“I think I got cabin fever; somebody sound the alarm”- Jimmy Buffett
No, I haven’t shot 6 holes in my freezer yet, but I can understand the feeling, Mr. Buffett. Here we are, only a few days into the recommended CDC, “social distancing” and I (Shannon) am getting a little anxious. I’ve said it time and time again, I would never make it through Season 1 of surviving the zombie apocalypse. Staying put, and distancing myself, is not my forte. Fortunately, we are in a situation where we can work from home, but the thoughts of not being able to get out, is frankly, scary. I know, I know, keeping us safe, and virus-free is paramount, as well as protecting others. The last thing I would want to do is make someone else sick, but golly, when is this going to be over? This is just bananas!
The news doesn’t help- well, maybe in moderation. There is nothing on except the coronavirus talk, and when I tried to turn on the radio instead, same. Social media- same. Newly released podcasts- same. I had to go into the vault and pull some old podcasts that I have either already heard or dig into a murder mystery I haven’t heard yet. By the way, if you are interested, CounterClock is a gem of a find. It is about a true murder in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Dig in!
Our first inkling was to travel. I mean, why not?! The prices are ah-mazing right now, but again, we also want to follow the CDC recommendations and not be dicks who are posting our photos on an excursion while people are sick and dying. As I write this, today is St. Patrick’s Day. I mean, luck isn’t exactly what I am thinking about on this day, but we are a virus-free household, so maybe… 😉 We tried to celebrate with Betty White and give her a St. Patty’s Day themed cookie that we got her while in Savannah, but she wasn’t all that amused. Even Betty seems to be a little down. I think she is sick of us doting on her constantly, and maybe wants an adventure for herself.
I have been googling (you should never do that, btw) about the effects that social isolating can have on a person. Long term effects can be memory loss, stress, substance abuse, and more. Ok, sure, you are reminding me that it has only been 2 days, officially, but I tend to panic a bit thinking about how long this could go on.
Ok, so putting things into perspective. I am creating a list to help me, and you (if you are suffering from this same anxiety), of things we can do to get through this:
- Stay calm. Yes, Shannon, stay calm.
- Limit watching the news. I will only watch my friend, Maria Satira, in the morning and will limit the rest of the day to not knowing anything else until the following day.
- Maintain my routine. Get up, walk Betty, work, cook, enjoy hubs time, and go to bed at a decent time.
- Prepare, but not for doomsday. I will be smart about preparing for a few days ahead, but I WILL NOT think about months from now. It’s just too stressful.
- I am going to remind myself that we are all in this together, the whole world, and even if it took something negative to bring us together, at least it unifies us. 😊 Silver lining
- As always, ask yourself, “What would Jimmy Buffett do?” Well, you can take a look here, and he can tell you.
Take care of yourselves. Remember, never let them steal your joy.
