Well I guess that depends doesn’t it. Isolation in these days of COVID-19 will look and feel different for everyone, depending on their circumstances. Here in Adelaide, Australia I think we should count ourselves as pretty damn lucky. Lucky you ask yourself, how so? Well first all we have space. Having personal space is a luxury that other places around the world just don’t have. High density housing, millions of people in one city, public transport systems bursting at the seams, communal facilities/amenities and so on are the norm in many cities and countries. So while you’re sitting in your home, looking out at your backyard, or even courtyard I believe you should feel at least a little bit of gratitude.
If you are not an “essential worker” (if you are working you are essential!) you are now isolating and staying at home. Leaving your home only for the essentials and to get a little exercise. Now what? Social media has basically exploded with content and staying safe at home means we now have even more time for scrolling. There’s all the news reports and media releases that you can get bogged down with if you let yourself and then there’s the advice. There’s so much advice and inspiration out there for what to do with your time that it can almost be overwhelming.
Get healthy, set up a “schooling at home” station, do X,Y and Z with your kids, scrap that let the kids chill-out, cook this masterpiece without all the cupboard staples, spend money to support local business, 28-Day workout plans, read, relaxation techniques to get you through these troubles times, set up a day spa at home, protect your mental health, buy this you definitely need it!
I’m sure I’ve missed some.
Photo by Cristian Dina from Pexels
I’m not saying these ideas are bad, they’re all pretty good actually and we do need to keep ourselves happy and healthy while either in isolation or lock down. But it would be unwise to assume that some people aren’t going to end up feeling like they are “doing it wrong” or are “failing” if their experience isn’t reflecting all this advice.
So here’s my suggestion, take it or leave it. Be kind to yourself. Focus on the stuff that makes you happy. Leave the stuff that doesn’t. Simple.
With that in mind, isolation in my house is hopefully going to look something like the following.
We will have pajama days because they are fun, but a pajama day isn’t going to turn into a pajama marathon. I personally need the routine of getting a shower, getting dressed and doing my hair for my own healthy state of mind. Too many pajama days leave me feeling flat and unmotivated. You can do a week long pajama party? Great! Enjoy!
We will be in the kitchen cooking and baking because that’s what we like to do. We will cook our favourites and experiment with new flavours after watching Jamie Oliver or another chef we like or after looking through our recipe books. We will bake. We will eat the cake because cake is delicious!
We will also eat MacDonald’s and order pizza and I will enjoy whatever other take-away I fancy. Because, just because.
We will join in on group exercises that our friends have organised and we get into some Cosmic Yoga. Not every day, but on the days that suit us. It’s something fun we can do together and it keeps us moving. It leaves us feeling good afterwards and feeling good is awesome!
We will enjoy our Easter in isolation. It will be different but that’s okay. We will open our gifts sent by post or dropped off from our grandparents and then Facetime to say thank you. We will chat and laugh and we will say we miss you!
We will cuddle up on the couch and watch some movies.
There will be fights. There will be arguments. There will days that we get on each others nerves. We are a family and that happens, but we love each other so we’ll get over it and end everyday with a hug and a kiss.
We will go for a walk locally. To stretch our legs and have a change of scenery. It’s good to get out and get some fresh air, as long as we are doing it responsibly. Some of us will enjoy this more than others (no Master E is not always a fan of going for a walk if it doesn’t include the beach and getting wet).
We will have days where we do some science experiments from our Disgusting Science kit, or build paper planes or build our Solar System kit. We will play outside and run and jump and ride. There will be other days when we watch Netflix and play video games with absolutely no educational learning to be had.
We might set up the tent in the backyard and have a sleep-out. We might not.
We will get on the tablet and do our learning from home and try our very best. There will be good days and there will be days that are tough. We will get through them with patience.
Losing my patience is bound to happen. I might feel guilty about that but I’m going to do my very best not to dwell on it. Every day will be a new day.
Thing is, this is new for all of us. We are living in a time that will be remembered historically, that will be recorded and looked back on for generations to come. We will all have our memories of what we did, what it meant for us, how it changed our lives. It will be different for everyone. The things that bring us together in this uncertain time are the choices we can make collectively to get through this pandemic. Excellent hygiene – WASH YOUR HANDS, social distancing, isolating, quarantining and ensuring the most vulnerable in our communities are safe and have essentials. Looking out for others is just so important right now, making sure you are looking after yourself so you can continue to do so is vital too.
I guess my message is look after yourself and your household without putting the pressure on to be perfect. Remember that we’re in this together (1.5 meters apart and in no groups larger than 2 people).
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