Pros and Cons of Quarantine: Are There Parts We Should Keep?
Gyms are closed forever. The office market is going to be out of business. Online shopping is the only way to go. This is the dialogue of your average citizen in quarantine due to COVID-19. Ever since this deadly pandemic swept our nation, people have been wondering what life will be like when it’s all over. Will society have changed forever? Will we all be hermits who never leave the home? Once everything is over, will we want to go back to touching doorknobs, sharing drinks, and working together?
Let’s discuss the pros and cons of a quarantine lifestyle post pandemic.
Working out at the gym puts you in the zone. There’s only so much you can do at home to make your body as built as you’d like it to be. You get full access to weights, machinery, room to move, and a good atmosphere. In some places, there’s even spa access with massage beds and red light therapy. You can go to the gym with friends, which adds an extra social aspect. It can make you excited to go to the gym and hang out together. You can watch TV on machinery as you do cardio. A gym is a place made to make your workout easier. However, there are negative aspects as well.
Germs can be found on gym equipment. There’s no guarantee the person before you wiped down the machine, so you have to wipe it down yourself if you want to be extra safe. Even if the machines were properly wiped down, there are still germs in the air from heavy breathing. There is sweat on the ground, as well as other people’s germs in the showers. There is extra travel time between your home and your gym. Going there and back, as well as changing and showering, can take up a lot of time. You have to either wear flip flops and shower around other people, or drive home sweaty in your car. Both are not ideal, and might make you uncomfortable.
In quarantine, people are forced to work out and exercise at home or outside. This option has given rise to social media apps, at-home gyms, and running. At first, it was awful. People couldn’t work out from home properly without their regular equipment at hand. They didn’t enjoy it and wouldn’t do it. However, a point in time comes where you either start exercising or lose your muscle. So, people started running and working out in their living rooms watching online videos. They first assumed it wouldn’t be as good of a workout, but they realized you can do a lot of movement with your own body weight. You can work up a sweat and get in a solid workout without machinery. People who started running began to enjoy the outdoors. Once they got through the first couple of weeks, the running became easier. The showers in your own bathroom became ideal. You could start and finish a workout with no travel time. All you had to do is get dressed, work out, get undressed, shower, and go about your day. You could do so on your lunch break and still have time to eat. People became accustomed to their settings and realized they could experience many perks of working out at home in quarantine. Further, they could buy their own equipment for home and save tons of money. A gym membership can be expensive, so staying fit at home will help your wallet. For these reasons, exercise can be done at home. It had downsides, but its perks make up for them and then some. You don’t need a gym membership to be fit and live an active life.
Work is both better and worse. Many people were unable to work from home before this, despite only doing work on a computer. Since the pandemic, their companies were forced to either stop output or give their employees work laptops. This brought in many positive impacts. People with families were able to cut down their hour commutes to the city and home. They got more sleep and leisure time. They could reconnect with their spouse and children in ways that would’ve never been possible before. They save money on meals and improve their health with home cooking. Coffee is available anytime at grocery store cost. People are more relaxed, which allows them to get work done with less stress. They don’t want their boss to assume they’re slacking off at home, so they’ll often work extra hard to overcompensate and will be proud of the amount they’ve accomplished. They will obviously limit the amount they can get sick and transmit viruses, which helps the community. So, they get to be home all day! But, they’re also home. All. Day.
No more watercooler breaks with coworkers. No more interaction. No more office. No more interacting with clients in person to get the deal done. There are definite drawbacks to working from home. People who love a certain lunch spot never get to go there anymore. They must depend on takeout or their own cooking. Less lattes from that independent coffee place everyone loves. It’s more expensive on the wallet, but it gives a bit of extra joy when you get to consume it. No more driving to work blasting your favorite song. The commute can be long, but it’s fun at times.
Since you’re now with your family 24/7, they can get on your nerves. You never used to spend this much time together, but now there’s no space. You’re going through heavy trials with your partner. There’s no time to miss the other person when you’re always in the same house. Since you don’t have to go into the office, you lose that routine. No more stylish outfits, no more sitting at your desk you’ve set up perfectly to facilitate work. For people who need an office to get work done, that is physically separate from where they have leisure time, this is a difficult situation.
Therefore, in terms of working from home, it’s better for some and worse for others. It very much depends on if they’re an introvert or an extravert, as well as their working style. An option of working from home could stay in place after the pandemic to keep everyone happy. But, offices in general are a good break from home and should return post pandemic, for those who want the option.
Socially, the pandemic has been devastating. People lost newly formed friendships. They couldn’t keep in touch with those they already loved as often as they wished. Zoom calls replaced parties and cocktail hours. Don’t even mention dating. Basically, everyone’s social life was put on hold for all the COVID-19 pandemic. At least, it was for those that practiced social distancing. The only slightly positive aspect you could learn from this experience would be testing your friendships and relationships for better or for worse. If a friendship survived COVID-19, you know it’s there to stay.
For friendships, it can take a lot of effort to keep in touch with someone, even without a pandemic. Meeting up and chatting around busy lives and schedules means you really care about each other. Now, throw in a pandemic and you’ve really got a solid test. If you’re only friends who like to go out and party together, with no deeper connection, you’re not going to Facetime and Zoom to stay in touch. There would be nothing to talk about. The only people you’re going to make an effort with are those you have a meaningful connection with.
In terms of relationships, many couples broke up during this time. Going from seeing each other on evenings and weekends to every single minute of the day can cause strain. Continuing to love each other throughout these hard times means you could survive anything (hopefully).
However, this also meant you lost out on new relationships if you weren’t ready to move so fast. Same with friendships. Just because you don’t have a deep connection with a friend doesn’t mean it isn’t important. If you went out with them and enjoyed getting to know them slowly, whether a friend or a partner, this was tarnished. They didn’t get to grow into anything meaningful, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t or couldn’t have become important to you. Thus, a quarantine social life can stay in the past.
Travel is a no brainer. The pandemic needs to end so we can travel. You can’t do it safely or easily in a pandemic. Even if you decide to risk your life, you can’t be around as many people all the time without getting the virus. If you hang out with enough people, it’s inevitable. Everything about travel in the pandemic can stay in the past. Even simple road trips are awful. Having to make sure your hands are always sanitized, wearing masks wherever you go, cleaning your hotel room, the list goes on. Nothing about traveling in this time is fun. It can all remain in the past.
Most aspects of the quarantine experience can stay as that: An experience. While some redeeming qualities came out of exercising and working from home, the hardships of minimal socializing and travel took their tolls. We learned new lessons and perks that will benefit the rest of our lives, but they were not worth the heartbreaking journey this pandemic has been. Let’s all just stay inside as much as we can so we can get our lives back. It’s for the greater good.
