Edie Weinstein writes about what it will be like for people returning to a world that looks different before COVID.
For many of us in the U.S., this marks more than six months that we have been in quarantine. I refer to it as ‘self solitude,’ and the experience has been both terrifying and comforting. In mid-March, as the buds were beautifully blossoming, I was turning inward, attempting to wrap my mind around the possibility that I would be on my own for a few weeks.
Living in Solitude
I live alone and being able to work from my home, offering telehealth sessions as a psychotherapist, has all of the accouterment to survive comfortably. My dining room table has become my desk; my living room has transformed into my makeshift gym. When I contemplated not seeing family or friends, co-workers, or clients for what I imagined would be a short period of time, I told myself I would adjust. I had no clue that it would stretch out to several months with no end in sight. As a confirmed people person and consummate hugger, the idea of not touching another human being for an indefinite length of time was inconceivable. Because I have developed solid resiliency skills, I conceived a plan to manage these unexpected circumstances that included:
