The 7 Biggest First-World Problems When Isolating Because Of COVID

Here’s a short list of the things I have found to be first-world problems in my three days of isolation (so far).

We all went through quarantine and managed to get out of it, but even during that period of our lives, certain allowed activities, such as going outside, brought us the false sense of normality. Now, almost two years post initial lock down, I have potentially come down with COVID and have found myself in isolation within the confines of my tiny apartment. And let me just say, things are different this time. Nothing humbles you like being a 22-year-old trying to figure out food delivery systems.

I am very grateful for all that I have, but this is just a fun list to help time go by while stuck at home. None of these are real complaints, just relatable situations we might be going through together.

Problem #1: Online Grocery Shopping

Surprisingly, I have never ordered groceries online. I have never been big on ordering food online, but groceries are an entirely new experience. If you thought physical grocery shopping was overwhelming, online grocery shopping is even more so, especially for an indecisive, broke young adult like me. All the products in the store are at your fingertips; all the prices and labels are displayed for you to compare. I never realized just how many products there are for the exact same item. Watching your cart price go up with every item added just isn’t good when you’re used to not knowing how much you owe until fully checked out and your anxiety keeps you from putting any items back. Big oof, yet I managed to finish it all, expecting groceries at my door at 7 p.m. Or so I thought.

7 p.m. rolled around and our groceries were delayed—delayed so much so that at 9 p.m., we had to drive all the way to the store, figure out how the in-car pickup worked, and had a stranger load groceries into our car without any knowledge of what products those plastic bags actually held. So much for in-home isolation, and so much for the cheese and chocolate I desperately needed that never made it into those unassuming plastic bags. After this first experience, I can safely say that online grocery shopping is not for me, though I will continue to do it for the safety of others.

Problem #2: Guiding Your Delivery Guy

If you’re in a similar situation as me—just out of college, brand new city, trying to make money—you live in an apartment complex consisting of no less than a million units. Due to the labyrinth that is my apartment building, whenever I have anyone new try to find my place (such as a delivery person), I go out to meet them on the street. Since I must maintain isolation, this is no longer an option, and after ordering some flowers to increase the entertainment of all indoor activities, I found out just how difficult tracking down my place is. How do I accurately give someone directions on how to maneuver the endless hallways of my building over the phone when the delivery guy can’t even tell me where he is located? The stress level was as high as disarming a bomb, and I am very thankful that I received my delivery after 15 minutes of terrible instructions. Good thing my delivery helped me destress straight to another universe.

Problem #3: To Shower Or Not To Shower?

I have always had this predicament: If I stay in PJs all day and don’t leave the house, do I really need to shower? For me, with newly cut bangs that are more annoying than I could have expected, showering is such a process that takes some time and effort. I have all the time in the world currently, but about zero effort. Showers are great and have revived me during these sickly days, but it’s such an effort to get off the couch and take off your cozy clothes that I have been pushing it back until the very end of the day. At that point, I find myself wondering whether I even need one. The answer is always yes, for the sake of my boyfriend at least, and because a nice, long shower always makes me feel better. I have managed to shower and put on real clothes two out of the three days of my isolation, which is a win in my books.

Problem #4: The Eye Strain

Obviously about 97% of my time during these past few days has been spent staring at a screen. Whether that be my laptop (as I am currently), my phone (scrolling through endless hours of TikTok) or the TV (where the mind numbing really takes place), these screens have caused so much eye strain I feel it more than I ever have in my life. And now with the new addition of an Oculus VR headset (a Christmas present my boyfriend received), the strain-induced headaches are next level. It is such a difficult thing to get away from because of how easy and, well, mind numbing these serotonin-inducing screens are to stare at for hours. Usually my eyes feel so tired from this that books don’t even give me relief and I find myself only able to stare at the TV in a daze the whole night. I tell myself if I had more energy I would do some sort of in-home workout or attempt an isolated walk, but the reality is that our brains have now been wired to be addicted to these screens and I will find myself staring at one again sooner or later. Aside from the eye strain, these have been my life saver during isolation and have kept me very happy. Highly recommend the VR headset for escaping your tiny apartment into any world you can dream of.

Problem #5: The Bromance is Real

If you were like me and thought that isolating yourself with your partner would be nothing short of going on a lust-filled honeymoon with your SO, I am here to hit you with a dose of reality. Between the antidepressants and feeling like a walking snot faucet, the last thing I’m getting is it. Since we are each other’s only human connection, I thought we wouldn’t be able to separate long enough for a breath of air, but somehow this backfired. We are, instead, playing endless hours of video games, talking about our shits, and creating mind blowing food concoctions high as a kite. And though I list this as a problem, I’m kind of enjoying this better than the alternative.

This bromance type of dynamic is bringing a fun, relaxing energy into our relationship and allowing our love to flow in different ways. The lines are blurred between romance and friendship, and though romance is what we seek for in a partner, friendship is just as important. How would I know whether I could spend the rest of my life with someone if I can’t spend three days straight watching anime with them? A little lust could improve things, but I’m not really complaining. We could tune down talking about our shits a bit after this though.

Problem #6: Never Enough Books

Having absolutely nothing to do and somehow getting bored of endless hours scrolling through TikTok has sparked my love for reading yet again. The only problem is I have read every book in my house within three days and now have found my mind numb in search for the stimulation only a good book can bring. Now, I know that ebooks are a thing, yet I am a stubborn millennial/Gen-Z cusper who cannot read books unless I have the physical pages in my hand. First-world solutions haven’t found the answer to this problem yet, so I guess I am stuck in older times and stuck without reading content. Plus reading on screens brings me back to problem number 4, and now we are in an endless cycle. Don’t worry, more books are on the way, thanks to Jeff Bezos’ reindeer bringing anything my heart desires overnight. Bless Amazon and the terrible reign it has on our lives.

Problem #7: $250 COVID Tests

I am forever grateful for the accessibility of modern medicine and thankful that most of it is within my means, but charging $250 for a COVID test just ain’t it. I live in San Diego, and because of the political climate in this city, tests are hard to come by currently. They are impossible to find in stores and most of the free testing centers are fully booked for weeks in advance. There are very few places that don’t take an appointment, but then you wait in line for over two hours for a test and I just don’t think I should be around other people for that long if I believe I have COVID. The places charging for tests are charging, on average, $250 for a PCR test (I have found anywhere from $150-&400 for tests), which is absolutely absurd given you need at least two tests if positive. Not to mention the capitalistic gain that these life-saving tests are giving big corporations who have a means to charge this much, but I won’t get into all the issues America has when it comes to capitalism and public health.

Thankfully, after three days of internet searching, I found a place giving free PCR tests with an available appointment. Now we will find out whether I am free to leave isolation or will continue adding to this list of grievances.