Enjoying Isolation
Based on what I have seen on social media and the internet, there are many people who are not handling isolation well. People are doing crazy things to their hair, building obstacle courses, going stir-crazy.
I am not one of these people.
For me, the idea of going into isolation was exciting. I am an extreme introvert by nature and the thought that I wouldn’t have to leave my apartment and see people all the time sounded like an ideal situation. With that being said, I should note that I do enjoy hanging out with my friends and family, but it does drain my energy…so I am looking at this as a nice break.
During this time, I am holed up in my apartment near the center of Budapest. Like most people, all my work is being done from home and all of my meetings are now conducted virtually. This balance has taken some getting used to, and I definitely struggled keeping any sort of schedule in the beginning. I feel like I am getting better at that, though.
Not having to travel to and from things has freed up some time in my schedule. I haven’t started any new hobbies, but I have been able to delve deeper into the hobbies I have. I have been baking (which, living alone, means I have to eat all the baked things), sewing my quilt (by hand since I don’t have a sewing machine in Hungary), and enjoying a movie pretty much every evening.
The only times I am currently leaving my apartment are to go to the store every two weeks or to take my trash out every week or so. In my opinion, these are the worst times and really the only times I feel overwhelmed during the whole pandemic. I take protective measures and wear my face mask, wash my hands at any opportunity, stay away from people the best I can, and sanitize everything. I am looking forward to the day I can go to the store again and not feel contaminated afterward.
One positive thing I have seen during this time is that more people are starting to use video-chatting. This means more friends and family are wanting to chat because they know how easy it is now. I have been able to connect to friends back home that I normally wouldn’t because everyone is more willing to connect virtually.
While I can, I am going to enjoy this time. There may come the day when I am yearning to be with others again, but for now, I am embracing isolation. This time has allowed me to take a step back and enjoy a simpler schedule. There are times when I feel guilty that I am not learning a new skill or working more because that is what everything online seems to be telling me to do. But it is nice to take this time to recharge as an introvert and appreciate a slower lifestyle.
