A month ago I had no idea we would all be living in this new somewhat surreal reality. I knew it was only a matter of time before the coronavirus wreaking havoc in China and Italy made its way to our shores. I did not realize just how bad it would be; I don't know that any of us did.
Admittedly, I'm an introvert, so social distancing is my norm. My husband and I began limiting how much we left the house three weeks ago. Now that we have a month or so of it still to go I'm getting a bit twitchy. I miss being able to eat out. Even though I took over primary responsibility for cooking after I retired last year, meal planning is still not my forte. Non-stop meal planning for the foreseeable future? Ugh.
As most anxiety sufferers will attest, anxieties and long-term stress don't mix well. It also doesn't matter how logical the anxiety sufferer is, anxiety itself is not logical. Even though my anxieties are generally well-controlled, I really struggled for a while. When mine were at their worst a couple of weeks ago, I didn't want to eat. Why? Because eating would mean using our supplies and using supplies meant going to the store to restock and the thought of shopping was almost enough to make me hyperventilate. As I said, not logical.
In order to help put my anxieties at ease, we have changed the way we shop. I am now placing orders for groceries and other supplies online and picking them up at the store thereby negating the need to mingle with crowds of people. I know some people have been doing this for ages but it's new to me - it's also wonderful.
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Image courtesy of depositphotos.com
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However, as of April 1st, COVID-19 is no longer just a faceless specter. It is now wearing the face of my youngest son. My son contacted my husband when he left work on the 1st stating "I think I have it." Once he got home he took a picture of the thermometer - his temp was 102.5 F. I sent him the number of a coronavirus hotline. The hotline told him that he was one symptom away from testing by a mobile unit and to call back if he developed a cough/shortness of breath - and that, effective immediately, he must quarantine himself for 14 days. As of today (April 2nd), he has the cough/shortness of breath and the complete lethargy other sufferers have described. I'm in full mama bear mode. I want to load my car with soup and Gatorade and go see my son, but I can't. In short, this sucks.
These are difficult times and they are going to get worse before they get better. However, they will get better. In the meantime, we need to be kind to each other and love on each other - from a distance of course. Call/text friends, share funny memes, and take time away from the news/social media. Staying connected 24/7 won't change anything except you - and honestly, not for the better.
How are you doing? What are you doing to keep yourself sane during social distancing?
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