Coronavirus, Anxiety, and Self-Quarantine

I’m writing to you from our apartment, where we’ve been self-quarantining for the last 4 days. We had planned a trip to see my family in Northern CA for my mom’s birthday and were going to fly out on Thursday morning. Given how much and how quickly things were escalating, we ultimately decided to cancel our trip at 9 p.m. the night before. I was a mess trying to make this decision. Our flight was supposed to leave at 8 a.m. the next morning. We were in the middle of prepping our pup’s stuff to take her to boarding and decided we needed to take a moment to stop and talk through all of it.

We were worried about unknowingly contributing to the spread of the virus.

We were worried about unknowingly passing on the virus to at-risk people.

We were worried about potential domestic travel restrictions and not being able to get home.

We were also sad, mad, and frustrated because it sucks not being close to family and having to cancel a trip we were so looking forward to. But we knew the decision not to go was for the greater good.

This virus is absolutely scary and freaky, but so is the panic surrounding it. Especially for someone like myself who deals with anxiety on a regular basis, how quickly everything escalated over the last few days has made it tough to be able to sort through my emotions.

It’s crazy times when cities are shutting down completely. It’s crazy times when people are buying out all the toilet paper (??!!) and there’s no fresh produce to purchase. It’s crazy times when we haven’t been able to find hand sanitizer or disinfectant wipes for the last several weeks — even before all of the escalations. It’s crazy times when people are fighting over the last of this or the last of that at the supermarket. It’s crazy times when there’s so much uncertainty.

But I’m also recognizing the power of everyone coming together to fight this dang thing. While social media can often feel suffocating seeing everyone’s highlight reels, it’s been a refreshing way to feel connected in this time of social distancing and self-quarantining. It’s been refreshing to see how everyone is coming together to support each other, small businesses, and to fight hunger for those in need. It’s been refreshing to see that we’re not alone in our concern and anxiety.

More than anything, I think we’ve really recognized how blessed and privileged we are to be able to comfortably hunker down and do our part to help flatten the curve.

I’m thankful for my husband and pup who help keep me grounded.

I’m thankful for a healthy body that allows me to exercise, helping my mind and soul just as much as my physical health.

I’m thankful that we have stable jobs and supportive companies and managers that allow us to work from home and not miss a paycheck.

I’m thankful that we were able to buy what we needed to limit our outings and help slow the spread.

I’m thankful that we live in a corner of our city with beautiful running and walking paths so we can get outdoors and get some fresh air.

I’m thankful that we have a balcony to get some fresh air even if we can’t get outside for a walk.

I’m thankful that people are recognizing the need to self-quarantine and that they’re doing it.

I’m thankful for those on the front lines of this thing — healthcare professionals, pharmacists and pharmacy workers, grocery and supermarket workers. Be kind to them.

I’m thankful for people like my brother who are helping to draft policy, answer questions, and deploying employees to respond.

While we are all apart, this is an unprecedented time to come together and support each other. Be kind to one another. Be patient with one another. Don’t hoard groceries — you don’t know who might be in more need than you and hasn’t had a chance to get to the store yet. Turn off the media and unfollow accounts if they’re making you anxious. You can stay informed without feeling overwhelmed.

Most of all — if you can self-quarantine, please do. Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face. And spread love, not the virus.

Best wishes to you all — stay healthy and check in on one another. 🤍