There’s no sugar coating it – the current coronavirus social isolation situation sucks. We have an imminent health crisis, thousands of us have lost jobs or have reduced work, and we are all stuck indoors hiding from an enemy that has no body or brain. It’s pretty crap.

I know how bad it is and there are about a million things I’m not enjoying right now. I hate the pit of anxiety that is constantly in my stomach. I hate not seeing my family and friends, I hate having to home school and I hate the uncertainty of how on earth we’re going to get out of this.

But I’m at the point in this crisis where I can’t dwell on all that. I can’t ponder whether the government is doing the right thing because I just don’t know. I can’t constantly read news updates anymore. All I can do is what I’m told (stay home), wash my hands, and pray that our leaders are making the right choices for our country.

 I’m a glass-half-full kinda gal at heart. I just have to believe there’s hope and good in every situation. With that in mind, here are some parts of coronavirus social isolation that I’m really enjoying. Some of it I hope even continue in the real world.

I’m enjoying doing the things I never have time to do

We all talk about wishing we had more time to do the things we really want to do but life usually gets in the way. Well, now life has just stopped. We finally get to do the things we’ve been meaning to do. Perhaps it’s writing that great novel, perhaps it’s working on our website, perhaps it’s doing more sewing or baking.

Of course, if you’re like me and have kids at home, there are no great Australian novels being written. However, we have managed to clear the weeds in our backyard and we’ve even planted some seeds. There’s been lots of delicious baking and I’ve got the sewing machine out to make some face masks. Plus I’ve started reading that stack of Good Weekend magazines that have been growing dust in the corner.

I’m enjoying the flexible work conditions

Being a freelancer, I’ve worked at home for a few years now. However, I’ve often felt like I need to hide the fact that I’ve got kids running around (and sometimes even on my lap) during conference calls. Not anymore. While we all do our best to keep the kids quiet. it’s accepted that we all have other stuff going on in the background.

I’m loving the fact that businesses are forced to embrace flexible working conditions and I’m hoping that we can take some of this flexibility back into our post-Covid-19 lives. I hope businesses will allow employees to work from home more, I hope bosses will understand that we all have a life and sometimes that comes first. I hope it becomes more about getting the work done and not how many face hours you’re in the office.

I’m enjoying the pivot

So many of us are having to change or pivot our core offerings to remain afloat. My yoga studio is streaming live classes and my daughters’ dance studio is doing the same. Heaps of restaurants that have never done takeaway before are starting to offer it as dining in is forbidden. Our 10-year anniversary is coming up so we’re looking at where we might get a meal from on our special day.

As for myself, I’m also pivoting my copywriting services. I am offering more web building for small businesses. Although I have designed my own website and a handful of others, it’s not something I generally offer as a service as I’ve been concentrating on copywriting. However, in these times, I want to help other small businesses as much as I can. So I’m building and writing websites SEO friendly websites. If you need a website, get in touch.

I’m enjoying the simple things

Three months ago, Sydney was shrouded in a dirty haze. We were scared of using too much water as our dam levels were at record lows. At least now, we can breathe that air in deeply (as long as we are over 2 metres away from other people of course). We can turn that tap on to wash our hands without worrying where the water will come from in the months to come. These may not seem like much, but I’m appreciating the fact that these worries are alleviated for now.

As I am at home with three kids, I’m trying to look at life from their perspective a lot more. And that means slowing down and enjoying the simple things. Like exploring the garden and staring at the bugs we find. Spending some time snuggling in the mornings before we get up for the day. Going for long walks around the neighbourhood, doing a puzzle and just spending time together.

I’m enjoying the solidarity

Never before have I felt so connected to so many people around the globe. We are all in coronavirus social isolation together (but apart…) We are all fighting a common enemy. While I’m staying away from the judgement and many many opinions on Facebook, I have been enjoying the entertainment on Instagram. From watching quarantine videos to seeing Ellen Degeneres cold calling celebrities to Tina Arena coining herself ‘Quaran-tina Arena‘ and giving messages in French, Italian and English.

I’m loving the fact that so many businesses have got on board to help us navigate this tricky time. Whether it’s extra channels on Foxtel, or free audiobooks for kids on Audible. Of course, they all want to keep our business, but the deals are pretty sweet. Plus there are heaps of online resources out there for those of us who are stuck at home with kids. Already my children have explored the San Diego Zoo and have done a heap of colouring in and worksheets from various companies that are now offering free signups.

I’m enjoying the local community…. from afar

Every day, we try to get out for a walk/scoot/bike ride. And of course, so are many of our neighbours. But everyone is respectful – we all keep our distance. We smile as we walk past and shout across the street when we see people we know.

We’ve also been ‘Going on a bear hunt’ to find some teddies set up in peoples’ windows. This fabulous movement has been growing overseas and has recently taken off in Australia. To help give kids a distraction, people have been putting teddy bears in windows and children are encouraged to spot them when they’re on their daily walk. We haven’t seen a bear yet… but it’s only a matter of time!

 

It’s important to note that we are only in week 2 of social isolation… let’s see how much I’m enjoying in a month or so.

What are you enjoying about social isolation?