4 Ways to Thrive During Coronavirus Lockdown

We have found ourselves at a point where more and more people forced to stay home. Usually, everyone would have those, “homesick” high school day feelings, but the circumstances are far from benign nostalgia. Although the situation is dangerous, we can’t let our minds drift down the river of “what if.” Or else, we’d all be on a ride similar to that one Willy Wonka scene (cue the intense eye-contact, frantic Oompa rowing, and uncomfortable close-ups). Luckily for us, we have plenty of technology to keep us positive, informed, productive, and…but really though?

It’s exciting for a few days, but from someone that works from home typically, there are aspects that you don’t expect, and actually, you still might have a good bit of work to do. After ticking all those to-do list boxes, you’ll feel like, “now what?” To which your brain will respond with all these relaxing and low-energy-required options like Amazon, Netflix, YouTube, IG, FB, TikTok, Reddit, Tumblr, Medium, LinkedIn, and countless others.

Let’s say, “hypothetically,” you do all of these, probably a few times over. Then your smarty brain will ask, “now what?” And that might be where you start thinking about venturing out, texting/calling friends to see what they’re up to, hoping it’s not as dull as your situation (not likely). Then where does that leave you? With maybe an hour of conversation? but your brain is sitting in a leather chair cross-legged, asking, “what now?” This point is where I hope you use the rest of this article. I’m writing because I have experience in this situation for over a year. Although the catalyst is different, the situation at home remains the same, except with more toilet paper and snacks (they were out of hand sanitizer).

So the question becomes, “how can creative people, which is everyone, thrive in isolation?”

To the ones who are more acquainted with their creativity, this could be as easy as pulling out your Rolodex of abandoned projects and seeing which one tickles your fancy. Although, I would argue even that approach might leave you feeling overwhelmed and dejected. To combat this, jot down some of the favorite projects you’ve ever worked on, in any aspect. This approach is a much more focused way to get back to old projects or ideas that, at one time, we’re stimulating. Neurons fire in your brain as you watch flashbacks of yourself filming, writing, editing, drawing, cosplaying your little heart out, creating excitement, which is our ultimate goal during a time where you’re being excited in negative ways.

Frida Kahlo’s Personal Journal

Journal

I’m sure you’re standing by while your brain pumps out thought after thought, soon all you’ll be thinking about is thoughts, which is when you lose touch with reality. Just as Alan Watts explains.

“ A person who thinks all the time has nothing to think about except thoughts. So he loses touch with reality and lives in a world of illusions. By thought I mean specifically ‘chatter in the skull’, perpetual and compulsive repetition of thoughts.”

— Alan Watts

When this happens to me, I open a fresh Google doc or sheet of paper and allow my thoughts to escape through my pen or fingers without the worry of punctuation, spelling, or grammar. You’ll find that as you begin to relax and listen to one particular stream of thoughts, that it will take you to all these places you would’ve never written down in an outline or brainstorm. Trust it. Go with it. And you don’t have to show a soul.

This is a time you’ll want to reference many times in the future because of the sheer magnitude and the changes it will impress upon almost the entire world afterward.

Great people throughout history have kept journals of all kinds. One of my favorite journals is Frida Kahlo’s which combines intimate thoughts, poems and conceptual designs for future works of art.

You can actually buy the full color, 296-page journal reprint on Amazon, here.

Journaling just for yourself is pretty liberating, which brings me to my next activity.

Photo by ABC on Giphy

Treat yo self

Do me a favor, take a minute to think about a time when you felt most relaxed alone? No one else’s agenda. No place to be. You’re “grooving with the eternal now.” What were you smelling? What sounds we’re tickling your ears? Try to recreate as much of this experience as you can. Go on, I’ll wait while you try it.

How do you feel? A tiny bit better? Mission accomplished.

Now the tricky part is carving out time to relax. I’m not talking about letting Netflix run until it asks you if you’re alive. I mean, actually quieting your mind, removing distractions, putting on a cucumber mint facial mask, and letting yourself be just a human on Earth.

Instead of Ramona, the social climber slaying her way to the top and or beating yourself up because you haven’t gone to hot yoga in a week.

Take a deep breath and forget about all that for an hour or so. Trust me, it’ll all still be there when you come back, plus you’ll have a fresh mind to see things a little differently.

Fun fact. During Tarantino’s writing process, he walks away from his scripts for six weeks before finishing to get a fresh perspective.

Use your talents for the good of others

I mean utilizing what you’re good at, love to do, or have been through in a way that inspires others in these unnerving times. It doesn’t matter what medium it ends up taking shape in, what matters is how it will give people something to think about, something to marvel at, something to question, anything to inspire hope, which is the original currency.

