Quarantine and Chill

Well for the past several weeks, many of us around the world have been on “quarantine” due to the COVID-19 Corona Virus. Here in St. Louis, MO we have been on “Stay at Home Order”, as of March 13, 2020. As of right now the order is in place indefinitely, but at least until May 15, 2020. For many people around the world mandates of this type have caused great disruption in many areas of their lives to include their work-life. Many people who were traditionally working in an office are now working from home and some people unfortunately are now unemployed. Many parents are having to add home schooling to their new normal as most schools have gone to distance learning. For high school and college graduates many are having to face the reality that they will not have an actual graduation ceremony to commemorate their educational achievements. The world has been turned upside down and everyone is trying to adjust to the new reality. Not to mention the thousands of lives that have be lost thus far. We are definitely living in uncertain times right now.

Fortunately for me I have not had much of a disruption in my life. I am blessed that none of my immediate family members have been infected with the virus, at least not to our knowledge (as we cannot be certain who has been infected unless they have been tested). However none of us have become ill or shown any signs of the virus. There continues to be a shortage of tests locally and even though I hear about it on the news nightly I am still not certain what the real situation is regarding the testing procedure and who is deemed to qualify for the testing. I continue to see news stories with people saying they have been turned away due to testing shortages even though they believe they have had symptoms. So I can only hope that me and my loved ones continue to remain healthy. As we are living scary times and it is evident that statistically Black Americans are being disproportionately impacted. This is the case with so many health issues due to healthcare disparities that minority groups continue to face in America.

So I am thankful that I remain healthy both physically and mentally. I know that many people are struggling to adjust to basically being involuntarily sequestered to their homes. There is a great deal of anxiety that can stem from feeling trapped or isolated. As for me, I am an introvert by nature and have always enjoyed the solitude and peace of being a homebody. I do love to travel and attend social events as part of living a well balanced life but I love nothing more than to retreat to the sanctuary that is my home. I revel and I thrive in my oneness. I have created a comfortable home that is decorated and suited to my taste. I feel very content and safe in my home. As an introvert I am in my glory when given the opportunity to relax at home uninterrupted.

I currently work in private practice as a psychotherapist and Empowerment Coach in addition to being the Content Manager for my blog. I work from home. I have worked from home for approximately 11-12 years. I have forgotten the exact date. My private private is 100% virtual. I have worked in the behavior health field for over 20 years and I have done some form of telehealth for the past 16 of those years. My educational background is in social work (Bachelors and Master Degrees). I am also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW ) in the state of Missouri which qualifies me to diagnose and treat mental health disorders as a psychotherapist. In addition have a Phd in Public Policy Analysis and Administration. I entered this field with a desire to change the world in some way through my work with people and communities. My goal and purpose has always been to provide guidance and support to people in a way that empowers them to lead more productive and fulfilling lives. I have been fortunate enough to be able to do what I love while working from home. At this time I continue to work and provide services through my private practice. Although there have been some clients who have had to discontinue services due to financial concerns for the most part I have thus far been able to continue life as I had before quarantine. I even had the opportunity to speak at a global virtual conference within the last couple of weeks and network with professionals in the field that I would not have otherwise encountered.

I do dread the fact that it appears that travel plans will most likely be on hold for at least the next several months as well as live entertainment events like concerts. For the most part though, it as life as usual for me. Of course when I do have to venture outside for the occasional visit to the grocery store (which is really the only place I have been during this time), I do of course wear a face mask and practice social distancing. Which is certainty something new for most of us.

I have been able to learn a lot about how other people are handling this new reality in the midst of the pandemic both through my professional work, talking with clients as well as my personal life and social media interactions. Initially I was somewhat amused and had a few chuckles at the expense of my extroverted friends and acquaintances but as a mental health professional I do understand the serious nature of the situation. I have enjoyed watching people learn to adjust to this new reality and in doing so I have learned a lot about myself as well. Some of which is really just a confirmation that I am truly an introvert at heart.

Here’s a list of things I have learned about myself and things I have tried to apply in my life while in quarantine.

• First and Foremost I have been able to confirm that I am truly an introvert by nature. I have learned that I can go weeks without having to interact in the same physical space with other humans. I do think that it is important to maintain communications with your loved ones and have done so mostly by telephone.
• I have reaffirmed that I am a very patient person with a laid back, relaxed attitude. I have not yet felt any particular rush to get “outside” and thus far have not felt any anxiety about the whole matter. I feel quite content to sit here at home while it is all worked out by the powers that be.
• I have learned that the things that I do on a routine basis are very healthy and are probably what have helped me exist in my introverted world, such as routinely turning on my favorite music and dancing and singing in my own personal “concerts”. I often have my own lil “parties” at home much to my own enjoyment. Over the past few weeks, I have seen many people coping by listening/watching DJs and musical battles online and getting very excited about it and thought to myself, I have basically been doing that my whole life. I have yet to participate in any of these events, as I have just continued to go about my daily life and have felt no need to change my regular routine in that area.
• While watching people learn to adjust to working from home, attending virtual meetings and online communications I realize that in many ways although I have never considered myself to be tech savvy I am way ahead of many others in my comfort level with interacting and working through a mode of technology other than basic social media platforms due to my many years of working remotely as a telehealth provider.
• I have also watched people become very more consumed in the news and social media, to that point that certain people on my Facebook timeline seem to post nothing but articles on COVID 19 and it seems to bring about more anxiety than it does to ease fears. I realized how fortunate I am that I am able to detach myself and not engage in overexposure of this information being disseminated by the media. I am committed to not let this one issue consume me.
• In addition to being able to continue my basic routine I have used this time to become more intentional about self-care. Including: Ensuring that I get 8-9 hours of rest where typically I was maybe getting 6 hours. Being more conscious about my food intake and doing meal prep. I love to cook and have found myself to be thankful for that as I have watched many others post on social media about how they dread to cook and just want the option to go out for a meal. I have also been working on making sure that I consume my daily intake of at least 8 glasses of water daily and have been able to be more consistent with my workout regimen. These are all things that I was striving for before, but I have been able to use this time to be more intentional about making sure that I am sticking to a regular routine.