Editor's Note: Niya Davis, a student in my Blogging class, has developed a wonderful blog on relationships, All Things Relationships.  She wrote a great post, Love Yo' Self, which is about the most relationship I believe you can have: the one with yourself.  Given her interest in relationships and her writing style, I asked her to contribute a post about singlehood and self-love during quarantine to my blog.  See below!

The truth is: you have not felt the full extent of singlehood until you are drop dead in the middle of a global pandemic. There’s just something about looking at the four walls of every room in your house or apartment for multiple weeks at a time, that humbly reminds you that you have no significant other. Some singles are content with their socially-distanced bachelor/bachelorette life, while others are second-guessing. Regardless of how the ‘Rona has made you feel about your relationship status, it is important to never lose sight of yourself! Take this time to practice self-love with your sexy, single self!
 
How to practice self-love while single and quarantined, you ask?
 

1. Explore new skills and/or hobbies

There’s no better time than the present to hone in on a new skill or hobby! Get to gardening, knitting, painting, cooking - whatever you have been dying to try if only you had more time. Now, the world is your oyster, and discovering a new skill or hobby is both rewarding and single-friendly!
 

1. Invest in “me” time

Whether you like it or not, you are single. The only person you have is yourself, so bask it in! With all of this downtime, you have no excuse not to set some aside for you! “Me” time can range anywhere from making yourself face masks to learning your pleasure points (wink wink!). Have fun with yourself - you never know when your single cup will runneth dry and your “me” time will turn into “we” time.
 

1. Meet new people (the quarantine way)

You’ve had enough “me” time and you’re ready for social interactions? Although you cannot socialize traditionally, you can socialize nonetheless. Check out some Meetup or social media groups related to your interest.  Plus, being in quarantine alleviates some of the pressures often associated with meeting new people because everyone is on one accord: quarantine and chill.
 

Editor's Intro: A student in my Blogging class, Shyanne Dyson, developed As Told By Shyanne Hope, a blog on feminism, this past semester.  There is a great deal of intersectionality between singles' activism and feminism, so I asked her to contribute a guest blog on singlehood.  Enjoy!

The Quarantine Chronicles of a Single Extrovert
May 1st will mark 6 weeks of quarantine for Maryland residents. Pre-pandemic Shyanne would have laughed at the thought of being cooped in the house for anything longer than a weekend. While I understand and stress the importance and need for self-isolation--please stay home—I can’t shake the longing for my regular lifestyle.

Months before quarantine started, I ended a three-year relationship with my ex. That being said, I had time to heal and come to terms to this new, single chapter of my life. I was happily single. I had already planned on moving to DC with my best-friend, Mykaela, after graduating in May. New city, new job, and new scenes to explore. I was falling in love with myself for the first time, post-relationship, and I was eager to see what my future held… then COVID-19 hit.

The first couple weeks of mandated self-isolation were great. I was pleasantly surprised. I used my aloneness as a sanctuary to cultivate my new self. I spent hours journaling my thoughts, painting, and binge watching my favorite shows. Between countless glasses of Pinot Grigio and even more episodes of The Office, I had become so indulged with myself, any feelings of aloneness became solitude.

Not to diss all the couples out there, but I truly did not miss compromising on dinner plans, fighting for the remote, or sharing my bed. I didn’t miss their constant presence because I just didn’t need it— I made myself happy.

I’ve heard that love is fleeting, but I didn’t expect my newfound peace to be so short-lived. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still happily single by choice and I’m not changing my relationship status anytime soon. But as weeks turn to months, I’m noticing an uneasy feeling stirring in my gut. Was this loneliness? How could I feel lonely? I’m not yearning for the past with my ex, I’m not craving a fresh start with a new boo, and between friends/family/pets, I have a great support system. Why am I beginning to feel unsatisfied?

Who am I kidding? I know what I’m missing… I’m beginning to crave social interaction! I’m an extrovert who thrives under unpredictability. I don’t do well with routines and I like to fast paced environments. There are only but so many ways to re-organize my day for the sake of variety. And besides exercise, grocery shopping, and sitting on the porch, there are even less things to do outside of the home during my days. (I’m beyond grateful that my only problem during quarantine is boredom. I know that countless people have faced unemployment, sickness, and even abuse since being forced to stay home.)

