Dealing with Quarantine (from an actual expert)
Todayās post is for people who are having their first taste of isolation or quarantine and are feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Thereās a lot of these going around, and although they can be useful (I have no idea about specific Corona-based medical practise or finance) they seem to be written by people who are generally out and about in the world.
No offence, but what you really need is a Professional. You needā¦ A HOUSEBOUND PERSON!
And thatās where I come in.
For those of you that are new here, I have a condition where, amongst other things, my body doesnāt create energy like it should. My mitochondria are all messed up, so, as you can imagine, that has an impact onā¦ everything.
I am too exhausted to leave the house, or sometimes my bed. So Iāve been cared for by my lovely family for seven and a half years, and have been housebound for the last five and a half.
By now, Iām an old hand at this, so Iāll be able to help you out with some of the lesser known issues that people without that half a decade of experience just canāt tell you.
Some of this may seem strange or contradictory in places, but I donāt make the rules. This is how it is.
Choice makes a difference
Youāre probably learning (or about to learn) that the one thing that makes a difference as to whether doing something or not is fun is Choice.
The number of times Iāve had someone say to me āit must be so nice to be at home all the timeā is ridiculous.
The person saying it is thinking of the fun type of staying at home, where you decide to have a duvet day and watch movies and eat toast in your pants.
But now people are being faced with the less fun kind. The kind where you canāt leave.
Staying at home because you want toā¦ fun. Staying at home because of Doom Plague Potentialā¦ not fun. (Also, bagsy āDoom Plague Potentialā as a band name.)
Itās tough being uncertain when youāre going to see people, do things or get on with your life, butā¦
If you think about it, you are making a choice. Youāre making the choice to put your health first. Thatās sensible.
And if youāre careful with others who are more at risk then youāre making the choice to be kind. Thatās even better.
Iām not even meaning this in an inspirational quote sense, you can actually do this. It may be tricky, but if I can last half a decade in my house, you can last a couple of weeks, or even a couple of months.
If youāre actually sick then make sure you have people who can check up on you via the internet or phone if not in person. Seek medical attention where necessary.
The Internet exists - embrace it
All that āput down your phone and live in the REAL WORLDā stuff is about to become a load of cobblers.
You will feel lonely, the Internet is a great tool to prevent that, so embrace it.
Group chats, social media, and video chats make a MASSIVE difference in the lives of people stuck at home, so utilise that.
Even when youāre watching tv, have a group chat of mates watching the same thing and talk about it as if youāre all there together. Because you are... kind of.
You can also contact plenty of mental healthcare professionals over the internet (or phone) if you feel thatās something you need. Donāt be afraid to reach out. There are people available.
The Internet isnāt real
At the same time as the internet being an amazing tool and opportunity for social interaction, itās important to remember that itās not a complete experience of the world.
It seems obvious when youāre able to leave the house, but it will quickly become clear that things start to feel a bit more skewed without the regular interaction of polite (or not so polite) strangers in everyday life.
Things will seem more polarised and polarising, and specific, potentially small things may seem extremely important. Thatās normal, just... bear it in mind and take a deep breath before reacting to things.
If you, unlike me, are at home as a precautionary measure instead of long term health condition you can probably do things. Hooray!
Right now that is less than you're used to, and BELIEVE ME I know that feel, bro, but you can still do things and thatās wonderful.
Imagining a lengthy period where youāre stuck at home sounds awful, but imagine it without TV, books or the internet. Or crafts. Or DIY. Or the ability to clean your clothes or yourself.
Iām trying really hard not to play the ābe gratefulā card here, because people have said it to me despite me struggling (or being completely unable) to do any of those things and it made me want to bite them. But also... you can likely do those things. So maybe this is the point where all those trite inspiration memes come in handy and you can embrace the things you can do.
Unless you are sick, in which case, for the love of all that is holy, do not do the things.
Stay in bed. Drink fluids. Have people check in on you as safely as possible. Resist the urge to get up and make your body fight harder than it is, because that will not help you.
Trust me, despite all those āyou can do anything if you BELIEVEā quotes, itās not strong or clever to push your body when itās struggling. You will just use up energy your body could be using to heal you. Take it from the sick person.
Stay in bed till you feel better, and then a bit longer, just to make sure.
And resist the urge to go out in public and rub your germy self onto various surfaces.
You will come to love your Postie/Courier.
