There’s No Place Like Home: 20 Thoughts on Life During the Coronavirus Outbreak
The Coronavirus outbreak has turned our world upside down and changed daily life remarkably for all of us, and every day, I’m learning new lessons. In this article, I’ll list 20 of my thoughts on life so far during the Coronavirus outbreak. The quote that keeps running through my mind is a beautiful one from Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz: “There’s no place like home”. I’ve also been thinking a lot about Alice in Wonderland, as she seems especially relatable as we navigate this strange new world.
My personal prediction is that social distancing will go on for 1-2 years, based on exponential growth of the virus, the fact that we don’t yet have a vaccine (which I believe is key to resolution), and my gut feeling after considering tons of news. My other prediction is that it’ll take 3 years for the economy to recover for the most part. Also, I think we’ll be forever changed because of the Coronavirus, in a WW2 or Great Depression type way. I believe, eventually, we will collectively recover from the devastation of the Coronavirus and see economic boom times again.
Those are my predictions. Of course I can’t truly see the future. But this is exactly how I see reality right now, and I’m living my life accordingly.
Right now, I think our #1 job as world citizens is to avoid spreading the virus to save lives.
But no matter how effective we are at containing the virus, I still believe my predictions, mainly: 1-2 years of social distancing and 3 years to basic economic recovery.
With all that in mind, here are 20 of my thoughts on life during the Coronavirus outbreak:
1. Save money
It’s extra important to have an emergency fund right now. If possible, save money, whether it’s a little or a lot. That way there’s cash to buy necessities, cover possible of job loss or pay cuts, pay for possible medical expenses, and create feelings of safety and abundance.
2. Invest money
As the economy heads into a recession, and possibly a depression, many stocks are falling in price and “going on sale”. If you believe the economy will recover, and I do, now is a good time to carefully invest in the future.
3. Be patient
Scientists all over the world are hotly pursuing a Coronavirus vaccine, but the most optimistic reports say a useable vaccine is still 1 year away, possibly 2, assuming we can develop a vaccine at all, since the Coronavirus is a new beast. Because of that, social distancing and the economic downturn might last for years, so it’s important to get comfortable with these new realities. It’s kind of freeing to accept the new social and economic environment and patiently cooperate.
4. Be proactive
Our values, dreams, and needs still exist alongside the Coronavirus threat. We need to play good defense. But we need to play good offense too. There are many creative ways we can proactively make good things happen.
5. Stay home
Of course, stopping the spread of the virus to save lives is our #1 collective priority right now. It’s truly great how governments and individuals are changing the whole structure of society, so many of us can stay home.
6. Set up robust technology
My husband and I have been working from home, with our son alongside us. It’s become glaringly apparent how important fast, reliable home technology is right now: wireless internet, computers, phones, television, and safety margin redundancies on everything in case things get wonky.
7. Work from home if possible
It’s been an enormous blessing to work from home during the Coronavirus outbreak. It takes a tremendous amount of effort, but it’s working so well for our family. Our employers have been outstanding. For us, it’s Quarantine Day 24. I realize not all work can be done from home, but I do think it’s fantastic companies are protecting their in-person teams with new social distancing policies and protective gear when necessary. It’s incredible what we’ve unitedly accomplished already. But I think together, overall, we can do even better.
8. Nurture relationships
It’s strange being separated from loved ones. Luckily, I have my husband, son, and cat with me at home, and we all get along quite well. But we miss our parents, family, and friends. I realize many people are at home alone. It helps big time to stay in touch via phone, text, Zoom, and social media. It’s also a great time to nurture good relationships with ourselves.
9. Adapt and think like a survivor
I read this amazing book called “The Survivor Personality” by Al Siebert awhile back. It suggests handling life’s difficulties with playful curiosity, flexibility, empathy, and turning misfortune into good luck. I love it.
10. Believe in the good in people
It’s encouraging to see people locally and globally cooperating to manage the Coronavirus threat. Of course things haven’t been handled perfectly. But there’s evidence all over the place that people are doing good things, big and small, and all kinds of heroes are emerging, including medical teams, grocery workers, and delivery drivers, to name just a few.
11. Careful home food and supply provisioning
Our homes are kind of like ships, that require provisioning. We’ve been doing all recent grocery shopping by delivery service. We’ve had the best luck so far with Costco, New Seasons, and Schwan’s, in terms of reliability and inventory. We got TP from Office Depot. It’s great to be well-stocked. My husband built 5 raised planter beds, and we’ll plant vegetable seeds soon.
