Being in a pandemic for two years has unleashed a side of me that I may or may not be proud of. Not all of the habits I picked up are bad, mind you. The good ones, though are admittedly something that I should’ve been doing a long time ago but only just last year implemented very strictly.
I’m talking about the normal hygienic things that we usually overlook. Like washing our hands after we touch something dirty instead of just wiping it off with a dry tissue. Or sitting on the bed in our outside clothes after a whole day of hanging out at the mall. You know, normal things.
Besides those, there are a few other habits I picked up that may be questionable.
Wearing Masks and Checking Temperatures
This one is pretty obvious. It’s only been two years but I feel like the mask-on rule is drilled so thoroughly in my brain that it’s just second nature to me now. Even when I go outside to take a parcel from my gate, I have to wear a mask. Otherwise I would feel strangely naked.
Whenever I go out for a grocery run, I would double mask and put on a visor just for extra protection. With the Delta variant going around, you can never be too careful, in my opinion.
If I find myself with a temperature just above average, I start freaking out. I’d stay at home and monitor my temperature until it goes back to normal. Most of the time it’s a false alarm because maybe it was too hot outside or the machine is broken, but I’m not about to take any chances. Has this pandemic made me paranoid? Maybe a little.
Online Shopping Addiction
I cannot tell you the last time my shopping cart was empty. That’s how bad it is. I’m starting to fear that this is a long term thing and not just because of the pandemic. Before this, I only bought necessary items that I couldn’t find in stores. But nowadays, since it’s a whole lot easier to just order things online and wait for them to arrive, I’ve become a tad bit… obsessed.
Online shopping has taken over my life almost completely. When I’m not working and scouting for potential bad movies to review or eating my anxiety medication by the bottle, you can find me on my phone scrolling through pages and pages of Instagram shops and online shopping platforms for new trinkets and things to fawn over and eventually purchase.
I can’t even defend myself. I have succumbed to being a shopaholic at such a young age. If this is my fate, then so be it. I’ll get help when I have to cross the bridge.
Oh by the way, 9.9 sales are coming, so save up.
Carrying Around Sanitiser And Soap
I have a bottle of sanitiser at every single crevice of my house. Am I joking? No.
But in these times, you can never be too careful. I keep some sanitisers in my car and bags too, just in case anyone needs them.
I used to carry soap around with me because I have really bad allergies when it comes to public toilet soaps. So my mum made me carry around a scent free one. It used to bug me because I felt like such a loser having a bar of soap around with me when no one else did. But now, I’m rather thankful for that.
I would also like to recommend that if you find yourself worrying over dirty hands, there’s a travel soap that’s been really helpful to bring around.
Social Media and Gossip Frenzy
If I developed a particularly toxic trait in this pandemic, it would be social media gossip. I know tea from literally every platform available. I am forced to catch up on the latest gossip even when I don’t know who that person is.
It’s a horrible habit that I unfortunately found myself indulging. I used to shy away from gossip, thinking that it doesn’t do much to poke my nose in other people’s business. But seeing as I’m not seeing “other people” at the moment, the only time I ever get to interact with them or find a topic to talk about is by asking “Hey, have you heard about…”
It’s not ideal, mind you. But it’s a conversation starter and I’m not going to lie, as bad as it is admitting it and trying to not participate, I still find myself with my ear to the pavement.
Checking Up On Loved Ones
Let me preface this by saying that I’m an introvert. I don’t mix around when I can help it and most of the time, I wait for people to look for me before I interact with them. I’m not proud of that fact at all. Rather, I’m frustrated by it because there have been lots of lost opportunities to make friends or kindle past relationships.
Similarly, the pandemic taught me that waiting to talk to people has consequences. You never know when you’ll see the last of the person you’ve been thinking about. It’s a sad thought and it made me toughen up and push away my insecurities to just text a simple “Hi, how’s it going on your end?” to my friends and family that I haven’t spoken to in a while.
If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to force yourself to talk to them. Just maybe give them a nudge or something to check up on them. Reply to their Insta story with a reaction or an emoji just to let them know that you’re still there. After all, everyone needs a friend at times like these.
It’s My Party and I’ll Cry If I want To
At the end of the day, good habits or bad, they’re just something you picked up to fill up the hole in your heart during a pandemic. It’s alright to indulge in certain whims once in a while but if you know they’re bad for you, actively try to substitute them with something else. Something that’s less harmful to your bank account, maybe? This is also a self reminder.
Since we’re starting to open up again and are going outside, here’s hoping that you guys are taking all the necessary precautions to be safe while you enjoy yourselves in the outside world. If you’re looking for places to visit, we could probably help you out by kicking off with:
Hiking Trails To Visit Once MCO’s Over
