On the one hand, talking about it makes it more tangible, and letting your frustrations and anxiety flow helps, but some days I also find that talking about it can make it seem like an even bigger grey cloud that won’t go away, even in my dreams.

I’m not suggesting that the solution is to make it like “he who cannot be named” (Harry Potter reference) but I still think there might be some value in actually thinking about what mentioning something that much does to you.

In recent times, there has been a detox trend with people actively choosing to stop following people on Instagram who make them question themselves and feel like they are not doing enough.

This is the kind of detox I think I sometimes need from COVID-19 but unfortunately, I have yet to find the unfollow button.

I am not saying that I am not going crazy from being at home all the time and the fact that my apartment has turned into both my lecture room, office space, and gym is beyond annoying, but I don’t have the need to address it every day.

I completely acknowledge that people deal with the current state of the world very differently and that for some people talking about the pandemic is more of a help than not talking about it.

Maybe a good alignment of expectations is sometimes needed to respect both people’s physical boundaries with social distancing but also their mental boundaries with how or even whether they would like to talk about it.

Isn’t it crazy to think back to a time when blowing out candles on a birthday cake, going clubbing and standing more than close to strangers was normal?

At the same time, I also think it is equally crazy to think of just how quickly this has become the new normal. I don’t even question the fact that the all the shops are not open, even though I used to really notice it when they were only closed on national holidays.

You adapt, time flies and it becomes the new normal and, of course, that needs to be articulated. However, I have come to realize that for me personally, I have a certain quota for how much I can talk about before it turns from a nice way of airing your frustrations and worries to making the fact that we “have” to talk about it an actual worry in itself.

We all have different quotas, but I think there is a need to address it – especially with the people you spend a lot of time with in your bubble.

So, has COVID-19 become the new talking about the weather?

Unfortunately, I think it actually might have. Like the weather, it is something that greatly affects us, something that entails a great deal of uncertainty, something that requires a particular way of dressing, and something that we bring up in most conversations.

However, compared to the weather, COVID-19 does not stay outside, and it also affects me a lot more than unexpected rain on my way to CBS. It has climbed the fences, put a foot on our doorsteps, and invaded our homes and our minds.

We are all doing everything that we can to put an end to it so that everything can hopefully soon return to semi-normal conditions. However, until then, I will personally work on creating a mental equivalent of a mask and sanitizer.

There is one thing that we all have the liberty to control, that not even Mette Frederiksen has a say in, namely our attitude towards the current state of things. A liberty that I am planning to exercise more going forward. And I would like to end by handing out a pro-tip.

You don’t need to buy that dress or those new shoes. Absolutely no one’s going to see them, and the strangers you pass on your daily walk will not care about them. Let’s all save up our money and spend it this summer at all the bars, restaurants, and concert venues that are suffering more than anyone these days.

PS Find me at Kajakbar wearing exactly the same outfit as last year!