Chronicling an Extrovert's Journey Through Social Distancing

Thought I'd share some real, raw thoughts about social distancing. Perhaps you'll relate to some of the experiences shared here. Perhaps my pettiness will make you chuckle. Hopefully you'll feel inspired, knowing that you're not the only one feeling like you're losing your grip in this situation.

Sunday, March 22nd: Day One

Sunday mornings are usually a relaxation day for my husband and I, so we woke up late today and enjoyed some time in bed and indulged in our favourite brain-numbing ritual - Tik Tok videos. Had a video-call with some friends, which was very nice. It was comforting to know that others were also sharing in the act of social solidarity - staying at home to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

My husband and I went for a walk - of course staying at least 2m away from the closest passerby. We ended up at the local park which was quite busy, in light of the current situation. My husband insisted on stepping off the path every time we encountered people, and I followed his lead. It seemed more and more appropriate as time progressed. Later in the day images of English Bay, crawling with beach-goers, appeared on social media. Suddenly the gravity of the situation became more clear. We may be blessed to live in the West Coast, where the outdoors offers endless entertainment, but these are not normal times. We wordlessly agreed that there would be no more park time or time spent where many people could or would congregate. Outside clothes were stripped off and immediately washed. Hands were scrubbed with soap and water, as meticulously as if we were performing surgery.

Monday, March 23rd: Day Two

I did my best to start my day off on the right foot - getting up at the usual time I would to get to work. I got dressed and put on make up like I was going to work. I soon learned that my employer was still trying to figure out the work-from-home situation and was told to take a day off instead. I felt a bit lost as my routine was thrown off. Normally I would gladly take the day off - but I had no other plans and nowhere to go. I spent the day cleaning instead - scrubbing down the floors and vacuuming every bit of dust that I could find. It felt good to purge our home of the dust bunnies. I swear every breath felt a little more clear afterward.

Tuesday, March 24th: Day Three 

I went outside on this day for a long walk. It was raining when I left the house so I wrapped myself in a waterproof jacket, pulled on a baseball cap, and ventured outdoors. Anyone who knows me knows this is highly unusual. I would never normally be caught dead outdoors when it's raining. I hate the rain. My brain translates the sensation of raindrops hitting my skin into acid pollution being spit from the sky. But today it made an exception - I needed to be outdoors. Anxiety was building and needed to be released. On my walk I passed by a Save on Foods - I ducked inside to browse the aisles for an overlooked bottle of Lysol. I walked away with a bottle of pink lady apple cider and a bottle of multivitamins. It made me nervous every time someone in the store failed to maintain 2m of distance from me. There were lines, made from green painter's tape, stuck to the floor to show shoppers how far apart they ought to be from one another while waiting in line. I shifted nervously from foot to foot as I waited in line. I paid for my purchases, careful not to let my credit card actually touch the machine as I used pay-wave. Thankful that I did not have to touch any door handles, I clutched my purchases close to my body and sped down the street back home.

Wednesday, March 25th: Day Four 

I woke up with swollen joints, so painful that it hurt to even walk. It may have crossed my mind a dozen-and-a-half times if this was what corona virus felt like. I may have even googled it a few times. My fingers were so swollen and painful that I couldn't make a fist. Looking back now, this may have been the physical manifestation of my anxiety. After all, chronic anxiety can compromise your immune system, which makes you vulnerable to illness. I spent most of the day rolling around in bed, deeply uncomfortable. Especially thankful on this day that I was working from home.

Thursday, March 26th: Day Five 

Thankfully I felt much better on this day. I decided to take my work outdoors. Part of my work involves daily phone calls with my clients to check in - and I completed these while going on a walk. I chose a much less populous trail this time and kept my distance from any passerby's. The sun came out midway - and it was nice.

Friday, March 27th: Day Six

Another day, another day at home. I usually feel elated on Fridays. Excitement courses through me as I anticipate all the nothing I'll be doing on the weekend. But on this particular Friday, it came with a wave of ambivalence. Doing nothing not being an option but rather highly recommended for the betterment of society didn't feel all too good, I admit. But like everyone else, I just have to suck it up for the time being.

I finished up my work day and turned to my usual coping mechanism - exercising. Not that I was or am training for any particular reason - but not being able to go to the gym been very difficult. It's where I have my quiet time - which is much more effective when it's intentional rather than mandatory - but right now I will have to make do.

My husband and I watched Contagion. Apparently it's one of the top ten most-watched things on Netflix in Canada right now. Bad, bad, bad idea. It's a hauntingly accurate portrayal of the state of the world right now.

Saturday, March 28th: Day Seven

Woohoo! Made it to a full week of social distancing. No end in sight. I broke down and cried early in the morning, which was great because I got it over with nice and early. I turned to my other coping mechanism - cleaning.

PSA - I don't know which of you out there needs to hear this - but you need to vacuum under your bed. No joke - I clogged our Dyson trying to suck up all the dust bunnies that were congregating under our bed unknowingly. They had been making the occasional mysterious appearance - greeting me in the middle of the room after a thorough vacuum + swiffer session. Finally it was time for me to eliminate them at their source. Cleaning under the bed was akin to defeating the final boss in a video game. Highly rewarding and affirming at the same time.

Sunday, March 29th: Day Eight 

The sun made a surprise appearance today, and I decided enough was enough. I had been putting this off all week. And given the state of things, there was no more avoiding this.

I went for a run.

Yes, you heard me right. I went outside. And I ran. Not from anyone. Not for the bus. Not to be the first in line at Costco to hoard toilet paper. I ran - for recreational purposes. Well, more like health purposes. There is nothing enjoyable about running for me.

It made it easier that I was using an app called Runkeeper - why did no one tell me this existed sooner??? You can literally set it up to give you updates about everything at regular intervals. I set it to tell me every passing minute how far I've gone and how fast I'm running. Who knew - having a robotic woman's voice tell me my progress every 60 seconds is what it takes to make running somewhat bearable for me...

Despite the pounding headache I felt immediately afterward from running without ear muffs, I felt good. My head felt more clear. My heart felt more at peace - though I did maintain peak heart performance (165bpm) for the majority of my run - pretty sure that means my cardio is pretty bad? I'm making it sound like I did something major, but really I was only running for like 15 minutes. Decided that I'll probably do this once a week until the gym opens again. And then we will forget that this ever happened.

How has your experience in social distancing been?