Loneliness in a Time of Quarantine

Who feels totally messed up due to self-quarantine? Don't all raise your hands at once! We don't all need to share our rampant BO stenches.

The world is never going to be the same, and I am okay with that because She is healing. She - Mother Earth - needs us to be more conscious of how we treat her. In a time of death and darkness there is also birth and light.

How do we combat the loneliness and allow the light to shine in? For those of you living alone or who are single parents, how do you go about trying to find love? How do you fill the void that was there before you were told to shelter-in-place?

I've tried a few different things. Many of them have worked for me, but some haven't. But I'm going to share these things with you. They might not be effective for you since, hey, we're all different people. Yet there is a chance that something I suggest might assist you in letting in the light. So, here it goes.

Keep a Routine Similar to Your Previous One

This might seem obvious, but a lot of people aren't doing it! When I decided to become a freelance writer several years ago, this was a lesson I learned the hard way. You must create and stick to a routine that is similar to your previous one.

Get up. Get dressed. Do your hair and/or make-up. Put on your shoes. Drink your morning three cups of coffee. Set up a feasible work routine. If you aren't working right now, what could you be working on instead? Does the house need repairs? The car? Have you been putting off things that you now have time for? Incorporate those things into your routine.

Plan ahead, too. Go to bed thinking about what you've accomplished that day and what you plan on doing tomorrow. What is your reason for waking up?

Create Things

Is one of those things you've been putting off a painting? Writing a novel? Making a new piece of jewelry? Hell, you could easily find mask patterns and do those if you have some materials.

My point is: GET CREATIVE.

What better time than now to pen your debut novel? Or to paint your masterpiece? Write your musical magnum opus?

Channel all those things festering inside you and let those come out while you create.

Talk to a Loved One Each Day

Part of your schedule should allot for talking to a loved one. Do this every day. Doesn't have to be the same person every day, just anyone who helps make you feel better.

If you're having trouble processing your emotions or feel lonely, get in touch with your loved ones. And, if that isn't enough, know that a lot of counselors are offering video chat appointments.

Reach out. There is no shame in doing so.

RELAX!

Yes! I mean it! Take those walks, get some exercise, go for a drive, do some yoga, pop yourself into that massaging backrest you bought six months ago and forgot about. Do it.

You need to relax.

You deserve it after all you still do, day in and day out. You might not feel as productive as normal, but it is high time you let go of that tension. It will do nothing but hold you back.

Breathe in and out. Listen to some meditative music. Take a hot shower. Do what you need to do to take care of yourself.

Practice Gratitude

This is something we should all be doing, each and every day. It is something I am starting to teach my twin boys. They are almost seventeen months old, and they are incredibly perceptive.

Today, we walked around North Ensley Cemetery in Ensley Center. It was great exercise for us, but it was also an excellent opportunity for us to all take a few hours and just be grateful for our lives.

My younger twin found this gravestone and immediately walked up to it. He got really quiet, and a few tears started to form. I told him that these people lived long lives full of love, and that we should be grateful for that. And we should be grateful that we have the same opportunity. I know he's young, but I think he understood it on some level because the tears stopped, and he was my smiling little man again.

I said that to him of course, but I was saying it for me too. I might be single, but I have two young men who love me. I have cats who love me. I have friends and family who love me even though I cannot see them right now.

We are all in this together even though we have to be apart. Hang in there, my loves. We've got this. The beauty in humanity needs to outshine the ugliness now.