With so much idle time and so little ways to fill it (and wine), I’ve been tempted to make questionable decisions. Maybe I should respond to the text my ex sent me? Or take up one of the many offers I’ve received from guys I went to high school since I’ve been home from school? As my pops would say, “boredom is the devil’s playground” … not to say I’ve made hellish decisions, but under pre-pandemic circumstances, I probably wouldn’t even consider.

Between finding a man that performs well and keeping said man from wondering outside of his assigned friend zone, the thrill of a new conquest just isn’t worth the headache that comes with! The inner peace I’ve found since being single took months to build, I don’t have the energy to battle with men who are not satisfied with remaining single also. Being the considerate human that I am, I understand men aren’t disposable— no matter how much I wish they were lol, jk jk. *inserts awkward laugh*-- they have feelings and needs too. (And it’s not to say I don’t have feelings, just not those involving commitment, haha. So instead, I’ll look for personal adult novelty products on Amazon.)

Despite various projected reopening dates that have been proposed, we don’t know what the future holds in the wake of COVID-19. Us single extroverts have to take it one day at a time—in my particular case, two days because of Prime shipping—and take notes from our introvert friends. If boredom and frustration are the worst of my worries throughout these tough times, I’d say I’m making out pretty good. 

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay home. Thank you, Dr. Wynne, for letting me share your platform for this blog post. And thank you, readers, check out my blog.

​For a lot of guys, the “friend zone” is the kiss of death.  There are so many dating guides on how to stay out of the “friend zone”, because apparently, the end goal of any male-female relationship should be sex and/or romance. 
 
When I wrote my upcoming book, How to be a Happy Bachelor, I did an inventory on every romantic and sexual relationship I ever had, but I didn’t think about those relationships that were platonic but might have “gone romantic” or “gone sexual.” I sensed some of my female friends may have had an interest in me, but I never really felt that interest back.  So here’s my guide to how to stay in the friend zone, if you want to remain “friends” (notice how I didn’t say “just friends,” because the word “just” minimizes friendship):
 
1)Refrain from explicit flirting, and DO NOT GET PHYSICAL  – Flirting can give the wrong idea.  And obviously, physical forms of affection can, and in much more damaging ways.  However, if you’re looking for FWB, say so.  Honesty is key.
 
2)Use the word “friend” in conversation – It’s subtle, but it gets the message across.
 
3)Just be honest.  If someone expresses a romantic interest, and you don’t feel it, honesty is the best policy.  The worst thing you can do (to yourself and to another person) is to get into a relationship just because you want to make that person happy or just to post on social media that you’re “in a relationship.”  It’s going to be disastrous for both of you in the long run.
 
There’s nothing wrong with being friends.  The concept of the “friend zone” was coined just to sell dating guides.  Don’t buy into it.  My most meaningful relationships are platonic ones.

​This would be our last discussion session before we move into critiquing final projects.  For this week, students read Chapter 7 of Happy Singlehood, along with Bella’s “Discrimination Against Singles in the Health Care System.” 
 
The thing that stood out the most to students was the idea of relationships with robots.  Most of my students didn’t quite get the concept; honestly, I can’t quite imagine it, either.  I can’t speak for everyone, but I do need my platonic and familial connections.  That being said, my response to students who were weirded out by the idea was “if robots can be made to think and feel emotion, I can get on board.”  It made me think of Weird Science and Her, two films about human connection with technology (singlist, though they are).  
 
Michael wrote about the idea of communities targeted to singles, an idea I would love to see come to fruition more (we’re on our way there).  It got me thinking of Eric Klinenberg’s discussion of single-occupancy dwellings in Going Solo; I would love to live in an apartment building or housing community where it’s just singles.  I’d walk out of my home, and I’d only see groups of friends or people walking solo.  Essentially, I’d feel a sense of belonging.    Kelly also brought up how she discovered travel groups designed specifically for singles and solo travelers; in her words, “a group of 20 people pool their money together for an exclusive vacation to a tropical location.”  It got me thinking of Flashpack, an agency that puts together solo travelers so they’re not necessarily “traveling solo” (I may wish to use that at some point).
The future of friendships came up in Amy’s discussion; as marriage rates are declining and singlehood is on the rise, the weight of platonic friendships will increase as well, and Amy put it nicely: “a friendship can hold the weight as a romantic relationship.”  Friendships do take a degree of maintenance that can be even more challenging than a romantic one, mostly because you’re not with friends on as frequent a basis as you might be with a romantic partner.  Therefore, the “rules” about how often to call or get together are a lot more fluid.  Fortunately, at least in mine, they’re laxer due to the fact that I love my alone time.
 
