Hello lovely people,
And some other people who aren’t lovely right now because you’ve been locked up
in your houses for a while and it’s starting to make you want to throttle cushions.
I hope this video will be helpful for those of us isolating due to the coronavirus but
also, once it’s gone, to those who need tips on working from home or spending time
at home whilst ill or recovering
Here in the UK the government has said that no one, aside from key workers, should be
leaving their home for any reason other than to buy food, medicine or take one daily form
of exercise. Thus we’ve been in isolation lockdown for almost three weeks now and many
disabled, chronically ill and elderly people have been ‘shielding’ for longer than
that.
- shielding is a measure to protect people who are clinically vulnerable by minimising
all interactions with others, including staying at home for 12 weeks and avoiding all face-to-face
contact. [beat] except for with your carers and family members who apparently do not need
to isolate, according to the government.
Which makes no sense. Since they could very clearly come into contact with… and then
come back to you and…
Anyway! For those of you who have lived extremely healthy lives up until this point, social
distancing, and indeed isolating if you think you have symptoms, is probably pretty weird.
You’re probably not used to the number of times a day you leave the house being restricted
or something stopping you from hanging out with your friends. And you’re probably facing
extreme boredom, anxiety, aimlessness and a little thing we like to call ‘cabin fever’.
But don’t worry, Don’t panic, as a chronically ill person who has spent pretty much the last
decade isolating: I’ve got you.
Even before COVID-19 hit, I probably left the house 4 times a week and two of those
were for a gentle stroll around the local park with the dogs.
- don’t worry, they did have other walks, just not by me.
I saw only a few faces every week and I worked largely from my home office or my bed.
Other than not being able to go for a weekly dinner at my sister-in-law’s house or step
inside a supermarket-
- who knew I could miss supermarkets this much?!
My life doesn’t feel that different despite being locked in my house because I’ve already
learnt the coping strategies to keep me sane. I am a social isolating pro and I’m here
to help you cope by sharing the tips and tricks I’ve learnt:
- In descending order!
Because I like the way that builds excitement.
Disclaimer: these may not all apply in all countries because lockdown laws obviously
will differ.
14. GET DRESSED
If you have experience of working from home or being ill you’ll already know this but
it’s all too easy to let your days become, essentially, slush. They just merge into one
another and it’s difficult at that stage to pick them apart or get motivated. My solution
is to get dressed.
- Even if I’m too ill to get out of bed and that ‘dressed’ is just into a different
pair of pyjamas.
The daily routine of changing your clothes, washing your face and brushing your teeth
helps to wake up your brain and put it to sleep again at night.
Whether you’re trying to get work done or you’re using this time to learn a new skill,
it’s important to distinguish between different times of the day and flip the switch that
gets you started.
13. DON’T WRITE A TIMED SCHEDULE
If you’ve clicked on this video about “how to isolate and not lose your darn mind”
you’ve probably also read some other articles or seen some other videos about how to stay
productive whilst spending time at home. They’ve likely all told you that a schedule is important,
and it is but:
- prepare for the important bit…
Don’t put times on your timetable!
This is something that I’ve learnt from being ill. Some things are going to take longer
than you expect, some things will surprise you by taking less time and if you give yourself
a timed schedule all you’re going to feel is failure and anxiety. You’ll be constantly
watching the clock, making sure you’re running to time and then of course you won’t be
because working from home is very different to working in an office just like being at
home when well is very different to being at home when ill.
Write a list of things you’d like to do in the order you would like to get them done.
Work through your list, including lunch (which happens at a flexible time when working from
home because now you’ll be cooking rather than just grabbing a sandwich), and you’ll
feel a sense of achievement as each thing is ticked off.
The one timed thing you should clearly set is the end of your day. You can do that in
terms of ‘x’ number of hours after you started work (thus giving you more flexibility
in the morning) or at a specific time. Make sure that you wake up and go to bed at healthy
times to ensure you get enough sleep and if you’re focused on productivity then make
sure to give yourself ‘evening’ time when you don’t need to berate yourself to be
productive.
Equally… although in the short term it can feel nice to be lazy, in the long term it
isn’t good for your mental wellbeing.
So planning out activities and setting goals can really help you to feel motivated and
stop you from feeling down. But don’t let those same goals beat you over the head if
you take longer than expected.
12. WORK IN BURSTS
When you go to school or work outside the house your day is broken up by many little
things. At school you move from classroom to classroom, often seeing different people
in the hallways, and the subject changes between rooms. In an office you might move between
different meetings, chat with a friend as you make tea or head to the toilet and take
a break for lunch. All of these things help keep you motivated and fresh.
When you’re sat at home however, with no face-to-face interaction, long stretches of
time make your brain run down low. You need those little bursts with breaks. Every 45
to 60 minutes take a moment to shake yourself off. Walk between every room of your house
or change the topic you’re working on. And, I know, you don’t want to seem like you’re
a slacker who isn’t doing enough or working hard enough but my god, these are exceptional
times, and if you can’t give yourself a little breathing space now, when are you going
to?
