5 Things 10 Days of Self-Isolation Has Taught Me
Writing, watching movies, and getting food delivered to my door wasn’t as fun as I thought…
I climbed out of bed, staggered to the bathroom, went to brush my teeth and noticed — I couldn’t smell or taste the mint toothpaste.
I raced down the stairs and looked for anything that has a strong smell.
In front of me, something I hate — vinegar! I slowly turned the cap, moved my nose closer to the top and took a deep breath in.
Nothing.
A day later, I received the dreaded positive result. 10 days of self-isolation. What could be so bad about that? I could still work, write, watch a load of stuff and have my family become my Uber Eats delivery service.
Two days in and I became bored out of my mind! It’s now been 10 days. I’m a free person! But, I learned a few valuable lessons from being stuck in a room.
1. How Grateful I Am For My Family
What would I do without them?
The last 10 days they have been there for me 24/7 whilst I’ve been stuck in my room.
From my dad checking in with me to see if I want anything, to my mum making some of my favourite food and standing outside my room talking to me. My older sister, bringing food up to my door and my little sister, bringing me sweets and treats. And, my other half, calling and FaceTiming me just to give me some social interaction (and so I don’t forget her face).
That just sums it up for me.
My family mean a lot to me and they never fail to showcase it. I’m always grateful for my family. But, the last 10 days has emphasised this even more.
What I’m trying to say is don’t take your family for granted. Even if you don’t live with them or aren’t close to your family, I’m sure they have been there for you in some way. Some of us are lucky enough to have family members that are close or stick by us. So be grateful for their presence.
2. Your Value In Other Peoples Lives
With the fast nature of life, it’s easy to forget how much you actually mean to or do for others.
I think it’s important to realise this because we can often think we’re useless or no good to anyone — especially in our low moments.
Self-isolation has actually reminded me that I am helpful in some ways to people. For example, I normally take my cat to the vet every month because she needs an injection to support her kidney failure. But, when I was isolating, I couldn’t go and it was tough for anyone else in my family to have the time to take her.
Looking at it now, I probably take a bit of pressure off my family because I always take care of this.
I do a bit for my mum too. I’ll clean around the house, keep her company, joke around with her, go to the shops for her etc. But I wasn’t able to do that for the last 10 days and I’ve seen how tired my mum can become when I don’t help out with this as she works long shifts.
It’s just a couple of examples. But it’s worth noting to yourself that you probably play a big part in others’ lives and you don’t realise it.
People do value and are grateful for you. So don’t forget this. Especially in those low moments when you’re so critical of yourself.
3. Why It’s Important to Try New Things
It was extremely boring not being able to leave my room. I would come out to go to the toilet or for a shower and that’s it.
Each day became the exact same thing. I’d work, do some writing, have dinner, watch something and do some more writing. Literally, after the second day, I was done with this.
Because I wasn’t able to do much in my room, it made me see just how important it is for us to step out of our comfort zones and try something new.
Doing something new in our lives stimulates us. It freshens our minds. It gives us new opportunities to learn from and excel. It provides us with the chance to find something that we might enjoy or something that we could be really skilled in.
Most definitely having this taken away from me has made me value trying new things even more. Sometimes I can become stuck in an automatic day, even when I can go out and do what I want.
But my message to anyone reading this is to be brave. Jump at the chance to try something new. Because when we don’t, our brains aren’t getting stimulated and it can make you feel like crap.
4. Why Your Own Company Can Sometimes Be Great
Because of social media, there’s a craze about befriending others, showing your things to others and having thousands of friends who we don’t even know about online.
Yes, I got bored in my self-isolation, but there were times where being by myself was great!
I could get on with the things I needed to do. I didn't have that pressure to always say yes to people when I know I should say no, but I don’t out of kindness. I didn't have to worry about pleasing or displeasing people.
Self-isolation taught me that sometimes having your own company is wonderful.
So, before you think you have to spend time with others or being by yourself is lame, take an evening with just yourself as it could be extremely relaxing and stress-free.
5. We Don’t Need As Much As We Think
The world we live in now is all about “you must have this amazing (useless) thing that everyone has!” It’s all about having more and new stuff.
We collect and collect and collect. From thinking we need to have the latest phone or laptop to having more and more clothes. The reality is, we don’t need all of this.
I’ve spent less time on my phone than ever in these last 10 days and I’ve been great. It’s actually great not looking at yet another screen.
Our wellbeing does not depend on all these latest gadgets, products or clothing. Studies even show that giving and kindness actually make us happier than getting things for ourselves.
Self-isolation has definitely taught me that we do not as much as we think.
Final Comments
It’s fair to say, what seemed to be 10 days of working, chilling, having food made and delivered to me wasn’t what I thought it would be.
On surface level, it looks great, but you quickly realise how much you miss when you’re just in your room. Even the small things like stepping outside for a bit or sitting in the living room with my family or my other half.
With that being said, I definitely learned a few good lessons whilst self-isolating. I thought I’d share these with you because when we’re able to do whatever we want, these five things can easily slip our minds or we might not value them enough:
Being grateful towards family.
How much value you hold in others lives.
Why you should get out of your comfort zone and try new things.
You don’t always need others — your own company can be great.
We don’t need as much as we think.
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