How to Keep Your Sanity in Times of Crisis & Lockdowns
The world is in crisis mode and new stringent measures are taken every day in an effort of slowing the spread of the coronavirus-wildfire.
It’s hard to escape the Coronavirus as it has taken over our daily life, social media feeds, news websites, shopping experience, and conversations.
I have never been so hyper-aware of how interconnected and fragile our world is. At the same time, I feel that we have a unique opportunity to change the way we do business, travel and live our lives.
Time slows down.
We have nowhere to go.
Our routines change.
Everything is centered around our home. And of course, technology has an even more important role to keep us connected to the world at least virtually.
All of this disruption and massive uncertainty causes stress and anxiety in many of us.
Today I want to share how we can care for our mental health while being “locked-in” at home.
- Routinize: Create new routines that work for you and your family. This will give everyone a rhythm to stick to.
- Uplevel: use the time you have to learn a new skill. There are tons of online courses on any given subject on Udemy, Coursera, Linkedin Learning or Skillshare.
- Do some spring cleaning: Freshen up your home and get organized, so you feel more comfortable.
- Help others: now is the time to be there for one another. Perhaps you can go shopping for a senior, volunteer to babysit or support a colleague who is having a hard time.
- Limit your news intake: Notice how you feel when you read the news and try to reduce it to a level that feels okay and not overly anxiety-inducing.
- Move: Keep up with physical activity not only for your body but also for your mind. There are tons of apps and YouTube videos with great workouts. I use Alo Yoga for yoga.
- Reach out: It’s only natural that we feel more isolated in these times of social distancing. Find creative ways to keep in touch with people via video. Regular virtual coffee sessions are a fantastic way to stay connected. Also, why not touch base with an old friend you haven’t talked to in a while?
- Meditate: Now is a great time to start or deepen your mindfulness practice. Try the apps Calm, Headspace or Insight Timer.
- Reduce noise: Switch off sensational breaking news notification and mute WhatsApp groups that feel overwhelming.
- Be considerate: Think about other people when you go shopping. Emptying the shelves is a selfish act as others will no longer be able to buy essentials. Take only what you really need.
- Share what you learn: Social Media is a great place to share how you experience the current difficult situation so others can be inspired or informed.
- Practice Gratitude: Focus on the good things that come from this experience.
- Get help: If you notice that your anxiety is rising beyond a level that you are familiar with, don’t be afraid to seek help. Everything is easier when we have someone who supports us.
This pandemic has one positive side effect.
We slow down.
We do less
We stop our busyness.
This gives us the chance to reconnect with ourselves and others. We get the opportunity to look at our lives and check-in if we are actually doing the “right” things in the “right” way.
Here are a couple of links that I found with excellent information around the topic of corona:
Covid-19 visual dashboard — This is a great dashboard that shows live charts by country.
Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now — This is a fantastic compilation of facts answering the most pressing questions. This article went viral last week with over 28 million views.
Should I go to brunch? An interactive tool for COVID-19 curve flattening (aka The Corona Calculator)- If you need to see numbers to believe things, this is for you. Find out what the impact of the number of your social interactions is on the overall situation. It also shows you the capacity of your healthcare system.
In the meantime, I send you lots of strength to deal with whatever is ahead. Be well.