It’s advice I can sometimes find hard to follow, wanting to just eek out my last little
bit of concentration… but that’s never a good idea as my work at that point is pretty
shoddy. Take a break and when you come back you’ll be better.
Even five minutes on the craft project you’re working on in a different room can give you
a fresh perspective on what you’re currently doing.
This applies to fun stuff too. Playing your favourite computer game for hours on end?
Starting to see a decrease in your ability? Take a break!
Having a nice, chill time on your sofa? You deserve a break too!
- Blow the cobwebs out of your brain and everything is more fun.
11. GO FOR RIDES IN THE CAR
I struggle a lot with chronic fatigue so sometimes moving is a big effort. Yes, all movement.
Getting dressed feels like too much, getting out of bed feels like too much…
But my god if I have to stare at my bedroom ceiling anymore I will certainly lose my darn
mind!
When you’re getting cabin fever-y and the world just feels too small, a really lovely
thing to do is to get into the car and drive.
- not you, ill person, you’re the fancy Lady Penelope in this situation.
I love looking out of the window of the car and seeing rolling hills or people in town
and knowing that life is continuing (even if I’m in my pyjamas).
For me, because I’m shielding and can’t go into shops or any building other than my
own house, I like being taken around in the car and just drinking in any views I can’t
see from a window of my house.
That’s my fun daily expedition! And I still stay within my safety bubble.
10. STAND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF YOUR FRONT DOOR
- Just the other side. Maybe two centimeters out. Preferably when you can’t see another
human.
Smell the air outside, let rain fall on your face, crunch gravel under your feet. Do whatever
you can to give your brain different sensory experiences to those in your house and thus
keep your mind active and your mood up.
The world is so much larger than the house or flat you are currently trapped in.
Remind yourself of that in a positive way, not with facts and figures about illness across
the globe, but with small sensory moments with nature.
9. BE REALISTIC WITH YOURSELF
Right now there is a global pandemic. You may feel grief. You may feel anxious. You
might be contending with a heavy brain fog that you’ve never felt before. Maybe you’re
dealing with illness and you just can’t make your brain work the way it used to...
Stop beating yourself up about things taking a little longer than expected. It’s completely
understandable.
A wide open day of working from home can feel like it should be full of possibilities, like
you should be able to get all 120 things on your to-do list done but being overambitious
just leads to feeling overwhelmed.
Set realistic goals (or even lower goals than you know you can manage) and you’ll feel
satisfied rather than disappointed at the end of the day.
When I’m really ill sometimes my daily goal is ‘sleep for more than 30 minutes’.
- Tricky but possible.
Try and get the majority of things done before lunch because you’ll inevitably slow down
mid-afternoon but knowing that there is only a little bit of your list left to do will
give you the momentum to push through to the end.
8. STREAMLINE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Messy space, messy mind.
Not only does tidying help you to focus on your work but it also gives you something
to do!
If you’re currently finding the lack of shopping opportunities difficult then tidying
is also the chance to discover old things you’ve not worn for a while at the back
of your wardrobe!
Working from home is really tough at first when all you’re seeing are distractions
so work in bursts and use the breaks to do house things like putting the dishwasher on
or hanging up the washing. Equally, when you’re at home because you’re ill, too much clutter
can feel completely overwhelming, especially when you know you don’t have the energy
to deal with it. Ask for help where possible and if that’s not possible… chuck everything
into a box and then hide it.
Don’t you feel better now it’s out of sight?
7. STRETCH OUT YOUR BINGE WATCHING
This is a continuation of the structure we talked about earlier.
Normally when I’m on bedrest due to migraines I can’t have the TV on or my computer playing
something because it makes the migraine so much worse. That means I have to invent shows
in my head to keep me occupied. When I was a teenager I spent two whole years in that
state and I think the only way I stayed sane was to make sure I had some structure to my
life, even though my life was internal. So I would only play these TV shows I was inventing
on certain days. Like real TV at the time. If it’s not Monday you don’t get to watch
the next episode.
BUt now we have Netflix and we’re all spoiled.
Trust me, when you’re spending an extended amount of time at home, it’s really helpful
to watch shows one or two episodes at a time but only on certain days of the week. It gives
you something to look forward to AND creates a schedule that’s easy for you to keep.
6. EXERCISE AS MUCH AS YOU ARE ABLE
Whether it’s wiggling your fingers or benching 100 pounds, just do as much as you’re able
to do.
- is 100 pounds a lot? Did I use ‘benching’ right?
20 minutes of exercise a day can boost your mood. No matter what kind of exercise. Take
it at your own pace, do what makes you feel good. Even if you just bob around to some
of your favourite music. Our physical health and our mental health are linked so by taking
care of one you can help take care of the other.
5. BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR CONTENT CONSUMPTION
Look, all personalities are different. Some thrive on the feeling of catharsis after watching
a disaster movie (which, by the way, generally always ends with our heroes still alive and
thriving) but for some the mere idea of watching such a film is stress inducing.
