2021, a year for new beginnings, a fresh start after the trainwreck that was 2020. This year was supposed to be better than last year…right? Well my year started out with those dreaded words that no one wanted to hear right now, “your covid-19 test came back positive”. Yeah, I know what you are probably thinking, “Lindsey you probably deserve it if you were out partying on New Years and being irresponsible by not wearing a mask and practicing social distancing”. Well, you are wrong. I had a hard time telling people that I had the virus because I was afraid that people would be mad at me for being irresponsible in a time when the virus could mean life or death for some people. But I wanted to share my experience with this virus for other people who may be in a similar situation.
My friends and family know that I am very cautious when it comes to practicing social distancing and doing everything I can to follow CDC guidelines to avoid this virus. I did not go out partying on New Years Eve, I stay home and avoid large crowds as much as possible, I wear a mask and sanitize my hands if I am going to a store, and I have a very small circle of friends that I have seen over break to avoid contact. To say that I was shocked when I found out that I had gotten the virus is an understatement. I still am a little unsure how I got the virus, but considering I have only seen my immediate family in the past week, my best guess is that I got it from my grandmother who works in the hospital with COVID patients, who tested positive the same day I did.
Another disclaimer, as soon as I felt the smallest symptoms, I got tested right away and myself and my family are all quarantining now to avoid spreading the virus any further.
Now that I have justified myself, I wanted to talk about my different thoughts throughout my quarantine and how I have felt about this virus and my symptoms. This is something I could have used at the beginning of the virus so I hope it is helpful to others. For starters, no one really tells you what to expect when you get the virus because no one truly knows. I expected to be coughing all of the time and to have a terrible headache. But that was not the case. The very first day, I had a headache which subsided when I took some pain reliever. Second day was a headache, head congestion, and bad dizziness. The next day I had a sore throat and slight dry cough. The fourth day was a bad cough, sore throat, and body aches. The fifth day was a slight cough but more congestion and fatigue. Now I have just a runny nose but not much more. I should note that I found it strange how each morning I would wake up with new symptoms. I also had a fever for most of these days. One thing that I should also note is that I never lost my sense of taste or smell. I have had many friends call me and ask me to try these crazy food combinations to see if I could taste them. My response was always underwhelming because I can still taste and smell everything.
When I judge my overall experience with this virus, I can for sure say that being in quarantine alone has been worse than the symptoms themselves. I am an introverted person who enjoys being alone and having calm time to myself. However, even I am sick of being in isolation. I have not left my room in six days now, and I will be so happy when I can finally leave. As cliche as it sounds, I really took advantage of my ability to leave my house any time I wanted. I even took advantage of my independence within my house because now I am relying on my family to bring me food to leave outside my door, and I am so grateful for them but I also feel so guilty for relying on them for everything. (My family and I agreed on this system to prevent anyone else in my family from getting the virus). If you are starting a quarantine or have been through this before, you know that boredom is inevitable. I have started to wish I had school work to keep me busy because watching Netflix and Youtube for hours on end it becomes so mundane that it is not even interesting anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I love watching Criminal Minds. But there is only so much of that I can watch in isolation before I begin to think a serial killer will find their way into my room.
A few activities that have helped me stay busy during this quarantine are drawing, facetimes with friends, and loads of Tik Tok. I also just purchased an iPad to use for my classes this coming semester, so I have been exploring new ways to take notes digitally as well as learning how to draw and create in different ways on the iPad. I also highly recommend finding a new aesthetic while in quarantine. Pinterest has been my best friend these past few days just finding new ways to decorate my room and new outfits to fit that vibe. I also suggest making the most specific music playlists you can. One of my favorite hobbies is finding new music I enjoy, and making new playlists that match any possible situation you could be in. For example, I have playlists for night time drives, sad girl hours, beach days, when you wanna feel like the main character, workouts, and 2000’s dance parties. I guarantee this is an automatic serotonin booster. Another Spotify tip is finding aesthetic pictures on Pinterest and using them as covers for your playlists, or create collaborative playlists with your friends so you can have a killer playlist for the car when you and the girlies all get the vaccine.
If you have read this far, you’re a real one. In this article I just wanted to casually ramble about all of the thoughts that have gone through my head while I have been isolated. Quarantine is draining both physically and emotionally. So if you are quarantining right now, don’t forget that it is okay to give yourself a break and don’t put a lot of pressure on yourself to continue to be productive while your body is fighting this crazy virus. I know one of the first things I thought about when I realized I had to quarantine was being upset because I could not go to the gym for two weeks and that meant I might lose the progress I have made so far. But then I realized that my body needs the rest right now and I can hit the gym even harder when I am done. I know we all struggle with these kinds of things, so let yourself be sick for a while and give your body and mind the time to recover. I also acknowledge that I am lucky that I was not affected as badly by this virus as others have. I am sorry to anyone who has lost a loved one to this virus, and I am aware of how difficult this has been for many families over this past year. I wish for an end to this pandemic in the near future and I wish everyone the best of luck. (P.S. wear your masks and continue social distancing. I promise it is worth it).