With the MCO extended, everyone is starting to get a little stir-crazy.
Does anyone remember how shaking hands feels anymore? How many cups of maggi is it acceptable to eat in one day?
Different people react to the isolation differently. Which type of MCO person are you?
Type 1: The Anxious Anisa
[Everyone here is an Anxious Anisa]
You saw the Health Ministry’s announcement and haven’t left the house in weeks.
A typical Anxious Anisa prepares for going out like they’re going out to a zombie apocalypse.
Gloves, mask, hand sanitiser — some even make homemade hazmat suits, like this engineer from Terengganu :
[Image via Bernama]
Out of everyone, you’re probably the most prepared — but you also tend to blow things out of proportion.
Honestly, you’re more likely to have a panic attack than to contract the viral infection.
How to cope better:
Don’t panic-buy toilet paper, buy books. You’ll have something to keep your hands from touching your face, and if it’s a bad book, you’ll have solved the toilet paper problem too.
Type 2: The “Free Market” Freddy
[Image via BBC 2]
When the MCO was first announced, you bought all the toilet paper hoping to make a profit. But then there was a ban and you had to give them all away.
Your favorite hashtags on your social media posts are #TheHustleNeverEnds, #RiseAndGrind, #EntrepreneurDad, and more.
Now you’ve turned to selling vitamin supplements on FB groups and promoting your financial freedom courses on Youtube.
[It’s good to make a living, but please do not sell fake goods to gullible boomers. Image via Subtle Asian Traits.]
How to cope better:
Remember that helping others in this time of crisis is better than taking advantage of people’s gullibility — why not focus on reaching out to family and friends and reconnecting with them?
Type 3: The Introverted Izzy
[The writer catching up on some sleep]
This MCO period is business as usual for the introverts out there (or should I say, in here).
While everyone else is panicking, you’ve used this opportunity to avoid social commitments, spend quality time alone, or take 3 hour day naps.
Your shopping habits haven’t really changed — sure, you bought a few extra days’ worth of groceries at the start of the MCO. But nowadays, you just order food delivery.
You spend your time listening to music or being obsessed with Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
[Animal Crossing: Single-handedly keeping introverted gamers at home. Image via TagbackTV]
How to cope better:
You might forget to stock up on important things. Don’t be caught unprepared! Make a list.
Stock up on emergency things like alcohol based wipes, cough medication, fever medication, vitamins, and other essentials.
If in doubt, you can ask the Anxious Anisa of your friend group to give you advice for your next supermarket run.
Type 4: The Outgoing Owen
You miss going out to the mamak. You miss hanging out with friends.
At home, the air is stale and humid as you count the number of holes there are in a colander.
You have what is known as Cabin Fever: Irritability and similar symptoms resulting from long confinement or isolation indoors during the winter.
[Extroverts like Cody aren’t doing so well indoors. For Malaysian beats, check out his Spotify.]
How to cope better:
Starved of social interaction? Set up a group call and get those endorphins from seeing your friends’ chubby faces.
Conference calls have started to become the norm during this MCO.
But to really get the most out of them, join support groups that focus on improving mental health.
For example, one such group is called Teach & Learn. Ca-Ryn Tan, a meditation practitioner, guides the other participants through a relaxing meditation.
The group discusses the power of breathing and practising gratitude in improving health, getting grounded and cultivating a positive mindset in this challenging time.
Type 5: The Essential Worker Eddie
[Image via Jabatan Imigrasi Malaysia]
The final and most important category, this includes the doctors, policemen, Grab drivers, Food panda delivery men, Poslaju couriers, service staff, chefs, warehouse workers, farmers, truck drivers, and everyone else who makes sure that people are kept fed and healthy.
While the people staying at home are obsessing over Dalgona coffee or freaking out about Gardenia bread being out of stock, you continue working with a quiet determination.
You go out into the battlefield, day in and day out, doing your job without complaint or concern.
In short, you are the true MVP. We salute you.
Reach out to people and support one another
With all the things that have been happening in the past one month, it’s difficult to look on the bright side.
Helping others with financial aid & food supplies is the most practical way to alleviate the worries and anxieties.
But if you can’t do that it’s okay. Just being there for your friends and lending a listening ear is good enough.
Together, we will beat the virus.
For more stories like this, read: I Challenged Myself to Cook Every Day Because I’m A 29-Year-Old Who Only Knows How To Toast Bread and Working From Home: Ups And Downs Of Remote Working.
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