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A sense of isolation
This is hard, isn’t it? Being isolated. Things we would have done, to give ourselves a change – we can’t do these. Places we would have gone to relax, on our own or with others, things we would have enjoyed – we can’t go there and we can’t do that.
A sense of isolation
This is hard, isn’t it? Being isolated. Things we would have done, to give ourselves a change – we can’t do these. Places we would have gone to relax, on our own or with others, things we would have enjoyed – we can’t go there and we can’t do that.
And what about the people we know and love? There’s a phone call, of course, or a message, or face to face contact through whatever form of video call you use. Or an email, if you prefer. But I would like to hold my grandson and he’s not quite at the chatty stage yet.
Still, we need to keep the channels of communication open, and get away from the stream of news, and news about news, and debates about news about news. We need information, of course – but we need to have time for ourselves, and for others too. To take ourselves out of the noise
And there’s the pressure on others with whom we share this isolation. Their routine is disrupted and so is ours. Children generally need a bit of routine, but don’t give yourself a hard time if you aren’t home schooling them to A* standard. I wouldn’t know how to do that either.
Use the resources available of course – but remember, the demands on you and those around you of these disrupted times are high and their impact is as yet unknowable.
Most of us don’t like uncertainty (I can’t tell you when this will end) and abnormality (this group of people isn’t usually in the house at this time of day, trying to do these things simultaneously).
So there might be meltdowns. There will almost certainly be wobbles. Some will be silent, and some will be loud. This is not because you or those around you have suddenly turned into bad or weak people.
These reactions are because of where we are, and what we are experiencing so be kind, and forgive quickly, and forget soon after that. (This advice applies as much to the way you treat yourself as well as to the way you treat others.)
But I had a conversation last night that made me think. What about those for whom this isolation is the norm? We call them socially isolated. Sometimes we say they lack social capital. And actually they are real living people, and their norm is worse than my temporary restriction
Maybe it’s normal to have no phone, so communication is hard. Maybe you can’t get out, so if you are to see anyone, they have to come to you. Or maybe you have a phone, but there’s nobody to pick up your call. Maybe you& #39;re mobile but being outside is not a good experience for you
Will we remember what it was like to be stuck, when we are back to being unstuck? Will that change the way we think about – and more importantly act towards – the people who are stuck? Stuck for reasons we won’t fully, or even partially, know or understand.
We are currently stuck inside, restricted, because of something over which we had no control. It’s being done to us. We’d be pretty resentful if someone said we had brought this on ourselves.
The stuck people, the ones we said lacked social capital, were “hard to reach”, will we learn their names, their dreams? Will we reach out instead of saying they brought it on themselves? They have much to teach us, and we must learn it, and not forget what we are learning now.