Students were outraged in reading Bella’s article about the health care system.  Some of the comments came:
 
Walter – “I think it was very weird for someone not able (sic) to visit their friends because they’re not in an intimate relationship”
 
Karen – “I never understood why friends couldn’t visit a loved one in the hospitals because they are technically not family”
 
Amy – “It is upsetting to hear about all of the injustices that the health care system can bring to others.”
 
One comment stood out, and it came from Mary, who is critical of everything she reads, which I admire.  However, she went on to say that while hospitals shouldn’t place such restrictions on who visits, who doesn’t, it doesn’t rise to the level of discrimination.  Normally, I’m pretty diplomatic when it comes to my students’ views, but I couldn’t resist putting up a challenge:
 
Mary, I would disagree with your contention.  Why should a married person receive priority in treatment than a single person?  It happens all the time.  It may not be severe as racial or sexual orientation discrimination, but it's there.
My hope is that someday, this type of treatment will come to be seen as discrimination.  Such issues are the reason this course exists in the first place, and it’s why students are working on a change to a policy that discriminates.  More about that in a couple of weeks.
Stay safe, and wash your hands!

For their second major assignment, students wrote a critique in which they compared two popular culture items that were either pro-single or singlist, or they could contrast one pro-single and one singlist item. 
​
We spent the March 11 class session discussing movies and TV shows, but I was impressed at the number of students who chose songs as examples, many of which I’ve never heard of and may just have to add to my playlist.

It’s safe to say that the musical tastes of my students don’t match my own, but I’m open-minded.  Beyonce came up quite frequently in my students’ essays.  Her fear of singlehood comes up in songs like “Scared of Lonely” and “Dangerously in Love,” while a pro-single message emerges in “Me, Myself, and I.”  I didn’t know much about Beyonce, so I did research, and from reading between the lines, I concluded the marriage between her and rapper Jay-Z (“I got 99 problems but a b**ch ain’t one) could probably best be described as tumultuous what with Jay-Z’s affairs (I wonder if the Rona might be their catalyst to divorce).  I’m guessing she wrote “Me, Myself, and I” while she was pissed at Jay-Z for something or other.

Other songs that came up (and are on my upcoming playlist) include:
“New Apartment” – Ari Lennox (Pro-single)
“Soulmate” – Lizzo (Pro-Single)
“Scared to be Lonely” – Martin Garrix and Lipa (Singlist)
“Single Again” – Big Sean (Pro-Single)
“Make it Last Forever” – Keith Sweat (Singlist, and this one gets special mention for being a 1980s artifact, the era of cheesy pro-romance popular culture items)
“My Girl” – The Temptations (Singlist, and we go back further to 1965, just as pro-romance)

A few people discussed movies.  One student, Sandy, t brought up Legally Blonde, because after being dumped by her fiancé’, Elle finds a measure of self-worth in pursuing her J.D. at Harvard.  I didn’t totally agree with that example, mostly due to the romantic subplot involving Luke Wilson, but I dug Sandy’s extraction of the self-worth message.  I may have to check out her other example, Nappily Ever After.

My favorite example came from Michael, citing the Batman and James Bond franchise.  While superheroes like Spiderman and Superman have significant others (Mary Jane and Lois Lane, respectively), Batman’s focus is on fighting crime.  James Bond is with a different woman in each of his films; some might describe his portrayal as chauvinistic, but I say, as long as he’s honest in his intentions and his partners agree, have at it!

This is a teacher cliché, for sure, but it applies here: I learn as much from my students as they do from me, if not more.
 

​For the past three weeks, students in my UNV390 class have been working on their Popular Culture Critique assignment, in which they analyze two pop culture artifacts (songs, movies, TV shows, books) for anti-single or pro-single messages.  But, they turned them in this past week, and now it’s back to discussion.
 
They read Chapters 5 and 6 of Happy Singlehood and wrote out responses on our class’ Discussion Board and we got some nice responses.
 