Oh, those kind humans who strive through wind and gale to bring us parcels and food, and most importantly, contact with the outside world.
A face! A new face! Possibly some small talk. You never knew that was a thing you could miss before this moment.
Will you potentially feel the need to disinfect everything you get in the post? Possibly. Will you be ever so glad to see someone who doesnāt live in your house or flat? Most definitely.
They must be protected for they are the keepers of the parcels.
Time will lose all meaning.
The only thing I can reliably liken it to is that weird week between Christmas and New Year where you donāt know what day, time or year it is. Or why youāre covered in biscuit crumbs.
If you donāt celebrate these events and have have no prior experience in this weird time warp... Iām sorry. Things are about to get real.
I genuinely forget my own age at this point.
Keep to a regular schedule.
Youāre going to re-enter the world at some point but thatās going to be difficult if your schedule is all messed up.
Keeping to a normal(ish) schedule will also mean youāre more likely to sleep better, which will be handy if you do actually get sick.
If youāre going to be working from home then youāre probably going to have to use alarms to get you to do anything because otherwise you will look up and itās three in the afternoon, youāve done nothing and youāre still in your jim-jams.
(To be fair, if you want to work in your jim-jams thatās a totally valid choice.)
Try to stick to specific working hours if you can. Itās much easier to switch off your mind from work worries when youāve got commute time in the middle, so having set hours or a signal to yourself (like changing clothes) that the work day is over will help you wind down a bit easier. I remember that much from my healthy freelance days.
I imagine that if youāre housebound without being sick youāre probably going to have a ton of pent up energy.
Iāll admit Iām completely guessing here, because energy is quite literally what my body is rubbish at producing so exercising makes me worse, which is why Iām stuck in my house unable to do anything in the first place.
Looking back at those heady years before I got sick, however, I would get pretty restless being stuck inside during that weird post-Christmas week, so itās probably good to try and exercise some of that off.
Stretches, yoga, kick a football about in the garden. Whatever floats your boat.
Youāll probably sleep better and itās good for releasing endorphins too.
Again, if youāre sick, donāt do this. Just donāt. Coronavirus targets your respiratory system so nobody wants you to be doing star jumps like a muppet. Go lie down.
If you live on your own, or even if people inside your house are avoiding contact to prevent potential contamination you may experience mild touch withdrawal. I donāt know if thatās an official term, but thatās what Iām calling it.
You can counter this with:
Blankets, duvets, or weighted blankets
Thereās a reason people are given shock blankets after trauma, and thatās to simulate a hug and release the associated endorphins. Having a blanket, duvet or weighted blanket around you will do that same thing.
Having access to a furry (or scaly or feathered) friend will help with loneliness and touch withdrawal. A lot of them will be loving the chance to spend more time with you.
Iāve had people tell me that ASMR videos help them with loneliness and touch withdrawal.
ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response and is basically a tingly feeling of calm and being cared for that a person can experience when watching or listening to certain triggers.
YouTube is full of people tapping on bottles and turning books pages, and it can be really useful.
I was a bit dubious to begin with, but honestly the ones where the person pretends to cut your hair make me into a giant pile of goop.
Not the same as long term isolation
This is going to pass. You will be able to leave the house again, and it will be relatively soon.
When it does, please be respectful of those who are still here.
Yes, a two week quarantine might give you a tiny glimpse into what itās like to be housebound, but it wonāt make you an expert in long term isolation due to illness or disability. Thatās a whole other ball game.
Please do not equate the two, because it honestly feels a randomer in a bar who has spent two minutes thinking on a topic telling you about something you have a doctorate in.
Coronavirus is scary, and quarantine or self-isolation is not something youāre used to but it is temporary.
If disabled or sick people are getting salty on the internet itās because they have reason to be.
A lot of us have been stuck like this for years or even decades, and many of the options that would make things much more accessible for us have only magically become possible now thereās a threat to the general, abled population.
It doesnāt help that lots of people are trotting out the old āitās only the old and sick who are in dangerā. Thanks for that, mate. So glad that itās only us sickies (and oldies) who might die and not the important, useful people that are in danger.
Many of us do not have that light at the end of the tunnel when we can leave the house and just get on with our lives. I have no idea when or if I will be able to rejoin society fully, or even partly. And I just have to get on with it.
So take this opportunity to be a little more mindful of those people.
I do hope this helps people who are nervous about being isolated. Keep calm. It will be alright.
Originally posted on superpooped.blogspot.com
