Staying in is the new going out
Spring holidays cancelled. The office moved to your living-room. Schools are closed. Universities moved their courses online. No more coffee dates with friends or dinner in your favourite restaurant. Even the concert you’ve been looking forward to for months is now cancelled. And trips to the supermarket have become quite surreal experiences. Welcome to life in #coronavirus times.
Although we’ve been through different types of crises in the past years (financial crisis, terrorist attacks, volcano eruptions or tsunamis) this is quite a new experience for most (if not all) of us. Even though we could literally see it coming for the past two months, we preferred to stay hopeful (naively so), rejecting doomsday scenarios. But in the past days we’ve seen our lives increasingly disrupted and it’s becoming clear this situation is here to stay for a while. There is a lot to worry about and there is a lot to be sad about. The feeling of uncertainty can be paralysing in itself. But if we are lucky to be healthy and we find ourselves home-bound for the next weeks, perhaps it’s worth trying to look at things from a different perspective?
Remember all those things you’ve been putting off for so long because work was too demanding or going on that exotic vacation was far more interesting? It can be small things like sorting out photos and making a photo book, listening to an album you love from beginning to end or trying out that recipe that seemed a bit too complex for your busy everyday life. Or it can be things that are long overdue, like spring cleaning or de-cluttering your wardrobe. And when all those things are done, how about getting back to an old hobby or trying a new one? Knitting, jewellery making, photography, origami…just a few ideas of things that keep you focused the present moment. Or if you want to escape, immerse yourself in a good book or read all those magazines you’ve been piling up and never really had time to read. If you are lucky to have a balcony, a garden or even some indoor plants, spend some time taking care of them, it will fill you up with positive energy, especially now as spring is in the air.
What I found comforting about this whole situation so far is that everyone, wherever they are, is in the same situation. They are home too. And they also don’t know for how long. Funnily enough, I got to connect with my friends these days more than I would normally do (thank god for technology!). And while this situation is by no means ideal, I try to think of all the positives and hope I can put the next weeks to good use. After all, we don’t often get the luxury to “pause” the crazy everyday rhythm and actually be with ourselves and with our dear ones (near or far). Who knows, by the time all this is over, we might have discovered a new source of well-being that is not dependent on outside stimuli but on our own state of mind. And that’s something worth holding on to.
In the meantime stay healthy, connected, mindful and creative. And remember, staying in is the new going out!
