I have been locked down in my apartment since Wednesday, March 11. I live alone, with my laptop, a few cactuses and a stuffed cat. I am on the fourth floor of a used-to-be-lively neighbourhood in Turin, Northern Italy.

On the first Sunday, I woke up at sunrise and sneaked out for a quick run. I hate running. But the urge of moving and watching the city still half asleep was so big I didn’t really think about it. I guess I just wanted to fool myself into believing everything was normal. Well, it isn’t. But going out is not the answer. It is crystal clear now that we have to stay at home. It doesn’t matter if I am healthy and young: I have to do my part and not put others at risk, not compromise the weakFrom questioning reality to looking for a conspiracy theory is a quick step when you spend the whole day sitting alone with your thoughts. I have decided to limit my news reading to a few selected sources and to speak about it only with a few informed people. I am self-isolating myself from opinions and avoiding chit chat over the virus: that’s necessary for mental stability.

My recipe is one hour of trusted newspaper reading in the morning, a news update around 6 pm and, sometimes, wine and talks with friends on the Zoom app. Oh, and I almost forgot, it is important to silence the many WhatsApp forwards.

Once I have made my home safe (from germs and misinformation) I work on my routine like never before. I am finally getting up early, eating a healthy breakfast and exercising everyday. Most importantly, the excuse “I don’t have time” has expired. I have time to read all those books I bought and never opened, watch all the movies on my list, write all the books I have been playing in my head. If I don’t do it now, it feels like I never will.

Some days can be harder than others and it is just fine to take care of ourselves in different ways. I call my grandma every day, and am now wondering why I didn’t do it before. She is in lockdown too, scared and bored, so I ask her to guide me over the phone while cooking, learning a lot and reminding myself why I need to stay at home. Because I want this thing to end soon so she can cook me a proper meal. And I can hug her.

It is not an easy time, uncertainty may keep you up longer than usual at night, but it is useful to meet yourself for real, to understand you are lonely but not alone. And to be sure that when everything is over, we will take care of the things that matter with greater consciousness.ened healthcare system.