A number of students commented on the idea of self-marriage as relates to postmaterialism, discussed at length at the beginning of Chapter 5.  A couple of students thought about it as a possibility, and others described it as “just plain weird.”  I have mixed feelings about it myself.  I feel that it just perpetuates a tradition and gives more weight to matrimaniacs.   That’s just me, though; I told them, “If you want to do it, go for it!”
 
A number of students brought up “Work and the Unmarried.”  A lot of my students are type-A, work-oriented folks (like me), so they have big plans with respect to their career.  A number of students in the class brought up the intersectional dynamic at play, as nowadays, women have greater options to make a living.  They can have careers and own businesses instead of depending on a man.  Some took note that many singles derive a lot of their happiness from their careers.  I definitely fit this mold (although I do like to have fun).  I actually sacrificed a relationship (one that I wasn’t that into) to move across the country to start an academic career, and “I regret nothing” is what I told my students.  And I don’t.  When I was in high school and college, a number of my friends wanted to make money.  I wanted to do something involving being creative, and I am.  Most of them followed the escalator-style path (marriage, kids, yada yada…).  And it’s true; when you have a family to support, you might be more motivated by money.  Supporting yourself isn’t easy either, but you can do it and have a line of work that’s more motivated by the spirit of giving than the spirit of the wallet.
 
Mary, one of my students, has a very strong capacity for critical thinking.  She did posit the idea that singles put extra pressure on themselves in the workplace, and others may reciprocate that.  I did question that, as is my job as instructor.  She also said feeling limited depends on the partner you choose, and that the right partner can actually help foster a sense of independence in a person.  I conceded that point, but then I questioned as to why so many people get into toxic relationships.
 
I do miss the face-to-face dynamic we had pre-Rona, but it was nice to be able to have written records of student contributions instead of going through recordings.  That being said, I look forward to the day we can have face-to-face classes again. 

Since our new normal started, I have a new Wednesday morning routine.  I don’t officially have to clock in remotely until 10:30, and since the WalMart Supercenter opens at 7 now, I go there to do my grocery shopping.  Armed with a scarf for the poor man’s mask (the actual ones I ordered haven’t come in yet) and winter gloves (my rubber ones ran out and ibid. with the order), I was ready to stock up on my proteins and veggies (not that I’m, umm, bragging, of course).  And it’s less crowded early in the morning.
 
So, anyway, I saw quite a few couples shopping together.  Awwww.  In these apocalyptic times when the term “social distancing” is now part of our discourse, I’m wondering three things: 1) Do they REALLY need to go to the store together right now; 2) why do some couples insist on taking up both sides of the salad dressing aisle; and 3) why do they need to LINGER there?
I can understand if one-half of the couple is disabled and cannot be by himself/herself, but these are able-bodied people.  Perhaps, the disability isn’t visible, but I see a low probability that so many halves of couples have disabilities that require them to be looked after 100% of the time.
 
Of course, I’m always looking for excuses to blog, so this made my inner scribe happy.  I posted it on CoSP because that’s a safe space to post about stuff like this.  In many places, supermarkets are enforcing a “one cart per person” rule, as well as a “one adult per family” rule.  Southeastern Virginia tends to be a little behind when it comes to progress, so you can’t really expect that here. 
 
My favorite comment: “but they will miss each other terribly for those 5 minutes.  Two halves, etc.  Would you send a half a person into a store by itself?” – Stine Merete Aspheim
 
Stine’s got the right idea, referring to that asinine yet ubiquitous saying of “my other half” as meant to refer to one’s person.  Are you not a whole person? 
 
So, couples, enjoy each other’s company during this time.  But you can leave your “other half” home for an hour.  You might benefit from enjoying your own company as individuals. 
 
 
 
 
 

​Western culture is designed for extroverts.  Fortunately, thanks in part to Susan Cain’s Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, as well as her TED Talk on introversion, introversion is becoming seen as a valid orientation.  Still, life requires that we interact with others.  Workplaces are more communal, with shared office spaces.  In our personal lives, most of us do need connection with other humans, some more than others. 
 
Extroverts are people who obtain their energy by interacting with others.  Introverts get theirs through alone time.  I was always introverted, and I was told by family members, friends, and teachers things like “You need to talk more” and “you need to get out more.”  As I’ve grown older, I have gotten more extroverted, and I’m probably the textbook definition of an ambivert, a person who lies in the middle of introversion and extroversion.  My job requires me to interact with people on a daily basis, and even Quiet has a chapter on introverts acting as “pseudo-extroverts.”  This is what I do.  And on a Friday night, I’m ecstatic to lock the door to my home and binge on one of my Netflix shows.  Alone time is great.
 
