Life as I know it

More than a year ago now, I was going along just fine. I saw my family, I took part in local social activities, I shared meals with friends, and then a dangerous enemy made itself known and altered everything. The end result was that I became basically confined to my home. Suddenly I could not see anyone and became somewhat of a recluse.

            Before my beloved dog died, I used to talk to him when I needed to find solutions to one problem or another. He was a great listener, and talking it out somehow helped me find the steps I had to take.

            When covid became a reality I realized that because I had no one to talk to, I began talking to myself without really being aware of it. Leftover from when I used my dog as a sounding board, I suppose. I asked myself things aloud and I argued with myself yet seldom won!  But self-talk is not all bad.

            Psychologists say that talking to ourselves is healthy when our social lives are restricted for whatever reasons. It can even improve our performance of some of the tasks we do regularly. Professional athletes have been known to criticize themselves after missing a putt, a ball or failing to score. For my part, I became aware that I criticized myself aloud for being unable to complete a crossword without help from the internet.

            Was everyone in the same boat?

            When walking outside with my mask on, I began wondering if the masked people I encountered also talked to themselves behind their face coverings. You can’t tell much about people wearing masks. You certainly don’t know if they are smiling at you. When masks are gone from our lives, it’ll be great to see people’s faces again and be able to assess if they are open to conversing.

            But for a little while longer we have to continue as we’ve been doing for over a year which means I and many others will carry on talking to ourselves and be the better for it.