In a time where we constantly face 2-hour commutes and mindless busyness, there’s nothing our generation needed more than quarantine, that halts unessential business and created an extended time at home for self-care and self-love.
Frivolous hookups that give temporary satisfaction and restaurants that pride themselves on “customizability” (really just a way to get you to take a shorter lunch break so you can go back to pressing keys in an office) are practices we’ve internalized as “productive,” when in reality, these tasks do nothing for our hearts and minds.
We’ve been conditioned to perform for the machine of society that we have lost a sense of self.
In Istvan Meszaros’ book, “Marx’s Theory of Alienation,” Karl Marx theorizes that capitalism robs us of our creativity and imagination because most of the work capitalism demands does not require creativity and alienates the self.
The quarantine is not only a warning to step up caring for our mental health, but also an opportunity to act on it.
I’m not just talking about putting on a
$30 face mask you got from Sephora and then eating frosted animal cookies before turning on Netflix to rewatch “The Office.”
The best type of self-care is learning new habits that foster imagination and evade unhealthy social habits that keep us tied to parasitic relationships.
Cig Harvey, a fine arts photographer known for her surreal images of nature and family, told B&H Photo Video that she really reinvigorated her career when she quarantined herself at home for three months, making photographs and self-portraits in one room, telling the story of her recent heartbreak through her art.
Time alone at home doesn’t only provide time to create, but time to meditate and reassess the highs and lows of our lives.
I personally found myself reevaluating my relationships with friends and family.
College students like myself hardly see our family because of schoolwork, summer internships and being away from home.
Some students have relatives who are ill that may not live to see their graduation.
The quarantine has given those students the opportunity to see their family members, wether it being via telecommunication or at home, and truly treasure what is important in life.
People who choose to self isolate to decrease the chances of exposing their family members to the virus have rediscovered or further explored technology and alternative ways to stay connected.
Quarantine is not self-isolation, but simply more time with those that you love and those that love you.
Many of us are prone to keep poor friendships or flings around simply as immediate yet temporary satisfaction, a skill we’ve naturally mastered by being Amazon Prime members and “Buy Now, Pay Later” users.
These checkout methods of instant gratification are not only toxic in their inherent existence, but parasitic as it trains us to overlook consequences in the means of impatience and halt envisioning what we truly want for ourselves in the long term.
Because clubs are closed and the shelter-in-place mandate is keeping most people inside, hookups are off the table, forcing us to actually communicate with others and establish relationships that last longer and hold more meaning.
Social distancing has revealed our true friends and lovers because those that check up on us are worth our mutual time and respect.
Being cozied up at home and picking up a new hobby is a privilege, one that we should not squander, but use to promote self-awareness so we can leverage it for others in the future.
