Positivity in the time of pandemic

A few days ago, on one of the first days of social distancing, I saw a quote on Instagram (from the user @drcarolineleaf) that read, “When the Great Plague of London was going around in 1665, Cambridge University shut down and Isaac Newton was forced to stay home. During this time, he invented calculus, parts of optic theory and allegedly, while sitting in his garden, he saw an apple fall from a tree that inspired his understanding of gravity and the laws of motion.”

I liked the positivity and energy of that thought (no pressure intended – we aren’t all going to win Nobel Prizes for what we do in this quarantined time. And that’s okay).

We are living through a time in history that is not only extremely frightening, but also full of unknowns. In a blizzard or other natural disaster, we know the drill. We stock up on food in a reasonable way, greet neighbors at the food store who are also grabbing an extra loaf of bread or a little more milk, and make small talk about how we’ll spend the next two days before the snow ends or the floods cease. Our only rule is that we shouldn’t drive anywhere far.

In times of war, we’ve had lessons on what to do and how to take shelter, and we knew that each passing day without incident was good news. We were allowed to stay as close together as possible.

Today, we’re still learning the rules, and they feel uncomfortable and mismatched. We are told that the grocery store is risky, but we’re allowed be outside in the fresh air if we want. We can’t be within six feet of each other, and we can’t go to work, but we can get fast food at drive-thru restaurants. We’re stuck inside, but when we look out the window, the outside world looks the same as it always has.

While none of us are experts on how to wander through this new reality, I’ve already learned a few things.

One, social distancing is hard, even when you’re an introvert. Don’t be hard on yourself for feeling unsettled. Reach out and call your family, friend, or neighbor. Video chats really help.

Two, embrace the slowness. I’m guilty of mentally double-checking my to-do list before I even open my eyes in the morning, but these days, I realized I don’t have to. And neither do you. (Maybe we never had to do that at all?)

Three, I’m trying to stay informed but take breaks. Knowing what times of the day I will check the news can stop me from living in it 24/7. Listening to news on the radio is sometimes less stressful, too, since I’m not faced with visuals that I might not want to consume.

Four, I am giving myself things to look forward to. We don’t know when this season will end, but we can anticipate other joys instead. I planned a “coffee” date with a friend over the phone. You could plan to make a fun dinner. Set a goal to finish a book, a project, or a puzzle. We can’t guarantee when life will go back to normal, but we can give ourselves (and others!) something to look forward to in the coming days. What kind of person do you want to be when the quarantine is over?

To clarify, we might not make groundbreaking discoveries while in isolation, like Isaac Newton did. But something positive can come from quarantine, whether it’s a creative victory or just the knowledge that rest is for the strong, too.

Also, if you’re feeling like you need some extra human contact during this season, reach out! My inbox is always open.

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