For most of us we’re desperate to find out as much as possible about COVID-19 to the
extent that we’re walking around gued to Twitter Updates and the news app. The digital
world is set up in such a way that there is always addictively more to see and more to
read, even if the core message itself is nothing new. Do we know what will cure the virus yet?
No. If I read 15 more articles will I eventually get to the one that gives me the answer? Maybe.
As such, I’ve taken to only checking the news and twitter when I go to the toilet.
That way I know that once I’ve left the bathroom I can’t obsessively check headlines.
I should probably add that I go to the bathroom about once an hour so I’m always quite up
to date. Apparently this is not ‘normal’ and some people only go to the bathroom once
in the working day… I am baffled by that.
The World Health Organisation recommends that you “seek information updates and practical
guidance at specific times during the day from health professionals and the WHO website
and avoid listening to or following rumours that make you feel uncomfortable.
If you need some coronavirus myths busted then check out my video doing just that, which
will be in the card above and contains information from the World Health Organisation.
The same applies to online content. If you have a friend on IG or FB who constantly posts
about how scared they are and how it’s all such a drama and how they are, like, definitely
going to die because once when they were sixteen they accidentally inhaled some second hand
cigarette smoke at a party, feel free to mute them. I’ve even muted some amazing disability
activists who post really worthy amazing stuff but with facts and figures that, if I’m
already in a low or troubled mood, can hit me really heavily. Instead I’ll check in
with them when I’m feeling strong enough and go through all of the posts I’ve missed.
There is an online argument currently about bloggers who are posting as they normally
would do (photos taken months ago or even last summer) and talking about things that
do not connect to the current crisis. Should they reference the coronavirus in every post?
Is it important to have spaces where their audience can think about other things and
have a rest from the constant drama?
What are your thoughts on that? Let me know in the comments below.
4. BE SOCIABLE
Being trapped in your house doesn’t mean that you don’t get to socialise with anyone.
- the word ‘trapped’ probably didn’t help there, did it?
If you’re the kind of outgoing person who’ll miss your colleagues when you work from home,
build socialising opportunities into your day. And try to video-chat with people rather
than always emailing or messaging. Seeing a familiar face makes a big difference.
You might feel low or anxious because you can’t draw on the immediate support of friends
and family to help you deal with the difficult situation and share your worries or concerns
but thankfully the internet makes keeping in contact easier.
One of the things that it’s easy to miss when we’re all isolated in our own homes
is the joy of doing absolutely nothing with our friends. Just chilling. Try video calling
a friend or colleague and work separately but together or watch the same film, or both
cook a meal. You don’t have to talk to each other the whole time, it’s just the companionship
that makes it special.
3. HAVE A WEEKEND OFF CORONAVIRUS
How do you have a weekend when you’re living in your house 24/7 and there is no marked
difference between ‘time on’ and ‘time off’? Take a weekend off coronavirus!
- no, genuinely, don’t talk about the virus, don’t read about the virus, don’t watch
news about the virus for two whole days.
Take a break!
You deserve it.
2. TOUCH A PLANT
Make the most of any outdoor space you can access, whether that’s your own garden,
a balcony or a tree growing out of the pavement. Being connected to nature helps your wellbeing.
Studies show that even watching birds out of a window can help.
Nature helps us to think of the big picture, to recognise that whatever is worrying us
right now… the world will keep turning and the Earth is a constant.
Open a window if you can and breathe in some fresh air.
Also, online gardening shops are still delivering so maybe now is the time to start that little
window box of flowers you’ve been thinking about or the herb garden you’d like to live
in your kitchen.
And finally…
TREAT YOURSELF!
Microlifts are the tiny bits of happiness sprinkled throughout your day that boost your
mood. If you’re moving around through your day it might entail grabbing a good coffee
at lunch, being smiled at by a stranger, sharing a joke with a coworker or your train arriving
on time. And if you’re at school… maybe your favourite teacher said you’d done a
really good job or you didn’t get homework today or you had a great time with your friends.
Just because you’re at home now, you still need those little boosts of happiness.
I treat myself to phone games. If I’ve written enough words or pages, or edited a video to
a certain point, I get to play on my phone for a bit.
I’m currently obsessed with Two Dots, although I’m getting a little TOO obsessed so any
other recommendations are welcome.
It’s about adding value to your day. Lots of tiny blips of fun because you’re going
through a drama right now, okay? Give yourself a break.
I just bought a fluffy tulle skirt to sit around the house in because that’s what
I needed to boost my mood today.
It’s all too easy to get drawn into a negative spiral when you’re isolated and lose your
optimism for the future. Too much time spent self reflecting and picking apart what’s
supposedly wrong with your life: be that relationships, work, family… well, it’s just not healthy.
So make fun for yourself and look after your mental health as you would your physical health.
Do what you need to protect it.
Stay safe and I’ll see you in my next video
[kiss]