12. Avoid the spread of germs
All the expert advice is great: Wash hands for 20 seconds, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer, disinfect surfaces, practice social distancing, and wear masks in public. We are also sanitizing all groceries and packages that come into our home. I’m kind of obsessive-compulsive, so in a way, this feels natural to me.
13. Help each other
We can help each other by staying home. We can donate funds to organizations that help people with COVID-19, or groups that provide meals to the elderly. We can carefully share our surpluses of food and sanitation supplies when our neighbors, family, and friends run low.
14. Build your immune system with sleep, nutrition, exercise, and hope
It’s especially key right now to treat yourself extremely well physically and mentally. I keep hearing experts say sleep, zinc, vitamin C, vitamin D, and antioxidants (rich in vegetables and fruit), are key immune boosters.
15. Create and use routines
Routines create a sense of normalcy, and they seem especially important when we’re home all the time. My husband and I use routines to structure our work days, get house projects done, and go to bed at a reasonable hour. Routines have allowed us to help our son develop more independence through chores, as well as nurture his talents.
16. Spend time outdoors and in the sun
Happiness seems to come easier with sunshine and vitamin D. As I’m writing this blog, it’s blue skies and sunny outside. I was just outside in the backyard with my son watering the strawberry plants, and the water mist from the hose created a colorful rainbow. I’ve been going on neighborhood walks most days too.
17. Read the news, but not too much
Like many people, during the Coronavirus outbreak, I’ve been reading the news a lot lately, and it’s been enlightening, but also terrifying, depressing, and frustrating. I feel terrible seeing what’s happening in Italy and New York: the numerous infections, the loss of life, the limited resources leaving some of the afflicted without treatment or tests. I’ve been scared the same thing could happen in more places, or where I live, and affect my local community, my family, my friends, or myself. It’s been tough to see the US become the worldwide hotspot. I’ve had to limit my news consumption to stay sane. But there have been bright spots in the news: recently Oregon and China announced they’d loan ventilators to New York, and the governor of New York said they’d return the favor. Amazing.
18. Live fully, even in this strange new reality. Say “Yes” to life
What we focus on flourishes, so as always, I think it’s important to focus on the good life, even during crisis. I’ll admit, I’ve had a few days where I’ve been totally sad, scared, and heartbroken about current events, people dying, and all the terrible possibilities. In moments, I’ve felt powerless and overwhelmed. I think that’s completely okay to feel those emotions, and I know I’m not alone. Even in the midst of this misfortune, I think it’s especially important to continue to live to the fullest and say “Yes” to life, so we can find hope and strength and improvise best outcomes. I even think it’s totally okay to responsibly celebrate, luxuriate, enjoy creature comforts, and bask in the good things with loved ones whenever possible. It takes the edge off and gives us the juice we need to be effective when it counts.
19. Remember, this too shall pass
As I mentioned in my predictions above, I expect a vaccine in 1-2 years, economic recovery in 3 years, and economic boom times in the future. If I’m right on that timeline, this Coronavirus experience will require patience, but eventually, this misadventure will be over, and we’ll move on with normal life. Who knows if the Coronavirus will mutate, or if we’ll be afflicted by other viruses, or if the problem will be compounded by other unrelated crises. Any of that is certainly possible. But no matter what happens, the Coronavirus drama will eventually pass, and the odds are we’ll enjoy relative safety again. This too shall pass.
20. Be totally determined to make the best of this situation with resilience and persistence
I’ve heard psychologists say that “grit” is the combination of resilience and persistence. I think that’s a powerful concept right now. Who knows what challenges each of us will face in the coming years. I once helped a man, in the town where I live, celebrate his 109th birthday, and he told me his best advice was to “just take each day as it comes”. Good advice. We can all use the ability to bounce back from failure and keep trying in the face of difficulty, one day at a time. It helps to envision a beautiful future and reward ourselves along the way. I think the more we keep the ideal in mind, the more we’ll strive to achieve it.
All the best to you
All in all, I wish you all the best as we navigate the Coronavirus outbreak together. Let’s all enjoy our quarantines, do everything we can to stop the spread, and do our best to turn our bad luck into good with resilience, fortitude, and ingenuity. And let’s have patience. And lots of love. I’m staying hopeful. I believe in us. And as Dorothy says, “there’s no place like home”.
