It’s not as terrible as it sounds.
The first and foremost protections against the coronavirus are what you’d expect: cover your mouth, wash your hands, self-quarantine. If you’re looking to step up from self-quarantining, though, you might want to consider some extra social distance. What is social distance? Basically, it’s keeping social contact to as much of a minimum as you can. Don’t touch people, don’t spend a long time outside, don’t attend large gatherings, etcetera. I know, I know, that sounds worse than being sick, but honestly? A little bit of private time is a small price to pay if it means preventing the spread of disease. And it doesn’t have to be terrible.
First of all, just because you’re not in the physical presence of your friends, that doesn’t mean you can’t talk to them. Use chat apps like Skype or Discord to keep in touch, or something with a camera like a Google Home. You’re only as lonely as you let yourself be.
Secondly, even if you have to stay home, there’s lots to do. Find a Netflix series to binge or play a video game. Read a book, or better yet, write a book! Get creative. And you don’t have to neglect your health (nor should you). There’s lots of exercise you can do around the house, even if you don’t have a home gym. Besides, pretty much everything is getting cancelled lately, so even if you went out, it’s not like there’d be anything to do.
Cards on the table, I’m an introvert. This is my normal, so the notion of staying home doesn’t sound all that bad to me. For most people, it sounds really boring and lonely, and I get that. But for the sake of society’s collective health, it might not be such a bad idea. Think of it as an opportunity to explore yourself a little. Then, when all this blows over, you’ll have some amusing junk to talk about with people over lunch.
