Appreciating family during the pandemic

COVID-19 has affected me much more mentally than it has physically or in terms of me and my family’s health. I have been mostly lucky in that aspect. The biggest change for me has been living with my parents full time for the first time since I was a senior in high school. My parents moved 800 miles away from my hometown in New Orleans to Midland, Texas, during my freshman year of college and I have been mostly self-sufficient since then. But since March 23 I have been with my parents in Midland. It’s been a change for me, as I’ve gone from making all my own decisions to having to defer to my parents every day. Sometimes it feels like I’m back in high school. While I have stayed in contact with many friends in New Orleans and Baton Rouge through Facetime and Zoom, I have experienced a lot of FOMO–fear of missing out–while my friends continue to see each other in person while still following CDC and social distancing guidelines. It hasn’t been all bad though. I have bonded with my parents on a daily basis. We eat dinner together every day, watch movies every weekend and hang out in the backyard throughout the week. The coronavirus and the surrounding global issues have been difficult, but I’ve used my time in self-quarantine to remind myself to appreciate being able to have time to spend with my family.