I have not only joined an online course, tried my hand at cooking, organised my bookshelves but also gave my baby brother a very questionable haircut; I am a Millennial dealing with isolation during a Pandemic.
#WorkFromHome has not entirely been traumatising even when the business has seen better days. Mom’s health hasn’t been all too well lately but she is holding up like a champion, not to mention my brother has managed to track down many family heirlooms in the last few weeks. As a family, we’ve managed to squeeze our expenses, rid myself of a few mistakes but uncertainty continues to loom as new cases surface with each morning.
In the midst of trying to plank the curve, I’ve been hit with what I am terming as a ‘Reading Slump’ but it could be entirely something different. I’ve been keeping my mood swings, eating habits and exercising patterns in check but have sadly failed when it comes to reading. For someone who looks forward to finding some precious time over the weekend to read, the idea of a lockdown sounded aspiring. Every year I try to read as much as possible; setting up a GoodReads goal; squeezing in a few pages every chance I get; during work commute, during lunch hour, before hitting the hay etc. Reading is not a mere hobby but rather a form of self-expression for me. I’ve was once caught secretly reading at a cousin’s wedding whilst she said “I Do” – so you get the gist right?
I also made use of the first week of lockdown with much success and read around a dozen books but for the past few weeks, I haven’t been able to read, I look onto my shelves, admire my TBR pile, add titles to my wishlist on Amazon but I cannot seem to find myself get lost inside a book. Often I find myself reaching the bottom of the page only to realize I haven’t the foggiest of what I’ve just read.
Given what is happening outside the comfort of my home, is this feeling completely normal? Is the isolation getting to me? I was under the impression that as long as I keep making ends-meet, I will be sane and will not let these uncharted times effect me but was I wrong to think I’ll be immune to a global, mind shift?
The TBR on my nightstand is collecting dust (hypothetically – I dust voraciously) while I scroll through Twitter for the umpteenth time. And I don’t know how to overcome this situation. I guess, we are all struggling to focus right now and surviving a global pandemic is certainly not a cake walk.
If you are reading this, here is a little prayer for you, I know its difficult and what you are struggling with right now – too shall pass. I hope things will get better for you and your loved ones. Here’s to a better time ahead!