Social Distancing from Prague

Years ago, I remember a friend talking about how she would sit at home in the evening and wonder what her friends are doing and if they are all together without her. That’s one concern that she likely doesn’t have these days of social distancing …

These are the days of social distancing. I haven’t been outside my neighbourhood since March 3, when I returned from Istanbul. Upon my return, I self-imposed social isolation due to fears about the novel coronavirus. Ten days later, the Czech Republic declared a state of emergency for 30 days.

We are in the midst of this state of emergency. When I look out my living room window, the streets are fairly quiet. Almost everyone has a mask or some other way of covering their mouth and nose while outdoors. In fact, it is required if taking public transport.

I’m staying in my neighbourhood for the foreseeable future. I walked around to see what’s open and what’s closed. Starbucks is now closed, but lots of other restaurants have set up takeout windows. Grocery stores, drugstores and pharmacies are open, as well as bakeries. Food delivery is possible with Wolt, Uber Eats and Dame Jidlo. The only stores I’ve been in since the state of emergency are grocery stores. I’ve also made one visit to post office to pick up a package.

All my appointments are on hold for the foreseeable future. My gym is closed, and conducting Skype classes (not my jam). The Baha’i New Year’s (same as the Persian New Yea,r Naw- Ruz) started yesterday at sunset, but everyone is celebrating independently. I’m not meeting any friends for a walk, dinner, coffee, movies, chatting, anything. So am I bored?

Daily Life During Social Distancing

I’m far from bored! I’m exercising (almost) every day, including going for a walk in the nearby park, keeping my distance from other walkers, runners, and dog walkers. There are usually a few people out, much less than usual. I’m focused on staying healthy, mentally and physically, during this time. This means eating lots of veggies, protecting my brain health, and doing regular exercise.

Work carries on as before since I work from home. It’s true that Netflix is on a bit too much, but I’m also reading (I have a big pile of books). Although I usually live alone, my sister is here with me (she was studying in Italy) so we’re alone together. She’s convinced me to watch Love is Blind 🙄. I don’t typically watch reality tv but I’ve heard so much about this show; I’m enjoying picking it apart and entertaining her with my sardonic commentary. But even without Netflix, I have no shortage of content to read and listen to. There are books on my shelf and on my kindle. My podcasts list and RSS feed reader (yes, I still use one) have more content than I could get through in ages.

I want to make sure that I don’t just consume media. I work on my Changes BIG and small podcast (new releases every Wednesday), take online courses, write blog posts, and share resources on my Facebook pages like Journey with Technology and on Instagram. I’m back to meditating (almost) every day and journalling. My Czech online course is on my daily schedule again.

Every day, I work on my resilience. And I also make some time for fun and relaxation. Besides Netflix, my mindless activity is playing Words With Friends (dpres). I’ve been playing for years (!) and although I haven’t met most of the people in real life, I would meet some of them for a coffee IRL given the chance one day 😆.

Helping Others During Social Distancing

I’m so fortunate! I’m in good spirits. My cupboards are stocked, and I can still buy fresh fruits and vegetables from stores that are within a few blocks from my home. I work as usual. I have toilet paper 😅. Being one of the people who have no added financial stresses during this emergency situation, how can I contribute towards helping others?

Support Freelancers

I access a lot of free resources and tools online: exercise videos, podcasts blogs. I’ve decided that one way that I can help during this time is to support the freelancers whose work inspires me and who provide resources to help others.

Show Friends You Care

I’m being more intentional about contacting friends, especially those who live alone. I don’t enjoy talking on the phone usually, so I rarely initiate phone calls, but I do pick up when friends or family call me 🙈. Otherwise, I send direct messages and texts to friends to check if they are okay. Consider doing the same for your friends and family members. You may also want to offer to provide help, for example picking up groceries for an older friend or family member. You can drop it off at the door, without even making contact is worried about spreading germs.

Help An Educator

I was an educator and many of my friends are educators. If you’re an educator and need some tech support, let me know. I’m pretty confident in being able to figure out how technology tools work, and I’d be happy to help during my free time. If you need to think through some options to meet your goals, or want some specific tech help, let me know.