Gen Y Speaks: How my life has changed since circuit breaker measures took effect

Singapore’s battle against Covid-19 entered a new phase earlier this month when the Government announced the closures of schools and non-essential businesses for four weeks.

As a millennial with a hectic work and social life before the outbreak, Covid-19 and the month-long circuit breaker measures have certainly upended my life.

But I have largely taken the changes in my stride and am adapting to them.

More importantly, like many other Singaporeans, I am taking these measures seriously, working from home and going out only to buy food or for a quick jog around the estate.

Safe-distancing measures and staying at home for four weeks may seem inconvenient, but they are crucial to slowing the spread of Covid-19 at this critical juncture. 

To me, Singapore is now in the middle of the great unknown. As we sail into a sea of uncertainty with guarded optimism, we have to be mentally prepared for bad news and be prepared to make adjustments.

Here, I would like to share how I am adapting to the impact of Covid-19 and the circuit breaker measures on my social, work and family life.

What has been most difficult for me is that I can no longer socialise face-to-face with my friends.

Previously, we would meet up in large groups around town two to three times a week to catch up on our work and life.

As the Covid-19 situation here worsened in March, we had reduced the frequency and size of the gatherings, with our conversations also steering towards the outbreak.

Now, it feels odd being cooped up at home the entire day without being able to meet my friends. Based on their social media posts, they seem to be coping well with the circuit breaking measures, but we all know how superficial such posts can be.

It also isn't the same texting and sharing one’s stories on the phone. Fortunately, I can use online applications such as FaceTime and Skype for quick catch-ups with my friends. We even make it a point to have “lunch” once a week.

We are also able to exercise together, albeit in our own rooms, using workout clips on YouTube.

For this, there are a variety of bodyweight exercises and high-intensity interval training that can be pretty useful right now as they do not depend on any equipment. It is also more fun to work out with friends rather than doing it alone.

One person that I have missed particularly is my twin brother, with whom I am very close. He is married and doesn’t live with my parents and me.

We used to meet up every week, regardless of how busy we were. Unfortunately, this is now not possible but we still talk every day using FaceTime.    

Covid-19 has taught me to be appreciative of the simple things in life, such as the freedom to be able to meet with friends and my brother whenever I want.

Workwise, I am just getting used to working from home.

On the one hand, I appreciate being able to have some extra snooze time and being comfortable. On the other hand, I find myself getting distracted by my bed and home environment. 

On one occasion, my dad came into my room in the middle of my meeting exclaiming loudly that he was going to get lunch and asking if I wanted my share.

It was pretty embarrassing as I frantically tried to tell him that I was on a video conferencing call.

Like most Singaporeans working from home, I have been using online applications such as Zoom, Webex and Skype to telecommute.

While they have been largely useful, it can be challenging at times to share materials or ideas. In this regard, I miss face-to-face interactions with my colleagues and the energy that we generate from bouncing ideas in person.

Yet I count myself lucky that I can work from the safety and comfort of my home, knowing that most essential service providers and healthcare workers do not have such an option.

So I would think that this little pain that those of us are going through working at home is nothing, especially when it is for the greater good for the country.

One good thing that has come from telecommuting is that I now spend a lot more time with my parents.

While it can be a little distracting during office hours, I appreciate that I can see them more in this difficult period and can be there to ensure that they are healthy and safe.

I have also bonded more with my parents. In fact, I only recently found out that my dad invests in stocks on a daily basis. We have since started exchanging investing ideas.

As my parents are home and cooking more often, I am eating a lot more home-cooked food. I have learnt to appreciate my mum’s ability to whip up yummy dishes such as curry chicken, stir-fried vegetables and desserts.

I am also donning the apron myself, though I tend to just boil my food as a healthier cooking option.  

Hopefully, I do not gain too much weight working from home, especially as I have also been snacking a lot more.  

Moving towards the halfway mark of the circuit-breaker period and almost three months since Singapore recorded its first Covid-19 infection, I know that it may be some time before we can resume our normal lives.

At the same time, I feel inspired to read about the many initiatives Singaporeans have started to help others in need during this crisis.

I also feel deeply grateful to the workers in our healthcare sector and other essential services for their service at a time like this.

It behoves all of us who have the luxury of working from home to be disciplined so that this pandemic can go away as fast as we hope it will.

Together, I believe that we can all go through this difficult time together.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Barry Yuen is the lead of insights and analytics at a global multinational company. He graduated from Singapore Management University with top honours (Summa Cum Laude) in business management, majoring in finance and strategy.