Isolation

For me, the most prevalent and invasive feeling during one wave after another of the tumbling COVID variants is isolation. What’s odd though, isolation has also become a shared experience, a bonding emotion. Yet, even in its odd sense of community, isolation sometimes leaves me adrift without the would be expected and anticipated hugs and affirmations common in relationships. Eventhough I feel connected to others through the shared sentiment of isolation, I can’t click completely, because I’m not experiencing the nuances of in-person empathizing.

Don’t get me wrong, I cherish my alone time! I can get lost for hours in the solo activities of: gardening, reading, writing, cooking, sewing, and baking. Yet, what’s the point if I can’t sit with a friend in the garden, read to a grandchild in my lap, browse in a dusty library, cook a meal for company, share cookies over a cup of tea, or present in person that hand-made quilt at a baby shower?

It takes planning and a concerted effort to remain connected to my circle of friends, to my community, to my family during these uncertain times.

In isolation, anxious thoughts can morph into unhinged worry, solitude can edge into loneliness, and self-preservation can erode into selfishness.

What are you doing to remain connected during these times of isolation?