You know that weird guy at the holiday party who insists on wearing earplugs? I’m that guy. I appreciate silence.
This is an odd trait considering that I work in an ER, and I live with a 10 and 12 year old. Depending on the day, work and home can both feel like a Def Leppard concert gone terribly awry.
As a result, I’ve devised a few strategies to adapt to high volume constant companionship in a confined space during quarantine.
- Wake up earlier than the rest of the family. The morning is a chance to take a solitary bike ride, catch up on personal email, or read the latest New Yorker – undisturbed.
- Schedule time to vent to your support system. Call a friend. Send a text to a fellow parent going through similar challenges. Let off steam in a manner that doesn’t scald those in your immediate vicinity.
- Savor daily me time. A nephew used to hide behind a curtain when he was a toddler in diapers to “do his business.” It seemed hilarious at the time, but now I realize he was just avoiding his parents. These days, the toilet and the shower have become the unlikely sanctuaries where I do my quality reading and reflecting.
- Establish protected time when you should not be interrupted. After reading Cal Newport’s book, Deep Work, we began to use the book’s title as a code word for times we do not wish to be interrupted. Now one adult in our household might mention she needs an hour to do some deep work: She’ll close the door to the office, and the kids have been trained to come to the other parent during that time for any help with schoolwork.
- Headphones in common areas. Piano practice on the electric keyboard, podcasts, or music played while mastering the latest Tik Tok dance – only one person has to listen.
With COVID, we’re all in this together.
If we are to stay sane, we’ll need to carve out time and space to be apart.
Great ideas for surviving togetherness!