This is a continuation of my series on the silver linings of self-isolating. (Click here for Part I)

• It’s easier to prepare healthy meals. Believe me, I’ve eaten my share of junk food over the past month, thanks to anxiety, boredom, and always being so dang close to the fridge. But I’ve also prepared a number of nourishing meals. I’ve tried to stock my kitchen with healthy snacks like fresh and frozen produce, nuts, dried fruit, and dark chocolate. It’s easy to cook a real meal for lunch when I have access to a full kitchen and don’t have to plan ahead and remember to take a bunch of ingredients with me in the morning. I can start dinner earlier in the day and eat a freshly cooked meal at a decent hour — I don’t have to rush to get something on the table after getting home at 6:00 or later. By preparing more meals myself, I know exactly what’s in my food. I’ve also unintentionally eliminated fried food now that I’m not eating out much.

• I’m saving money. I realize that the economy is suffering because we are all collectively spending less money, and overall that isn’t a great thing. Because I have a stable job and a steady paycheck, I’m continuing to make my regular charitable contributions (and will likely increase them), to pay the person who used to clean my house once a month, and to occasionally order takeout and delivery from local restaurants because I want them to stay in business. But being at home all the time naturally leads to less consumption. I’m spending way less money on gas, dry cleaning, personal care services, shopping, and more. I’m using and appreciating what I have and realizing that there isn’t a lot I need right now. My reduced expenses are providing a good opportunity to build up my cash emergency fund, which was probably underfunded before.

• I’m enjoying the slowness and lack of urgency. I still have work and chores to do, but everything feels less urgent these days. On the work front, it seems that fewer new civil cases and motions are being filed right now, and most hearings and all trials have been postponed. I’m using this time to catch up on my to-do list. It’s nice not to have many urgent deadlines. I know once all this over, the pace will pick up again, but I’m doing my best to take advantage of this slower time. As far as chores go, the basics like laundry and dishes still have to be done as frequently as before, but it’s easier to find the time to do them when I’m home all the time. Pretty much everything else falls into the category of “I’ll get to it when I can.” Since I’m not having visitors, who cares if the weeds are a bit overgrown or the floors aren’t always clean? Everything I do in terms of home maintenance is really just to please myself right now — there is no one else to impress and no external timeline for completing anything. This relaxed approach to getting things done is a breath of fresh air.

Have you noticed any secondary benefits of social distancing? Share them in the comments, and stay tuned for Part III in this series.