The reaction to Covid-19 has been all over the map. And I’m not talking about the medical reaction or the political reaction in this case. I mean the reaction by individuals who are forced to self-isolate in an attempt to slow the spread. There has been the panic, of course. The pain and the angst. All of that was to be expected. The freaking out was to be expected. As was the frantic hoarding followed by the confused, “Well, what now?” This seems to be the main reaction, and I want to stress that it’s an appropriate one. However, it’s not the only reaction, and I want to talk about the ones that aren’t as prevalent.
What is my reaction to the whole situation? It’s a mixture. For most of the day, I’m experiencing low-level anxiety. Quite frankly, it’s not much different than how I feel most of the time. I saw someone online mention this as well, how she was feeling pretty much the same thing she always felt. Hey, depression is not good for much, so if there’s a silver lining, I consider it a plus. My sleep is more fucked up than usual, but I’m used to that, too. I’m not freaking out, and I’m actively trying to not take in too much information because I know I’m already on overload.
I’ve made the decision to do my grocery shopping online, so I will not be going out for the foreseeable future except to get my meds. In addition, I already had pretty limited social interaction before the call to self-isolate. I’ve been washing my hands so much, the skin hurts. Everything that I order sits in my garage for at least three days (except perishables, of course), and I’ve taken to saying that’s where they live now. I’ve interacted with people twice in the last two weeks other than a wave and a smile from afar to the neighbors as they walk by my house. In other words, my chance of infection is pretty low. I’ve even told my brother not to come inside when he stops by to drop off some masks.
By the way, it’s really frustrating me that my mom and brother are fixated on masks. Specifically, me wearing a mask. I’m not saying you shouldn’t wear a mask. even with all the conflicting information out there, it can’t hurt as long as you follow other best practices. However, I am not going out any longer. Even when I was while this was all going on, I was out for maybe twenty minutes once a week to grocery shop. I kept my distance and covered my with the sleeves of my hoodie. Washing my hands up to twenty times a day. My brother, on the other hand, was still doing his regular business every day for the first two weeks, and even now, he still has some contact with people. Apparently, being a realtor falls under essential business, which is weird. I mean, yes, people need homes, but this is not really the time to be moving. Anyway, he had a closing the other day, and he’s still running sound for his (empty) church so they can stream on Sundays.