Thanks to COVID-19, I’m getting much more of that alone time than I’m accustomed to.  Naturally, introverts will have an easier time with this than our extroverted counterparts.  Social media still connects us, though, and there are more memes about how we introverts quarantine naturally than I can realistically count, like this one:

​I even posted this mean one:

​Of course, I laughed.  The sadistic side of me called it “karmic justice”.  Throughout my life, I had been told by so many extroverts about “needing to talk more” and “needing to get out more”.  Revenge was sweet: Ha ha!  This is my time! 
 
I saw a friend post on Facebook about difficulties she was facing about being a single extrovert, and I sent her my best vibes.  However, my mind changed when another friend, a married person, wrote a post about having a breakdown and crying for no reason.  I’ve known this person since childhood, and she was always extroverted.  At that point, I began to feel some empathy for her situation, as well as how extroverts might be coping.
 
There are a lot of pieces out there about how introverts can “fake extroversion.”  So I’m gonna share my experiences thus far about how I’ve coped as a single introvert, and hopefully, my extroverted friends can take something away at “faking introversion”:
 

1. Solitary Hobbies – I’ve played guitar on and off since I was sixteen.  In the summer of 2017, I picked one up at a pawn shop for $80, hoping I could keep it in my office and use during my lunch hours to relieve stress.  I was inspired by the Clifford Main character in Better Call Saul, and how he used his guitar to do just that.  I only used it a couple of times, and when we were ordered to work remotely, I took it home.  I’ve been practicing every night for about an hour, and I’ve recorded a few songs and posted to Facebook (friend request me at [email protected] to see a video; I’m not yet confident enough in my playing abilities to show it to strangers, maybe someday).  Get lost in a book, write in a journal, draw, play an instrument, cook, anything.  Lots of YouTube videos can show you how to do this.
2. Human Connection – Like many introverts, I’m not a “phone person.”  But I’m forcing myself to be.  Last night, I called a close friend from my graduate school, and we chatted for about a half hour (that’s very good for me).  Call your people, or if you’re up for it, video chat!
3. Exercise – When I don’t exercise, I feel off-center.  With my gym closed, I’ve had to find alternatives.  Again, videos are a great thing, and you can find them online.  And if you’re not a gym rat like me, you can go for a simple walk around the block.  Invite a friend too; just make sure you’re staying six feet apart!
4. Limit your Use of Social Media – I’m not saying don’t use it, but there’s a plethora of research that connects social media with anxiety and depression.  And so many people are panicking and fear-mongering on there.  Find something to do.
5. “Stay in the Moment” – So many medical experts and politicians are giving projections about when this virus is going to end.  We don’t know.  It’s going to end eventually, but we just have to try to keep our minds focused on the present.  Projecting in the future doesn’t do us any good.  Meditation can help with this.   

 
Stay safe, my friends!  And when this is over, please don’t tell me to “get out more.”  I’ll probably be doing that anyway (for a little while. Anyway).

​The death toll from COVID-19 is climbing day by day.  One of my fellow CoSPers posted this article about the seemingly universal fear of “dying alone.”  This fear leads a lot of people into unfulfilling, toxic, and even dangerous romantic relationships; it can even be the deciding factor in whether one stays in such a relationship, even if it is soul- or life-threatening.
 
A doctor interviewed in the article expressed concern about being dying alone.  This is a highly educated person, and even she’s subject to the fear.  However, I was happy to see a chaplain express a different view: just because somebody is not in the room while a person dies, that person is not necessarily dying “alone.”  A person may not want such a large presence in their room, and as an introvert, I get it.  I hate people crowded around me in any situation.
 
Finally, we all die alone anyway.  When we go into that void, nobody actually goes with us.  And if you die in a car crash with someone else (i.e., a friend, family member, significant other, stranger), and that person dies, they travel in a separate pod (as far as I know, anyway).
 
So let’s not fear dying alone.  When you’re dead, that doesn’t matter.  The important part is how we live.  And are we going to spend it in meaningless marriages because of this fear?  Or will we spend it with the people important to us?  Friends, family members, co-workers, pets?