We are living in extraordinary and unprecedented times. A modern day plague is sweeping the globe at the speed of contemporary travel and interconnectedness. Panic and hysteria are widespread, particularly in the United States, and sadly an equally large reaction of nonchalance and a cavalier attitude are just as prevalent. Both sadden me, and my anxiety is at an all time high.
If you care at all for the people around you, and the economy at large, the very greatest contribution you can make is to stay home and to try and keep things going as much as possible from there. The greatest contribution to future economic collapse and supply disruption will come from an increase in contagion and an overwhelming of the medical facilities.
Make your greatest contribution by taking the situation seriously and hunkering down at home. I am so sad at all of the crowded bars, restaurants, and social gatherings that occurred over the past weekend. People just refuse to take the situation seriously, and think that any disruption to their social schedules or their preference for socializing is unreasonable and are seriously contributing to the spread of the virus. If you are out panic shopping, or more precisely hoarding, you are a major part of the problem right now.
Now that you are fully committed to staying home unless absolutely necessary for the time being, here are 5 suggestions for activities that will help you reduce your anxiety and still be productive and moving forward.
- Meditate – a sustained elevated stress level saps both your immune system and your rational decision making faculties. Meditation is the ultimate stress reliever and therefore immune system booster. Turn off the news, and do a guided meditation. Do one when you wake up, and one before bed to start and end the day in a grounded, and calm state.
- Digitize your old family photos by scanning them and include names, dates, locations, and special memories as a text overlay. Without this vital information, these treasures will be lost on the next generation who would otherwise have no idea who those sweet, young faces were in the photos.
- Rotate your wardrobe for spring; even if it’s a little early, you’re probably not going out too much. Take this time to see what you are and aren’t wearing. If you didn’t wear it this winter, you probably won’t want to next winter either. Set your donations aside, label where they are destined for, and when things return to normal you can bless someone else with these items.
- De-Clutter: Life is less stressful and more enjoyable in a tidy, organized space that isn’t heaving with junk. Long, marathon sessions of decluttering are ineffective because our decision making power gets fatigued. Try doing one 10 minute session per hour and you will be amazed at how much you can get done in 10 minutes, because the results are cumulative, you’ll get so much more done overall with each successive hour. Don't be surprised if you find that you will never want to work without a timer again, and are astounded at just how productive you can be in a short amount of time.
- Spring Cleaning: Isolating alone at home is unpleasant, being stuck in a dirty house is miserable. Cleaning is so much more calming and productive than watching the news with an unending rise of dread and panic, and even though vacuuming and dusting have no sanitizing powers they need to be done anyway. Give your house the loving deep clean you always wished you had time for. Just like de-cluttering, work in 10 minute sprints with your timer. If you did 10 minutes of cleaning, and 10 minutes of decluttering each hour of the day you would just be flabbergasted at how much you would get done.
I hope when you read this you are safe, and have everything you need. If you are anxious about running out of supplies, make some long-term meal plans, and when you worry about running out of food, you can clearly see just how many meals you have at your disposal. Anyone who already deals with high levels of anxiety, depression, or is highly empathic, is no doubt in an unprecedented state of anxiety and panic over the situation. If you take that as a given, then you absolutely have to proactively be doing an unprecedented level of self care. Self-soothing is vital to remaining calm, and that should be your number one priority during this time.
Trying to maintain your routines as much as possible will be a huge help, getting up at the same time and getting showered and fully dressed will create such a different feeling than spending the day in pajamas. Enjoying your little gift of time by deep cleaning, decluttering your forgotten nooks and crannies, and finishing some long-neglected projects, is going to serve you better than any other reaction at this time.
It's important to separate yourself from people, media, or substances that are going to heighten your anxiety. Whether it's coffee, cable news, social media, or a doomsday soothsayer friend, limit your exposure at this time, and tune into things that bring you a feeling of peace and serenity.