CoVid-19 vs. Writer’s Isolation

• September 13, 2020
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Humans are the weirdest creatures in the universe. We like to state that we are creatures based on habits, but the current corona situation is proving that wrong, at least in my case. I have been working full-time from my home office for 10 years now, so I am 100% accustomed to home isolation as a home office/internet based business professional since 2009 and a writer for publication since the 1990’s…or so I thought. When Corona came along, I told my husband that staying at home was a piece of cake for me as my life would remain almost unchanged; but I felt that he would have a really hard time adjusting. Well I was right, he is having a hard time working and staying at home, but to my surprise, I am doing worse than he is! To all full-time writers and professionals used to working from home who are having the same hard time that I am I say: You are not alone! You are not crazy! COVID-19 isolation is different than your regular writers isolated lives! Below are some ways they are different and how to get through them:

·        The main thing is that staying at home on Corona Isolation is not up to us entirely. There are horrible consequences of going out and so most of us whether mandated or not feel obligated to stay at home. This means that we are not partaking of our usual outings whether it is to the library, hairdresser, gym…etc. Even small outings in our isolated writing lives gave us a sense of belonging within our communities, so sacrificing those times does impact our lifestyles. To compensate this, try to keep the activity within your home. For example, write in a different spot of your house sporadically like on your back porch/balcony, kitchen table, your couch…etc.

·         If you are used to working out at the gym, keep working out but enrich your routine by combining walking around the block and then yoga in your back yard/balcony, or a video class followed with some free weights/pull ups or a machine (if you have one).

·        Can’t go to the hairdresser? DON’T CUT YOUR HAIR YOURSELF! Unless you are okay with the endless possible results. Instead, treat your hair with some coconut oil bath, or whatever other kitchen product solutions you can find on a Pinterest search. Or give your yourself a facial with some oatmeal and water for a homemade mask.

·        Create a new routine and stick with it, include your home buddies in some of them if you have them. My major problem is that I have my husband at home 24/7 for the first time in 30 years, so now we are creating different routines together and separately, something we had not done since the newlywed times!

Listen, most if not all of us have ever gone through what we are going through now. There is no escape as it is happening worldwide, but that doesn’t mean that we must let ourselves go into despair and disregard our lives and ambitions. On the contrary, we have to see this isolation as an opportunity to finally look inward of ourselves, inward of our work, inward of our beliefs, our relationships, and our lifestyles, and grow by stepping up to the plate and being kind to one another, building community, learning to adapt to survive change, and learning to conserve and sustain what we need to live whether it is our food pantry, the community food bank, or our planet. It is time to take inventory of who we have been until now and who we want to be after this. This is the time to finish what you’ve never have time to finish in your writing. It is the time to say what you never dared to say, to tell your loved ones you love them even from afar. Don’t miss out on what you can do by despairing for what you can’t do right now. I hope you all stay healthy, safe and kind.