2020 has been a hell of a year. Not that we’re complaining much; despite the chaos that the world is experiencing, so far, we’ve gotten by just fine. We still have a roof over our heads, stable jobs, and more importantly, we have each other. Not trying to be cheesy, but we’re glad we are not going through this challenging time alone.
However, it’s not all nice and smooth. We’ve had our ups and downs, we fought at times, and sometimes, we couldn’t stand each other’s presence. We’re holding up, though. Perhaps because we are both introverts, we deal with the quarantine fairly easier than other people. We are trying to spend quality time together, and we’re even planning a short getaway to somewhere remote soon. We will tell you later how we survive self quarantine as an introvert couple.
Our experience during the past 6 months of pandemic
Paul
I can’t believe it’s been 6 months since we’ve done self-quarantine. The year flashes by before our eyes and it’s almost the end of the year already. I think the biggest regret I have so far is the fact that I cannot go back home and visit my family because of the border closure. I can go home, yes, but if I do, I won’t be able to go back here until further notice. That is not something that I prefer to do.
Jess and I have also been discussing the possibility of spending Christmas abroad. Even though I don’t observe Christmas, my family does, and it’s always a pleasant time of the year to spend time with them. This year, I want to bring Jess to visit my family and spend Christmas at my uncle’s place in Europe. It’d be nice to have her meet my extended family and experience the holiday together, although we’re not sure if it’s possible because of the travel limitation. But who knows? Hopefully, everything gets better in a few weeks and we can go on with the plan. Otherwise, we will find something nice to spend the holiday here.
Jess
I think the whole experience is easier for me than for Paul. Yes, we’re both introverts, but I think he’s less of an introvert than me. Or, perhaps, he has different needs than I have. My whole life, I don’t have many friends, and I never really have a problem with that. I’m pretty much a self-reliant person, I don’t need much from other people because that’s just who I am. During the quarantine, I keep myself busy through new projects, and I have no problem entertaining myself.
Paul, on the other hand, needs external stimulants from time to time to keep him going. Something as simple as talking with other people energizes him. He has had a few down periods, and I try as best as I can to support him.
Paul
Sometimes, it suffocates me that I can’t go out and socialize with friends or new people. I’m not like Jess. She doesn’t need much socializing to get by. For me, it’s nice to go out sometimes and interact with strangers. I try to do it from time to time, with precautions, of course.
Jess
For myself, the most challenging part of this quarantine is keeping myself disciplined. Ever since I met Paul, I’ve lived a sedentary life, and I’m gaining weight because I’ve been snacking a lot and not exercising much. It’s really bad for my health, and I need a real plan to change. I can’t afford to get sick, especially during these times.
Paul
I’m the same. I don’t exercise much. Even worse, I had a couple of alarming incidents regarding my health. I’ve had this lump in my throat since January—which I just recently found out that it’s my swollen tonsils; I had a high fever a few months ago, fortunately, it’s only food poisoning, nothing serious. They were alarming, but we’re grateful that there was nothing fatal. We’re really bad at keeping our health, aren’t we?
Jess
Despite everything, there is at least one thing I’m pleased about. I have valid excuses not to have to go back to my hometown! Either for work or family reasons. I do miss my siblings, but I don’t miss my mother. Oh, and I definitely do not miss the big city and its congested traffic!
6 things we do to survive the self quarantine
We both like not having to go out and do nothing. But, it can have a downside too. So we have a few things to help us survive the self-quarantine as an introvert couple:
1. Force yourself to get out of the house
It’s easier to just stay at home and do nothing, but once you get out of the house, you’d be glad you did. Change of fresh air is not only good for your physical, but also mental wellness.
2. Call your friends
Have a zoom call with your friends. See fresh faces. Interacting with your inner circle will help cheer you up.
3. Do something nice for your partner
Dress up. Try new things in bed. Fix something for them. Doing nice things for your partner will lift the mood for both of you.
4. Take up a new hobby
Start a new project. Try new things. We always like starting new projects, because it always feels exciting. Start something you’ve always wanted to do before the pandemic. There’s no excuse not to do it anymore.
5. Solve a problem together
It can be as simple as changing the position of the bed because the morning sun has been interrupting your sleep. There’s always something in the house that needs to be fixed, and you can do it together as a team. Finishing or solving something will create a sense of bonding, and you need to be reminded of that from time to time.
6. Switch your chores
Sometimes we do things because we’ve been doing them for a long time, and we don’t bother trying something new. Switching house chores with your partner will help you appreciate each other better and the effort that they’ve been putting for you.
Great advice! We’re a family of 7, so we always have something going on in the house. We just wrapped up a pretty intense game of UNO last night! 🙂
A family of 7! I bet there’s always something going on in the house. I can only imagine how intense the UNO game was :))