Isolation is a mixed bag

Think I’ve discovered my inner introvert this week. Except for a daily walk or a run outside, I’ve been confined to my home and it hasn’t been the disaster I’d predicted. 

I’ve kept myself entertained, I’ve done some work, I’ve kept in touch with friends and family and I’ve slept. Yes, after some initial anxiety dreams about the end of the world, my sleep has actually returned to a state I can only call ‘excellent’.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely missing the outside world, but I’ve managed to keep occupied and entertained to an extent where it’s not gnawing at my mind every five seconds.

Of course, London has taken to this quite differently, depending on who you are. Despite calls to limit your contact to the people you live with, I’ve seen a number of Personal Trainers coach (almost certainly) clients out on the Thames Path. I’ve seen neighbours play tennis (which, in this age of virus lockdown, is considered a social rather than sporting pursuit) and I’ve seen a worrying number of builders continue to bang away at various building sites.

But none of that is within my control and it’s much more useful to focus on me, my family and my household to make sure we all get out of this in one piece.

I’m hoping the next two weeks are as easy to bear and that, while I’m hiding away in my apartment, music smarter people elsewhere are busy creating a vaccine for this scourge.

My sister and her family are self-isolating for two weeks as her youngest exhibited all the symptoms (fever, cough etc). Of course, in the absence of a testing regimen here in the UK, we’ll never know if she had coronavirus or not. But as she’s a nurse, my sister took it seriously and put them all in lockdown to avoid any potential spread outside the home.

Distressing and worrying, but the prudent thing to do.

I’m so grateful for the technology that’s keeping me in touch with her and everyone else in my life. TheFrankFlyer and I regularly have virtual coffee or virtual beer with friends here in London who live alone. I get to message groups of people outside the UK (I’ve never used WhatsApp so much in my life) and I get to see how friends in Tokyo are getting by via Instagram.

I think in this regard, technology truly is our friend here. Plus, it keeps me entertained in the form of Amazon Prime, Netflix and now Disney+. YouTube videos give me yoga instruction and ideas for recipes and online retailers deliver us the very important groceries.

Don’t get me wrong: if I had a magic wand, I’d do away with this pandemic in the morning. But as things are, I’m able to accept the discomfort and annoyance that comes with it. I’d like to be able to look back on this time in the years ahead and say I wasn’t too much of an arsehole to my fellow human beings.

Let’s see how things pan out over the next few weeks.

Hoping my readers remain healthy and safe as we all go through this together.