Depending on where you live, your version of isolation may be a bit different. You may have already been in isolation for a while or you may be in a country where restrictions are being lifted a little. You may also of course be an essential worker who hasn’t been in total isolation at all. In Australia, where I live, restrictions are being gradually lifted. Strangely though, I have kinda got used to being at home and I am not in a hurry to get back into the pre COVID busyness. I know though that some people are struggling with isolation.
How are you doing?
This crisis is a powerful reminder of how important freedom is - and how much we need human connection! Remember you are not alone, everyone is impacted! No Matter where we are in the world are all going through something similar.
This is an interesting quote which is really applicable to current situation,
Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. Viktor E. Frankl
This is the challenge each of us must rise to! If we're going to be stuck at home, we may as well make the most of it.
10 Things You Can do to Make Your Life Better while Physically Isolated:
1) Create a Routine
What I have found most helpful is creating and sticking to a routine.
When we feel powerless or helpless (as so many of us do at the moment), one EXTREMELY easy thing to do is to create a routine or schedule. Try to get up and go to bed at the same time. I find it works best if I plan the next day the night before, so I will have some idea of what my day will look like.
While we're all stuck in anxiously waiting at home, it's easy to lose our sense of time. Days can begin to blend into each other. A routine can give us an anchor and greater sense of control over our lives. And if you have children, creating a routine is especially important to give them a sense of normality.
Be sure to include food preparation, social time, exercise and outdoor time and some learning or creativity so you get some benefit from this challenging time.
It's also important to recognize weekends because it's too easy for weeks to blur together. So, make a more flexible schedule for your weekends.
Creating a routine will give you a sense of control and mastery over your environment and life circumstances. Reclaim what power you can over your own life, because with all this uncertainty it's important for you - and especially important for children - to have predictability.
2) Build Your Physical Strength, Fitness Levels or Flexibility!
Building your physical strength is powerful and health-boosting! Not only is physical strength and flexibility life-affirming and good for our health but feeling more physically powerful actually helps us feel more empowered and less helpless in life too!
So, add some physical activity into your schedule - as little as 15 minutes daily. Maybe by the end of this you'll be fitter. It is good for your mental health too.
There are many options to boost your physical strength and health. Here are some ideas:
· Take up a yoga practice - excellent for strength-building, flexibility - and calm! There are lots of online options. Here is one with everything from 10 minutes for beginners to an advanced practice. I have been doing Yoga with Kassandra’s 30-Day Morning Challenge on You Tube. It is a free 10 minute daily yoga class, that is very easy to put into your morning routine and even continue after isolation ends.
· There are so many other online fitness classes on YouTube - for beginners or experts such as pilates, dance, bootcamps, indoor walking,
· If you are allowed to go out, get outside at least once a day for a walk (or a run). Walking in nature or close to water will help you feel better too.
REMEMBER: BEING stronger = FEELING stronger and more in control! And building your PHYSICAL strength or fitness = REDUCED feelings of helplessness!
3) Catch up on your reading
If you are like me, you may have a pile of books waiting for you to find the time to read. And guess what, now you have the time! I usually have 2 books on the go at the same time. One is a personal development or business development book and the other a novel. I have still been doing that during isolation but reading them much faster.
4) Gain a New Skill with Online Learning:
There are so many opportunities online to gain a new skill and they're growing by the day!
Comments