Are you finding yourself watching old shows and rereading old books during quarantine?
That might actually be psychologically healthy. Here is why.
Something weird is going on during quarantine (Obviously, the whole quarantine is weird, but bear with me).
I first noticed it with myself. The first weekend, while considering all the books I would finally get to read and all the series I would finally get to watch, I was excited.
Fast forward 6 weeks, and the situation is completely different.
Quarantine, week 1:
I opened my Masterclass account, which, if had a material existence, would be covered in a very thick layer of dust.
Wow, how many new classes! 4 new writing courses and, look at that, space exploration! How cool is that? ohmygod, I always wanted to learn proper gardening!
I added about 8 courses to my list and was absolutely sure I would complete them all within 2 weeks.
Same day, I opened Coursera and, within 3 minutes, signed up for 2 courses. Then, I immediately started watching classes on HR Analytics one.
This quarantine thing, it´s gonna be full of learning all those things I always wanted to! — Was the thought I went to bed with on March 15th.
Quarantine, week 6:
I woke up on Saturday and started watching videos of my teenage singer crush from 2004. I cannot stress how bad the quality of his singing is. I singed along and loved it.
One hour later, while still in bed, I finished reading the book ¨The subtle art of not giving a fuck¨ by Mark Manson for the second time in 8 days. The book had so many highlights by this point it´s basically turned into an advertisement for neon yellow Sharpies (smear guard, obviously).
Then, I had breakfast watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Ok, this one is not something so new. I usually watch one episode of it every day for years now. But, over the last weeks, let's just say I might have gone through at least 5 seasons.
What’s happening here?
When I shamefully told my friends yesterday about this, they reported something similar. They also said they hadn't watched any new series in the last 2 to 3 weeks.
Just like me, they also were very excited in the first week of quarantine to enjoy all this new content, but have also failed miserably.
We started talking about it and I think we figured it out what’s going on.
We are seeking shelter in content we already know. Movies, series, books. Maybe because going for new things is overwhelming (so many choices), but I think there is even a more important reason:
It gives us psychological safety.
In times of previously unknown uncertainties (When will I be able to travel again? Will I find a job? Will I lose the job I have now?), we just cannot plan anything. Not even a dinner for next month. We just don’t know how long it´s gonna take before our lives go remotely back to normal.
I believe that is the reason we are seeking some kind of certainty when we turn on our TVs in the evening, or scroll through our Kindle library. We want something we already know how is gonna end.
That is why my Masterclass account is gathering digital dust again and why I did not reopen Coursera.
At the same time, I am already on page 30 of Mark Manson’s book for the third time— although I did run out of Sharpies (and taking this opportunity here to see if maybe they are willing to sponsor me — worth the try).
And you know what? That is totally fine. In fact, it is psychologically healthy to take some of the pressure off. Choosing content can be very tiring, and I don’t think we can afford that now.
We need to save every possible mental energy we can, because coping with quarantine is by itself emotionally exhausting.
So, if you are also finding yourself watching reruns of old shows and revisiting your favorite book, instead of feeling guilty, enjoy it.
Don´t try to be the master of quarantine productivity. Especially not with leisure. Life is already too crazy and unpredictable these days. We deserve some comfort.
Having said that, please excuse me now as I go get myself a drink and make some popcorn. I have a date with Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Phoebe, Joey and Ross.
