A few weeks ago, I deactivated my Facebook account. The world news was so upsetting that I had to limit my exposure, and I was finding Facebook overwhelming.
The day after deactivating Facebook, I went out to dinner with some friends for the last time before completely isolating myself. I also walked around a downtown area and bought a pair of four-leaf-clover earrings and a tiny bottle of CBD oil. Little did I know that would be my last “night out” for several months.
I am still limiting my exposure to world news. Every company that I’ve ever done business with has sent me an email that I’ve deleted without reading. I’ve stopped listening to 5 of my 6 favorite podcasts; now I only listen to Wow in the World, a children’s science podcast. Work emails keep coming at me about the “topic at hand.” There’s also those mandatory work Zoom calls that I exit with such bad anxiety that I can’t sleep, or even eat. I’ve lost about 7 pounds in the first week of working from home, from stress alone.
To stay connected, I’ve begun reaching out to old friends, maybe 3 or 4 a day, as I think about them. In doing this, I learned that one friend died recently (how could I not know!) He was a great friend when I was 22. We had so much fun! And as I was mourning his death, bad news just kept coming at me!
But I think I’m starting to feel better. To get my mind on different things, I have signed up for a few online classes: Urban Survival, Birdwatching, and Making a Nature Journal. I write and doodle in my bullet journal. Romeo and Juliet has been downloaded onto my Kindle, and I’ve attempted to read it. I’ve biked and hiked and gone running on the greenway, and I’ve done yardwork. I’ve avoided television; especially the news.
We worry 24/7 about this pandemic, but all I’ve contracted so far is debilitatingly OCD! I wash my hands twice before I wash, peel, and wash a carrot. Then I rinse off a plate, put the carrot on the plate, and wash my hands again before eating the carrot. I need to buy more hand cream – if your hands show your age, I’m now 80-years-old!
The trick to getting through this crisis is thinking about other things. We already know a bunch of people are going to die, and it sucks. Let’s find a new topic, people! Here is something you can think about: what is the first thing you’re going to do once the quarantine ends? I want to eat a huge slice of chocolate cake with friends. Your turn, Go!