The Covid-19 pandemic created a major shift in the importance of mental health, particularly in countries that imposed the lockdown measures in order to flatten the curve. Schools were closed in favour of Home-Based Learning (HBL), workplaces adopted Work-from-Home (WFH) practices, and there was a drastic increase of food deliveries as people began to embrace their new normal: spending more time at home while reducing contact with their non-immediate friends and family.

For many, this was a major shift in their routines: not many were ready for the implications of being home, and according to the Straits Times in an article ahead of World Mental Health Day, the Samaritans of Singapore reported an increase of 5,031 calls between January to August last year and the same period this year. In a time that is as terrifying, and potentially fatal, as now, being confined within our homes may be even more detrimental than we initially thought. The lockdown period – and its effects – creates a paradigm shift in the way we view mental health issues, highlighting the importance of one’s mental health. 

However, despite the gloomy side effects of the pandemic lockdown, there is a victor in these dark times: the introverts. 

Yes, you heard that right. 

Staying indoors, spending time by themselves, appreciating social distancing and the need for less crowded spaces…the lockdown provides an extension to an introvert’s routine, allowing them to thrive in the midst of a global pandemic where everyone is either lamenting on the boredom of being home, or wishing they were out travelling again. 

This is a story of an introvert – yours truly – who was able to experience lockdown across the borders. 

Following my graduation trip to Kuala Lumpur, I announced to my family members that, no, I would not be returning to them in Singapore, despite the suddenly burgeoning number of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia. Instead, I would be spending the Movement Control Order (MCO) lockdown by myself in my family house in Johor Bahru. 

“But, how will you stay there all by yourself?” 

“Who is going to take care of you?”

“How are you going to survive?”

Many questions were thrown back and forth by concerned friends and family, but I assured them I was going to be alright, and that they needn’t worry. After all, to me, it was time for a much-needed solitude with my cats, whom I were separated from when I did my internship overseas the year before. 

I proceeded to have a self-care detox for the next four weeks: from taking part in the dalgona coffee trend, going to the grocery store with my best friend who lives next door, to spending time appreciating quiet mornings with my cats, the MCO came and went like a passing cloud, prompting me to fully experience a kind of metamorphosis, the kind a movie protagonist goes through in quiet contemplation that prompts them to truly become the powerful person they need to be. 

Though in real life, I was about as impactful as the passing trends on TikTok, in that one month of being in solitary lockdown, I learned to resort to new ways to entertain myself: a feat that was as easy as it came, considering the many times I had complained that I wanted more time to myself. I learned to treasure the little things in life: celebrating my birthday with my two best friends in an alfresco dining setup in the garden, giving and receiving dishes to my neighbours who are as equally stuck at home as I was, or using my treadmill for the first time since my mother bought the thing to exercise at home, or going for drive-thru Starbucks at night with my best friend while driving down the empty hallways singing the lyrics to Hips Don’t Lie. 

Covid-19 really said, “Ask, and you shall receive,” and I suppose it may be trivialising, but I do believe that there is wisdom in all the things that have happened, and I am grateful that it has allowed me to take a step back from the hectic chaos that was life before the pandemic, and to really understand what it’s like to spend time with the person that truly matters: myself. 

Believe it or not, the lockdown actually improved my mental health, and yes, despite the negative parts: the overthinking about the future, the loss of a proper graduation ceremony, and many more, do any of these things truly matter more than one’s personal journey towards inner peace?