COVID-19 and Isolationism
Well, we are all smack-dab in the middle of isolationism. For many people, this is more horrifying than the prospect of contracting a deadly virus. We spend so much of our lives relating to others that we often forget ourselves. We often undervalue our own self as a companion. After all, if we don’t enjoy spending time with our own self, how can we functionally interact with anyone else? |
One of my favorite things about driving tow truck - particularly, running impounds - was the isolation. When your towing work is primarily impounds, you rarely have anyone in the truck with you. You can go through an entire shift without interacting with another person directly. The dispatcher sends you on the call, you impound the car, you call it in to the municipality, and you move on to your next call. If you do have direct interaction with other people, it is limited - or you can limit it. I tried to limit interaction with my co-workers as much as possible. I worked swing shift, and my MO was to show up, get my stuff, prep my truck, and leave. We had a small office trailer where the dispatcher worked, and where the drivers could hang out and eat or drink some coffee, and it was a rather depressing locale, so I avoided it generally. One day one of my co-workers ambushed me as I was prepping my truck and asked me why I never said hi to him when I came to work. I callously told him it was because I didn’t like him. That didn’t help my work reputation.
I find isolation very comforting. I do not particularly like living alone. Having no one to share things with is emotionally challenging. Eating meals alone, every day, leads to unfortunate habits, such as not using plates or utensils. It can make tidying up seem pointless. Really, though, this is part of my point. YOU are worth tidying up for. If your house or apartment only looks clean when company is coming over, what does that say about how you value yourself.
In this time of self-quarantine and lockdown, use the opportunity to treat yourself better. Make yourself, and your loved ones, if you are lucky enough to be isolated with family or close friends, delicious, well-managed meals. Set and follow a low-tech workout. I like to run at the local middle school track, so I have not had to change my physical fitness routine at all. My son works part-time at a health club, where he does personal training, and he has moved all of his sessions online. Going to a health club has all sorts of benefits, but disciplining yourself enough to maintain a home workout regimen is a real accomplishment. Your body will notice that you are working hard at the relationship between the two of you.
We have so many options for entertainment, although we might have to take a chance on an indie movie we’re not sure about. I recommend a return to reading, if you have gotten away from it. And I do not mean social media posts. If you do not have books in your home, you can find them online, and read them right on your laptop, if you don’t have a tablet or kindle.
For social interaction, how about games, or a puzzle, if you have cellmates? Give someone a ring on Facetime or a similar app, if you’re alone.
If we all come out of this feeling better about ourselves, treating ourselves better, maybe we’ll treat others better. Maybe we’ll treat the world better. Maybe we’ll appreciate the beauty of life just a little bit more.
Nick Kemper
I find isolation very comforting. I do not particularly like living alone. Having no one to share things with is emotionally challenging. Eating meals alone, every day, leads to unfortunate habits, such as not using plates or utensils. It can make tidying up seem pointless. Really, though, this is part of my point. YOU are worth tidying up for. If your house or apartment only looks clean when company is coming over, what does that say about how you value yourself.
In this time of self-quarantine and lockdown, use the opportunity to treat yourself better. Make yourself, and your loved ones, if you are lucky enough to be isolated with family or close friends, delicious, well-managed meals. Set and follow a low-tech workout. I like to run at the local middle school track, so I have not had to change my physical fitness routine at all. My son works part-time at a health club, where he does personal training, and he has moved all of his sessions online. Going to a health club has all sorts of benefits, but disciplining yourself enough to maintain a home workout regimen is a real accomplishment. Your body will notice that you are working hard at the relationship between the two of you.
We have so many options for entertainment, although we might have to take a chance on an indie movie we’re not sure about. I recommend a return to reading, if you have gotten away from it. And I do not mean social media posts. If you do not have books in your home, you can find them online, and read them right on your laptop, if you don’t have a tablet or kindle.
For social interaction, how about games, or a puzzle, if you have cellmates? Give someone a ring on Facetime or a similar app, if you’re alone.
If we all come out of this feeling better about ourselves, treating ourselves better, maybe we’ll treat others better. Maybe we’ll treat the world better. Maybe we’ll appreciate the beauty of life just a little bit more.
Nick Kemper