If you’ve always wanted to throw some acrylic on canvas, do that now!

Embrace those tiny voices in the back of your mind, longing to express themselves in different ways. When you create something out of the pure desire to follow your intuition and bring something to life, you enter an altered state of mind.

Let others know they are not alone in the most authentic way you know-how.

For me, it’s writing this article. I’ve been writing a lot in private but haven’t shared much of it. This was a perfect time to sit down and write a piece that others may get enjoyment and hopefully some benefit.

The switch from going to work to living at work is not an easy one to handle; I know it wasn’t for me.

I lost track of time, I wore the same shirt for three days and didn’t even notice, I stayed up until all hours of the night just because I didn’t have, “anywhere to be” the next day.

Oh, and hats! I wore hats for so long that every one of my hair follicles ached.

I didn’t know they could do that.

So If you can sidestep at least one of the pits I fell into, this article is a success.

Now since I know many of you are sharing a quarantine zone with someone else, this next one is for you.

Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash

Let the little things go

This one applies to all of life, but especially when the fog of tension hangs heavy in the air. People are already walking on eggshells, which is especially rough when trapped in your place.

So anxiety is high all around for pretty much everybody.

This is also the perfect time to adopt some stoic philosophies from Epictetus: watch your judgments and focus less on things outside of your control. Watching your judgments usually means controlling the urge to improv as Joan Rivers and go off on some lady wearing Crocs in Target (Crocs are lovely, and so are the people who wear them, btw).

In this case, watching your judgments refers to us feeling entitled to things that we’re not naturally entitled to.

As in, we’re not entitled to the world spinning in perfect harmony our entire lives, so when something like Coronavirus happens, we should accept the fact that these sorts of things are bound to happen in our lifetime.

This brings us to the next point; focus less on things outside of your control.

“Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: Some things are within our control, and some things are not. It is only after you have faced up to this fundamental rule and learned to distinguish between what you can and can’t control that inner tranquility and outer effectiveness become possible.” — Epictetus

There is so much going on around us at all times that the stimuli can be overwhelming. Add to that, the fact that more people are on the internet than almost ever before due to social distancing resulting in a never-ending cocktail of super relevant content because virtually the entire world is dealing with precisely what you are at the same time.

It is essential to stay informed and keep in touch with your friends and family.

But don’t be hesitant to unplug for a bit and get lost in an excellent historical fiction book or just put on your favorite Dua Lipa song and dance like it’s 2019.

Both will nourish your soul.

Sharpen a skill

At the moment, all of us in California are on total lockdown except essentials. Many others share this new living situation, and things might get weird. So to combat this stagnation or rumination of the mind, I would recommend grabbing a membership at Skillshare, Udemy, or Masterclass.

Between the three of them, you’ll learn a massive spectrum of skills from impassioned, accomplished teachers that genuinely want to show you how to succeed. With Masterclass featuring the best in the world in the widest array of disciplines.

I started by throwing one video a day into my evening routine. Naturally, one video would leak into two, and often times more. Find inspiration for whatever hobby you choose by finding an artist whose work draws you in, or writers who have a voice that keeps you hooked.

Finding something created by others that speaks to you will give you a frame of reference for finding the right instructor.

I’m staring at a dusty guitar that’s finally going to get some loving.

Another situation is that maybe you’ve wanted to get into a new line of work for some time, ironically, something that you could do from home. I know a lot of people have been exposed to this style of work previously but maybe haven’t figured out how to make the jump.

Exposing yourself to the different options that are out there by checking out websites such as Pangian, Weworkremotely, and there’s always Upwork.

The first two sites specializing in remote jobs; the last one is where individuals offer their services in a wide variety of industries, similar to Fiverr.

Visiting Upwork, you can begin to see how learning any of these skills can become extremely lucrative. Do some research, listening to both what interests you and where your experience lends itself, which will make the transition easier.

Grab a new skill while quarantined, and emerge more valuable, confident, and ready to adapt to the modern world.

Photo by Mantas Hesthaven on Unsplash

I know that life will be different for the foreseeable future. Presenting us with the choice to allow the magnitude of the situation to crush us, or accepting the fact that this is indeed happening, actually affecting us, and deal with it.

I would love to talk more about how we can stay sharp during these next couple of months, so please leave some suggestions, concerns, or anything you’d like to share in a comment below.

I will read and respond to every one of them. Thank you so much for reading.

Stay strong, stay sanitized.