Self-isolation can be hard and lonely - but these are the things I am thankful for

By its very nature, news can be packed full of negativity and sadness – and that couldn’t be more true at a time of national crisis, like the one we are facing right now as the coronavirus pandemic rages on.

Of course, much of the national and local media coverage has to paint a true and serious picture; the number of dead, how many patients have been confirmed to have COVID-19 and what this global crisis means for all us going forward – our health, our home lives, our jobs.

It is vitally important to keep the public informed in an ever-changing situation, but what’s important too is looking at the lighter side of life, and the things which make us happy in times of darkness.

And as someone with a rare disease (blood condition cyclical neutropenia) who has to spend 12 weeks in isolation at a minimum, I’m still looking on the bright side.

There’s actually a lot to smile about.

My husband (who has Type 1 Diabetes) and I are pretty much confined to the house.

Despite his own vulnerability, he can technically leave to shop for essentials if we need them but he increases the very real risk of bringing an infection home to me.

But we have been inundated with messages from our families, friends and colleagues offering to do shopping, run errands and generally check in on our mental wellbeing (thank you, guys!)

My mam and dad – who I usually see multiple times a week – are video-calling and sending me selfies on the regular (which I love, they’ll be saved in my camera roll forever).

Pictures of our nieces and nephews are coming in thick and fast, we’ve had Houseparty and Zoom drinks sessions with our friends and loved ones have brought flowers, chocolate, biscuits and crumpets to leave on our driveway.

It’s very easy to slip into a dark place when you’re spending so much time indoors and without regular contact from others.

But we have to remember that we – so far – are the lucky ones. We are healthy, we have roofs over our heads and we are together.

Countless other people have not been so lucky.

So if you’re feeling sad today, try and look at the positives you do have. As a newsroom, that’s something we’ve been trying a lot harder at too.

In just the last couple of days I’ve spoken to a nurse collecting for patients on the ward where she works, a postman doing his rounds in fancy dress and a football team coach who set her young players a challenge on TikTok to keep them active.

Just look at all that good the world has to offer! And smile.