Hello? It’s me…

“Oh my God, are you okay?? You’re calling me?” I got this from a few of my friends. See, we never talk, we text. “Just checking in.” I would say. During the height of the Pandemic, I did this quite frequently. It was for them, but also for me. I was working from home and isolating. People were having get together and I couldn’t really go. I felt like the best thing I could do, was to stay home. In my family, it’s down to just me and my mom. Contemplating one of us getting sick was too much to think about. I take a medication that lowers my immunity. No dating, no parties, no shopping, no movies. No. no. no. To everything.

Anyone will get depressed sitting home every weekend and rarely seeing anyone. I started to notice some slippage. So, I picked up the phone. Everyone in my generation texts. I decided to have some fun, making things weird. So many friends thought something must be wrong for me to be calling them, like, did I have the worst news ever? Nope. “What’s up?”, “How’s work?”, “Any new hobbies in this crazy time?”. There was plenty to talk about. And we used the tech to our advantage. I showed my childhood friend, who lives in Chicago, every room in my house. I helped him choose the furniture for his new apartment. He live streamed the Pride Fest in Chicago for me, since I couldn’t go, his apartment was right above the stage. I would get on FaceTime with my best girlfriend and just put my Chihuahua, Poncho, on the screen for a laugh. It would lift her spirits. She was struggling too, never leaving the house. Calling my people, my wellness tool. Theirs too, whether they knew it or not.

My advice is if you are struggling, reach out to someone. Make it weird. Don’t text. Let’s bring back the phone call. It’s just better than a text. Let’s popularize FaceTime, so I can see that new plant you bought, or what you had for dinner, anything. I’m done with isolation, it’s so 2020.

-Tiffany Anderson
Recovery Center Manager