Self Isolation Reflections: Month 1

We are Day 30 into self-isolation, the most surreal and unique experience we have faced where absolutely everything has changed:

The way we live our lives (from shopping to eating to hobbies etc.)
The way we communicate (from video-chat to and 2-metre waves)
The things we do to spend our time (goodbye bottomless brunches and holidays)
The way we work (yay to finally working from home!)
The way we behave (toilet roll & tik-tok obsessed?)

This is my first non-travel blog, but since 2 holidays have already been cancelled this Spring, why not write a Covid-19 Self Isolation blog so we can remember these crazy times years down the line!

The moment I took it seriously

We were first talking about Covid-19 well before it entered Europe, but we had no idea how much of a big deal it was going to be. Wuhan was a place I’d never heard of and the news, there were funny memes being shared over Whatsapp (e.g. Budweiser being scared of Corona), Brexit was still a topic of discussion, and lives were essentially continuing as normal.

The moments where I started taking it so much more seriously:

Writing an ‘all-employee’ email saying travel to Asia is banned effective immediately
The first government announcement about staying at home for 7 days if you have a persistent cough (I had coughed about 3 times that week i.e. not persistent at all, but I went home in a panic)
2 days later when BA cancelled our trip to Jordan. It was this moment, I was like ‘yep this is definitely a thing’
Celebrating my birthday at home – doing the birthday cake cutting over Facetime
My first Tesco experience (before they introduced the social distancing rules). It was like entering a battlefield, and I felt like there were germs everywhere! Truly truly hated it.
My first Sainsburys experience (after they introduced the social distancing rules). We had to queue for about an hour even to get in!)

What changed? Where do I begin??

The way we communicate: Because of technology, this was not an issue at all. We went to total over-communication with phone calls, texts, whatsapps, face-time and so on. We even began to download other apps like House Party (which we got over a week later) and Zoom. If we wanted to see family members from other households, they had to be walking distance and we could only wave from the window.

Random games on Instagram and Whattsap: There was suddenly all these addictive mini-games going viral. People were challenging each other to see who could win. They were actually pretty fun!!

All our weekends became free! Yes unfortunately this meant plans were cancelled (including my birthday, weddings, 2 holidays, dinners and so on). But it was actually so refreshing to be totally free. It was nice to slow down the pace of life, catch-up on rest, be free if anyone phoned, and pick up some new hobbies. In fact, the 4 day bank holiday weekend was one of the best and most relaxing one’s we’ve had!

Picking up some new hobbies, which I actually would love to continue after this is all over. Firstly, I love painting by numbers – it’s the most relaxing and therapeutic thing I’ve ever done. Secondly, I love watching the ducks in our apartment block – they do the funniest things. I gave the PS4 a go too (Overcooked) – pretty fun!!

I finally get to work from home. And work is busier and more interesting than ever before! My role in employee engagement has changed significantly as I need remote / virtual ways to boost morale and engagement! The best thing is the work drinks are now remote – which I love (drinking in PJs and back home the second you close the Hangout meeting with no commute!)

Cooking more! It was only a matter of time before Gousto stopped delivering (our food delivery box). We had to start cooking ourselves which was actually quite fun. We can now whip up a meal without too much thought, we love vegetables much more than before and we spend a hell of a lot more on groceries! There is of course the occasional Dominoes or Indian take-out!

Random thoughts that entered my mind in the last 30 days?

Will travel insurance cover corona-virus?
I miss Brexit.
Why is everyone buying so much toilet paper?
Thank you Amazon!
Thank you Deliveroo!
Who will deliver wine?
I love Boris Johnson. Is it because he was ill? Is because we are comparing him to Trump? Is it because Rishi Sunak is doing a great job and Boris is standing next to him?
Are mega-celebrities loving this peaceful time away from the the media and fans?
Will things go back to normal? (I doubt it)
Shall I download Tik Tok? (I did)
Shall I watch Tiger King (I did)
What shall I binge next?
I miss Nandos
Shall we buy a ‘work’ chair? (we did)