3+ weeks of Quarantine Complete: Learnings and Insights

It’s hard to believe it’s been three weeks since I posted about making the decision to self-quarantine after a long trip overseas. Cooped up in my NYC apartment, with my Trader Joe’s grocery haul and a list of tasks I wanted to accomplish, I was ready for the recommended 14 days of isolation - until I got a call from my sister. My very pregnant, nurse practitioner sister -- the one with a toddler at home. And the only sister I've got!

She read my post about choosing to self-quarantine and was concerned first about my health and exposure on my business trip, but also what the next few weeks or even months would look like for her and her family -- including me. She spends her days taking care of other people’s loved ones -- but few of our front line workers have the luxury of putting their families first with the strain on our medical system. As the conversation continued I realized that what she really needed was her family -- meaning me too! Despite my decision to self-isolate in NYC, I needed to get out -- stat.

So I packed my bags, rented a car (that was interesting... I guess everyone in NYC had the same idea at the same time with the announcement of PAUSE - just get out and get out fast), disinfected said rental and made my way to NH. Nine hours later I checked into a hotel in Portsmouth my fam loves -- and began self-isolating once again. 

Now here I am on day 15 of quarantine #2, re-joining my family with a few reflections on the past few weeks… 

What’s the “right” thing to do? 

It’s a question on everyone’s mind at the moment. I’m used to my independence and freedom - to travel, to choose, to do just about what I want, when I want… I know spoiled New Yorkers! But right now, we ALL need to help #FlatenTheCurve by following imposed guidelines. I made the decision to RE-quarantine outside of NYC near my family but solo at a hotel to ensure I didn’t put my parents, sister or niece at risk. Ultimately, I made this choice and felt there was no better explanation than "It's the right thing to do".

The good news is -- I seem to be fine. No symptoms at Day 15.

Momentum

I’ve struggled with not just letting the momentum run away from me and turn into regular 12hr days on quarantine (anyone else feeling that way!?) Momentum is what founders like me are on the hunt for in a new venture and the key is finding that momentum, because once it’s there, more momentum follows. But it's also about finding the cadence and building in recovery just like I do in Triathlon training so I can sustain my performance for the season not just the most immediate goal or race. For other founder friends, I hear momentum stalemates as the economy has ground to a halt.

Shout out to MassChallenge, however, who’s been keeping momentum, and released a global survey unearthing startups with relevant solutions that can help limit COVID-19's impact. 

The American Medical System...

Simply put, our medical system is not prepared for a crisis of this severity. Lack of equipment (ventilators, hospital beds, masks and testing kits) and properly trained medical staff (can you believe PT’s, individuals with little to no nursing training are working in the ICU?) make this pandemic difficult to control. My own doctor even suggested I skip the hospital and the test (had one even been available) as the results wouldn’t be useful unless my symptoms worsened and visiting would risk further, unnecessary exposure. As a wellness entrepreneur, I wish I was a licensed medical practitioner like my sister to help.

If YOU are however check out this page, my city needs you!

Kindness in Crisis

I was scrolling through Twitter the other day and Governor Kate Brown’s tweet caught more than just my attention; reading the thread sent chills down my spine. And TBH tears to my eyes (and that’s not normally my style). So many of us have been deeply affected by the global pandemic but it’s how we respond that sets us apart from the rest. It’s unfortunate that it takes a crisis for all of us to find the strength to stand together (figuratively, unless it’s 6ft apart) and help one another, but hey, I’ll take it. There’s countless ways for you to step up and help during a crisis - all it takes is some creativity and care for the world around you! Feel free to share how you’ve been helping your community. 

Self Management 

Notice I said self management, not self care. Both are VERY important with COVID being an immune disorder and with the global move to WFH. The physical boundaries and containers we are used to (school, work/office, daycare, etc) have been removed, and it’s time to set some boundaries. This kind of autonomy is what I normally thrive on as an independent and self reliant individual (anyone a Print 8?!). The lack of travel, social and training structure in my daily and weekly routines has been a real challenge to adapt to. Time for new routines!

With our spaces and places converging, I'll be monitoring where and how I invest my energy in the coming weeks. 

I’ll leave you with these few reflections from three+ weeks of self-isolation, as I situate myself into my third “shelter in place” home, where I’m back under one roof with my family after almost 20 years of total independence - let’s see how this goes! I’ll be updating you on how I'm handling the transition and what I’m learning as I apply new hacks and reinforce fire tested practices. But for now, I'm signing off to finally spend some quality time with my family.