COVID-ing the RED Way
Week four of quarantine – but it feels like week forty
t’s time to learn new things about ourselves, and get creative to achieve the things we need
The entire world is experiencing trying times right now. Between the struggling price of oil, market declines and the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are left feeling stunned. For many REDs and other extroverts, it’s the physical presence of people that fuel their day. For YELLOWs, there is no worse punishment than the silent treatment or isolation.
It is currently week four of quarantine – but it feels like week forty. I now realize the worst punishment for me is putting me in isolation, devoid of any human contact. I completely crumbled during the first few days of quarantine, and REDs around the world must have felt the same frustration. By the end of the first week working from home, I ended up laying on the floor staring at the ceiling wondering how in the world I was going to survive social distancing. It was the first time in my life I wished I had a roommate and I felt a heavy loneliness. I was always aware of my extroverted nature and desire to be around people, rather than spending evenings and weekends solo. However, this experience has made me realize that being around other human beings is actually much more than a preference, it’s a need.
After laying on my floor in despair for upwards of three hours, I decided I needed a mindset shift. I woke up the next morning and started a Trello board with color coding for categories. I selected themes for each week and listed the associated tasks. Week two started with the theme of “organization” and I divided it out by room-by-room – “organize dresser drawers”, “declutter bedroom closet”, “organize calligraphy supplies”. The list became my most valuable go-to tool when I started feeling the anxiety of being alone in my condo. I decided that I wasn’t going to embark on weeks of quarantine without coming out the other side with tangible accomplishments and new skill sets.
Being alone without the freedom to go out and do my daily routine left a lot of time to think - just myself and my thoughts. Our minds are powerful and I had to quickly realize that I am not my thoughts – because my thoughts went wild with negativity. It was a struggle to create new norms to maintain physical fitness, concentration throughout the work day and create boundaries with social media and the news. Overall, quarantine has been an exercise in mindset strength and the ability to stay relentlessly positive - this is something I am still working on. In a world where devastating news is reported what seems like every minute, it feels petty to struggle this hard to stay safely indoors. However, it’s okay not to be okay right now. This is a time for REDs to reach out and support one another. This is downtime that REDs and YELLOWs never have during the regular hustle and bustle. It’s time to learn new things about ourselves, and get creative to achieve the things we need to fill our cup.
