“Can we take a walk to the park?”
Having spent all of yesterday and most of today indoors, Steff asked me if we could go outside to shake off her cabin fever. Our area is not at a point where we’re quarantined to the house under martial law, so there were no legal ramifications for doing so. Though I’m probably more concerned than most, I agreed. We got dressed, walked to the park, played a bit of Pokemon Go, and went home.
Practicing social distancing is one of the best measures we have right now when it comes to minimizing the spread of COVID-19. However, the process is having adverse effects on the mental health of many.
Staying home is just a part of that equation. Steff likes having the freedom of movement. Many like to go out and making a living wage to provide for their families. Others like to socialize. There are all sorts of reasons for wanting to go out; many of which are being shut down voluntarily or by government mandate. Most of us have never had to deal with losing this type of control in our lifetimes and the adjustment is tough.
I’m generally pretty comfortable with the idea of staying at home for a while (with a few major caveats). Being with Steff is a huge plus. With both if us working from home, we have more time to bond.
Part of my comfort in isolation actually stems from my health concerns. I really don’t want to find out if my history of asthma leaves me particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. Also don’t want to be the “Patient 31” that further pushes humanity into decline. Though I’m pretty comfortable with staying it, it’s really a byproduct of my fear of going outside.
The advent of the internet also goes a long way towards keeping me connected to the rest of the world. I’ve been in constant contact with family, friends, and coworkers. Still have the ability to post content on the site. Still have the ability to stream. If our internet drops for any reason though, I will probably go stir crazy in a matter of hours.
Being able to hang out with Kris from Double Jump on stream was particularly special. Being able to play Pokemon, engage with everyone in the chat, and have a little fun with the fireside chat feature was such a positive boost to our spirits. Stuff like this goes a long way towards helping us feel connected in spite of the circumstances.
From a gaming standpoint, there’s seemingly always something to play. Though I wish we were under healthier circumstances, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is shaping up to be the escape we need right now. Even without that, there are no shortage of games in my backlog, old faves to revisit, or digital downloads to purchase.
Being hyper-connected through the internet does have its downsides. I’m an inherent information junkie. At this point, you might as well plug r/coronavirus into my brain. Filtered by latest, I’m reading related news from around the world as it’s happening. I have a running dialogue with one of my coworkers where we actively discuss the situation and trade news stories all day. I much prefer having more than less, but I’m sure that the constant stream of (mostly) bad news will wear on my morale.
If this is our reality for the foreseeable future, I’m ready and willing to take one for mankind. However, it’s been…deeply disappointing to see so many others risk their lives and the lives of others for the sake of greed, stubbornness, or flat-out stupidity. This is not a joke. Mankind is literally at stake here, and it only takes one sick person who refuses to quarantine to ruin the lives of thousands. For all of us, please act responsibly.
How are you holding up in this new reality? Home life got you down? Or maybe…up? Is this the perfect time to dissolve into your introverted nature? Feel free to let me know how you’re holding up in your bunker.
In Third Person 
I had finally overcome my mental health issues and had a fun life offline for the first time ever. Then the world decided to seem like it was ending. I’m coping really well though thanks to cool streamers and a supportive blogging community. We are all in this together! Stay safe and all the best.
Side note: I just started playing Pokemon GO recently and it’s been great motivation to get out and do safe socially distanced walks. I can share my friend code with ya if you want to add this daily gifter, haha.
Hope you and yours stay safe too!
There are definitely a number of great creators out there. Just followed your blog and I’ll find some time to check it out!
If you’d like to share your Pokemon friend code, sure! Must warn you though that I was awful at sending gifts even before a global pandemic kept me away from them on most days. Choice is yours 🙂
Aw! Thanks for the follow but no pressure at all to check out my content, haha 🙂
Awesome. My code is: 8560 4974 0410. Pokemon is just like life: it’s better to give than to receive haha. I walk a lot and get a lot of gifts to give so no worries at all about returning them!
It is nice to be “quarantined” with someone you care about. I’m enjoying having my husband working from home right now, and we’re fortunate that we can do our work anywhere. But I agree, getting outside is important. I go stir crazy otherwise, so I try to take a walk every day even just by myself. It’s interesting how everyone handles it differently, and I know for some people social distancing is really difficult based on personality and interests. As gamers we’re lucky we have an indoor hobby that can entertain us for so many hours! 🙂
This whole situation has been a fascinating case study on humanity in 2020. Storylines big and small, from how politicians disseminate information that could help/harm others, to folks feeling stir crazy from being at home too long. Glad to hear you’re in good company and doing what you can to stay physically and mentally healthy. 🙂
P.S. – Always enjoy seeing your posts come up on my feed or seeing your Tweets. Besides always enjoying your work, it’s cool to see you still active after all these years. In a weird way, we go way back.