If the return to "normal" scares you, fear not: you are not alone!
It may seem absurd to you, I know, but there are some people who have learned to accept quarantine. Indeed, I will tell you more. For these people, living in quarantine isn't bad at all. This is why, as we get closer to an expiration date every day, it is not uncommon for some to begin to perceive a sense of nostalgia for this anomalous condition. If you fall into this category, know that everything is normal. There are those who speak of "Stockholm syndrome", a controversial mechanism whereby a sort of emotional attachment tends to develop towards one's kidnapper. I would rather speak of reassuring custom.
A whole new routine
After the first days, the most difficult ones, lived at the mercy of emotional crises and mood swings, there are those who have got used to it. For them, time has started to flow even faster than before. There are those who have created a new routine out of nothing, a routine that - perhaps - turned out to be even better than the pre-lockdown one and which - in function of this - prompted them to revise their lifestyle. A routine that will struggle to leave after May 4th. There are those who have embarked on a path of mindfulness, coming into contact with their own self and a new person will emerge from this experience, not necessarily better, no doubt more aware. In short, there are those who understood that it was time to ask questions and give themselves answers.
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Quarantine is a "subjective experience."
Of course, the degree of livability of the quarantine varies from person to person. For some it is undeniably harder than for others. For those who are alone, away from loved ones. For those who risk losing their jobs - or unfortunately - have already lost it. For whom, the home is not synonymous with family, but with abuse. In fact, most of the population feels imprisoned within the walls of their homes and cannot wait to be able to return to normalcy. If then, of normality, we can still talk about it. Yet, in the midst of this chaos of possibilities that is mankind, there are those who have managed to grasp all the beauty that exists from a condition that has very little beauty.
For some it has meant significant benefits
After all, forced isolation has also had positive implications that cannot be ignored. Many have seized the opportunity to set out to regain their time. Get up later, have a quiet breakfast, devote yourself to reading those books accumulated over time and never opened. For others, the key word was: experimentation. They experimented by engaging in all those activities hitherto snubbed or neglected. For some, this meant kneading their first pizza, for others, trying their hand at the oriental discipline of yoga. Someone will continue to do it even after, someone else, however, has already stopped. Not to mention the level of efficiency and productivity which, in some cases, has been significantly increased by the smart-working mode. A work system in which one is freed from exhausting journeys on public transport in which human dignity seems a forgotten concept.
The fear of the post-quarantine
And then, we cannot ignore the fear of the future, a feeling that makes the condition of "quarantined" even more attractive. The fear of the unknown, of what will come next, the fear of crowded places, the fear of contagions. Yes, because the virus, unfortunately, will not disappear overnight, willy-nilly we will have to learn to live with it, with the virus as well as with fear. How will the work go? What about social life? The intimate sphere? Will it be even more difficult to get to know someone and trust them to the point of - I don't mean making them come into your life - but at least in contact with your pillow? What about going out for dinner? Will it be a prize or a torture? In short, this stalemate, waiting for a new decree, a new bulletin, a new world out there waiting for us, is for many reassuring and a source of comfort. For this reason, no one should have the ardor to judge the path of others, especially when it comes to feelings, which - you know - rebel against any logic and are what is most personal.
Rest assured, everything is normal
So, if you feel disoriented, if you are worried more about tomorrow than today, despite the fact that today is anything but rosy, know that you are not alone. But do you know what it is? You don't have to worry. You have managed to preserve your mental balance in a situation that has done everything to put it to the test, with the spirit of adaptation that distinguishes you you will be able to accept and, therefore, face everything that will be, however it will be.
