Like many of us have been doing, I’ve been taking part in self-isolation and social distancing as a way to try and combat the COVID-19 outbreak. Although, I think I might be having an easier time than most. I have been more or less isolated even prior to these past couple of weeks. I still went to class, I still saw people, but most of the time I didn’t really go out of my way to plan events where social interaction was the main goal. It’s just not really my thing.Â
Isolation is all well and good when it’s me who has decided to do it. I have endless personal projects to eat away at the hours. I have the ability to look at a large block of free time and wonder what I can turn that time into. Most recently, it’s been developing my watercolour skills and trying to figure out how webcomics work. I’ve been trying to balance my life around the schoolwork that I need to do and things that make me happy. I recognize that the things that make me happy tend to be solitary activities. That makes self-isolation a little easier.
However, I’ve found self-isolation to be an incredibly lonely experience. As a person who is often lonely, not having physical access to the few people that I don’t feel lonely around has been difficult. I’ve found ways to combat loneliness, whether that be texting or calling people, watching live streams, or retreating into my own daydreams when the internet becomes too much to handle.Â
I’ve had several friends reach out to me during this time as a way to stay connected with people who aren’t in isolation with them. I’ve had a couple long-form text conversations with people whom I haven’t spoken to in months. It brings me such joy to talk to them again. Some of them are introverts who live with family or roommates, and the quarantine has not strained their mental health. Others are extroverts who are terrified by how long the isolation period will go on.Â
Self-isolation is necessary right now. It’s a necessary precaution to take in order to combat the COVID-19 crisis. That doesn’t mean it’s not going to lead to incredible strains on our emotional and mental health — not to mention the hit that the economy is going to take. It feels like every day I am bombarded with different stories of terrible things happening, both related to the pandemic and not.Â
Last weekend I invited a friend to watch the sunset with me. We didn’t talk; I don’t even know if he was looking at the sky with me. It felt like he was. It reminded me that, even in this time of social isolation, where many of us may feel the most alone we ever have, we don’t have to be together to not be alone.Â
Illustration: Kayt Hine/The Cascade
