Social isolation sounds like something bad by definition. Benefitting from it may come across as a quirky idea.
But isolating ourselves as much as we can seems to be the most responsible decision we can make now. If we choose to do it, we may as well try to find upsides to it.
Yesterday, I heard the most inspiring story. A woman turned the coronavirus threat into a precious moment with her family. She has 12-year old twins at home who are obsessed with video games. This obsession makes it hard for their mom to connect with them and do things together.
As the virus became more prevalent in the UK where she lives, the woman wanted to buy hand sanitizer. Unfortunately, all the local shops were out of stock. So she decided to take her two boys to town and go on a quest — much like in the video games they play.
The quest was to find the hand sanitizer.
After a couple of hours of what felt like a treasure hunt, the boys found it. The woman said that the joy on their faces and the fun they had together was extraordinary. They’ve never had such a bonding experience before.
Inspired by this story, I started thinking of what the isolation period may mean for my writing.
By default, a lot of things that used to distract me are now disappearing. I have all the reasons to stay at home and work on the projects I couldn’t find the time for.
When public venues are being closed and events are being called off, it’s time to focus on other things. Maybe it means spending more time with your family. Maybe it means focusing on a passion project you’ve been postponing.
Whatever it is, make sure to ask yourself the question: How can I find something positive in this situation?
To say I’m grateful for the coronavirus would be a bit far-fetched. I do experience anxiety and uncertainty these days. I think it’s only natural given the situation we’re in.
At the same time, I realize that this anxiety doesn’t have to define my experience. This time is better than ever to practise mindfulness, take care of myself and feel that I’m an interconnected part of life on this planet. This is what I’m planning to focus on.
Sure, nobody knows what will happen tomorrow. But we can take this truth in at least two different ways.
One is to panic and project catastrophic scenarios. This doesn’t help anyone.
The second and more beneficial one is to take care of what you can control. Appreciate that right now, you’re okay. You can find ways to take care of yourself and others. You can look for opportunity in this situation, rather than just concentrating on the threat.
The coronavirus may be the most precious reminder we ever had. We are all in this together and we should be kind and caring towards ourselves and others.
There’s no better time to reinforce this message than right now.
© Marta
