn well be losing my mind. Who knew that staying in the house could be so excruciating? I can only imagine how difficult it must be for people living alone, or far from their loved ones. It is not an easy thing to do. But i like to think that it’s less about being indoors than it is about having our freedom and free will taken away. Nonetheless, I am grateful that I am able to distance myself through this unprecedented situation. I am even more grateful that i am back to writing. It has been a while.
Being this idle and stuck in one place can have many effects. For most of us, that means finally being alone with our own thoughts. That can be pretty scary for a number of people, especially those going through some mental and emotional turmoil. It can bring to light all the negative thoughts we have successfully managed to push to the back of our minds. In many ways, it is a time to reflect. Now, the mind is a powerful force; and how we use it and how we direct our thoughts can be the make or break in our lives.
A friend of mine sent me a list of how she is coping during this period. When you read carefully, you will notice that the things we choose to engage in now are a lot about exercising our minds and keeping ourselves preoccupied. We need strong minds.
On the other hand, being alone with our thoughts does not have to be such a bad thing. If anything, this whole situation brings a lot of things to perspective. It makes us think about and appreciate all the things we take for granted in life. Like being able to take a walk outside. Going to the market and taking your time to shop. Visiting your friends and family. Being able to go out and have a great night. Going for dinner or spending Saturday afternoon with your friends. Being able to hug your people. That time you could easily hop on a plane and go wherever you wanted. All of it seems so far fetched right now. And how tragic would it be if we came out of this completely unchanged? Unbothered? That we would go back to being who we were before all of this started. The same unkind, heartless, ungrateful people that we were. How unfortunate.
I have been at home since the first case was announced. I announced the suspension of my business shortly after, and i have had nothing but thoughts. There’s only so much screen time a person can have. I have resorted to music and reading. I think that is great progress. I am an avid reader. But for some time now, i would say that i have not been myself completely. I feel like i lost track at some point. But i now see myself falling back to the things that set my soul on fire. And while this entire situation is very unfortunate and painful for so many people, living in fear and uncertainty, i believe that it is the apt time to really reflect. Reflect on the path you have taken, the decisions you have made, the direction you want to take here on after. With the entire globe in recession at this point, i cannot help but feel like someone pressed the reset button. We have been going way too fast, that life seemed to pass us by.
Reflections.
Perspective.
If nothing else, I hope that this situation restores our humanity and reminds us that, indeed, life can flip one eighty on us at any given point. Let us work on being more purposeful and intentional about our lives, our actions, our relationships and everything in between.
Do have a great week ahead. Stay safe. Remember to practice high levels of hygiene. Make it a lifestyle.
Ps. I am so happy to be back!!!