COVID-19: How Self-Isolation can be Fun?

Well, before you take a quick pass at this post as just another COVID-19 myth, measure or misinformation, let me be crystal clear. I am not here to spread any new information, or to start a rumor but to share how my family and I are dealing with the daily news about COVID-19, and how we are making our self-isolation fun. A lot of us are going through a similar phase, and a big challenge stands in front of humanity. Up until now, the world has seen two gruesome World Wars, and today it sees yet another one. We all have a common enemy, and together, we have to unite and fight COVID-19; and one of the simplest ways is self-isolation.

We are a family of three, which includes my wife, my 18-month old son, and myself, and we live in Bothell, Washington, USA. Now before you start Googling ‘Bothell, Washington, USA,’ let me save you some time by enlightening you that we live very close to what you would call ‘Ground Zero’ for COVID-19 in the USA.

The first report of COVID-19 in the USA came in January when someone in the Snohomish county of Washington tested positive for the virus. I remember I went to the Seattle Outlets mall over that weekend, and it felt like a ghost town. Even though it was the Chinese Lunar Year weekend, there hardly was any crowd, and shops were empty. Time went by, and the spread of the virus in China, then Italy, followed by Iran, took the world by storm. The first reported COVID-19 death in the USA happened in a Life Care Center in Kirkland, which is a few miles from our house. It happened on 29th February 2020, and over the weekend, we stocked up supplies and have been in self-isolation for close to 3 weeks now. It might sound paranoid, it might seem over-stressing, but we all have seen enough Pandemic movies, to learn that it only gets worse, and only humans can help survive the race of humans.

My wife and I were crystal clear that we wanted to stay indoors, we didn’t want to risk catching anything, and with a toddler son at home, the decision was instantaneous. We started working from home (WFH), we stopped sending our son to daycare, and we stopped ordering food from outside. Co-incidentally within a couple of days, even our companies asked employees to WFH. The awareness grew tenfold, and our decision to proactively self-isolating ourselves turned out to be right.

But…

How do you spend all that time indoors?

How do you socially distance yourself and not get bored?

How do you remain productive while working from home, along with keeping your kids engaged and entertained?

How do you manage to cook at least three meals a day?

How do you not crave for a change in cuisine?

The first week was very challenging for us. It was difficult to suddenly change our lifestyles and adjust in a way to ensure all the daily work and chores were complete.

A toddler requires a lot of attention, as they keep running from corner to corner, to touch and explore things, and parents have to keep an eye on them continually.

With all this, it becomes impossible to focus on work, and it is understandable, family comes first.

To ensure we gave our son the proper care, and in parallel be productive at work, we divided our work time into smaller chunks of focus time where each would work for some time, and be away from work for some time.

Before scheduling or attending meetings, we discussed the availability of each other, and if there was a conflict, the one with the higher priority one was honored.

We changed our work styles to focus more on team collaborative work during business hours, and personal work in the evening, after our son went to sleep.

We emailed out immediate team members stating that our response to impromptu pings and emails wouldn’t be quick, and everyone was welcoming of the heads up.

Our companies have been incredibly supportive of the challenging times and consistently boosted us by motivating and addressing concerns.

So, even though it took us a week or so, to strike a balance, we seem to have found harmony with our new working style.

Let’s come to food…

I, for one, cannot eat a home-cooked meal every day. I spend my Tuesdays and Thursdays in local breweries and coffee shops, where I can work and enjoy a beverage. I call it my weekday retreat. For more than 20 years now, there hasn’t been a single weekend where I haven’t gone out for dinner. Whether it be with my family or just by myself, one dinner over the weekend has been a ritual for me.

However, for three weeks now, we haven’t eaten out in a restaurant or ordered any takeout food. We know that ordering food delivery or takeout is considered safe, but since the virus is so new, and new information is getting unraveled each day, we haven’t taken the risk of getting any cooked food from outside… which brings us to cooking at least three meals a day.

We are from India, and usually at home, we cook Indian food, which, if you search on Google, is one of the most time-consuming cuisines to prepare. When we are at work, we eat the food from the cafeteria and don’t have to spend any time cooking, but that isn’t the case anymore. So, to ensure we didn’t get bored eating the same food, we started trying out different recipes. At night, we decide the menu for the next day, set aside the required ingredients, soak any pulses or beans, and do most of the preparation, to ensure we minimize our setup time in the morning. It isn’t the same food every day, and our son loves the variety as well. Usually, at his daycare, he doesn’t get to eat a lot of Indian food, but while at home, we are happy to see him adjust to the taste and spice of India.

And now let’s come to Social distancing…

Science has progressed immensely over the last two decades, and what seemed like a distant reality, is now becoming the everyday means for people. There are more social networks and streaming sites than a person can handle. Families and friends can now chat over Hangouts; business meetings can run via video conferences, public announcements can happen via a swarm of media channels, and the latest up-to-date information is live on the internet.

So, ‘social distancing’ should be much easier today, as we have the means to stay connected with everyone. Yes, I understand that meeting people is a daily part of life, and no one wants to stay home all day, but with the COVID-19 pandemic around us, remember that it can get much worse. For the fans of the TV show ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ for the next few weeks, imagine yourself as Sheldon Cooper, and the social distancing, self-isolation, and hygiene will come naturally to you.

As a family, we spend a lot of time playing with our son and teaching him how to speak words from our native language. Every day, we explore new ways to enjoy our shelter-at-home time, and it gives us the strength to weather this pandemic. By staying at home, we are saving on the daily commute and using that extra time to work out, learn a new language, spend our weekend nights watching Netflix, etc. As a suggestion, use this time to explore yourself, learn something new, start a hobby, etc.

The important thing is to find a routine that works, and the balance will automatically scale.

When all this is over, we will surely miss this family time.

Look at the bright side…

COVID-19 has taken the freedom out of the free.

Some are terming it as Nature pressing the reset button. Ecosystems aren’t seeing any pollution, cities have cleaner air, and the whole world has learned about basic hygiene techniques. The terms ‘sanitizer’, ‘washing hands’ are trending around the world, and every other celebrity is teaching how to wash hands, spreading awareness, and motivating their fans and well-wishers to take the necessary steps.

Everyone around the world has to step up in fighting against COVID-19.

It is widely suspected that COVID-19 came from Bats, and as humans, we are blaming the flight mammal for no reason. We experimented, we misused, and we are suffering from our mistakes, so we have no right to curse Bats.

…And even if you want to continue blaming Bats, then let’s become Bats to beat the Bats…

… Let’s show them that we can put on a cape and become the one superhero we dream of becoming every day…

… Let’s not turn this pandemic into an apocalypse, where everyone strives to become ‘Negan’…

.. Let’s take the necessary steps to fight COVID-19…

…Self-isolate, Support, and Survive…