How to survive lockdown: tips from an introvert

As someone who is low-key anti-social, I’ve been, as a friend puts it, “thriving in this pandemic.” So I thought I’d share some tips. Don’t copy what I do though, because I’ve that kind of hipster mindset that hates an old favorite when it’s adopted by the mainstream. You wouldn’t want to be the cause of me breaking quarantine and turning into Patient 31, now, would you? (Side note: the term quarantine is stupid — what we’re experiencing right now is definitely NOT a quarantine, but rather a mild form of enforced unproductively. Don’t abuse the term quarantine because one day we might actually experience it.)

Tip 1: Nap

As a society, we’re weirdly fond of using productivity as a status symbol. And what better way to brag about how productive you are than comparing hours of sleep? “Oh, I had to stay up until 10 pm last night to finish these comments.” “Oh, that’s nothing; I pulled an all-nighter to do these slides.” Besides being — allow me a technical term here — fucking annoying, it wrecks your immune system. Now, in normal times, you’re probably not going to not-sleep yourself sick. But since we’re in a health crisis and our hospitals’ impacted, should we really be engaging in self-harm here?

Be conscious. Think about others. Take a nap.

Tip 2: Do something

What is something you’ve always wanted to do? Now is the time to do it. Of course, I don’t mean rob a bank or start smoking crack. It’s a pandemic, not a zombie apocalypse. We’ve dealt with pandemics before; this just feels new because we’ve forgotten how to (another reason why historical thinking is so important but that’s for another post).

the Earth will keep spinning, and life goes on.

Anyhow, the Earth will keep spinning, and life goes on. Don’t let yourself be locked in place by the lockdown. Keep yourself moving forward, or you’ll get dragged, kicking and screaming, into the future. Move, jump, read, get your blood pumping, learn a skill or a language.

Remind yourself that you’re still alive and find something to do.

Tip 3: Do nothing

… or do nothing at all. If I hear the words “collective trauma” one more time, my eyeballs are going to roll out of their sockets. People nowadays like to throw around the word “trauma” so offhandedly .

But it’s true that we need stillness. When we’re exercising, we need to stop for breath . This is the time.

Now I’m not advocating that you lie on your couch, surrounded by a fort of Doritos bags as you binge-watch old episodes of The Office (although if you do, I recommend Cool Ranch). But doing nothing is life’s way of catching your breath.

doing nothing is life’s way of catching your breath.

Use this time for introspection: why do you. need to shop so much? Does my old routine really spark joy? If it doesn’t, Marie Kondo the shit of out of that. But that means staying still long enough to know if you do need it or not.

Tip 4: Explore:

The world is vast and beautiful. We’re grounded right now, so what better place to explore than your own backyard (or balcony, or that creepy pantry that you’re afraid to go in)?

You’re probably looking pasty from all that staying inside — take a solitary walk now that the weather’s nice. Injecting yourself with UV might do more harm than good (definitely more harm than good), but sunlight is still the best disinfectant. Take a walk, do some cardio, get a tan.

If you’re in an area where you can’t leave your house, be a kid again, and use your imagination. Build a pillow fort and imagine you’re in Narnia (yes, I know Narnia’s in a closet, but as a gay I’m not a super big fan of going back into the closet). Your mind’s the limit.

Tip 5: Reinvent

And since your mind’s the limit, why not imagine who you want to be when you can see your friends again? More than likely, they haven’t seen you in a while (FaceTime doesn’t count, by the way — we all look shit on these calls). If you want to dye your hair purple, go for it. If you want to change your entire style, nothing can stop you.

Think of this time as a cocoon. We’re gonna come out of it changed, so why not let it be something you want to be?