5 Benefits of Isolation (so far...)

Ok, so life has become very different and is going to continue to be different for some time. 2020 is the clearly the year of Change: dealing with change, coping with change and looking ahead to a very changed world.

We ourselves have been isolating since Saturday 14th March when my 6month son took a mild temperature (due to teething) and we were told to follow protocol for 7 days. I must admit, it has definitely been hard to rapidly change life so quickly and there have been some challenging conversations over the past few weeks regards the adjustments we’ve needed to make. I'm sure every household has been the same. Both my wife and I have long-term asthma, so we are on a state of high alert, which itself brings significant stresses, in combination with the stress from change and the stress from the uncertainty of what will happen in business in the weeks and months ahead. Here are my own stress levels from the recent period and how they compare to my typical readings (Average Overall = 20). 4 Days of pretty chronic stress!

The good news is that all my family members are safe and well and into new routines. I'm still getting business requests and my physiological state has much reduced back down to more normal levels - Yes, there are still a few spikes each day as we adjust, but it’s much better than the chronic stress I was experiencing from last week. Even in stressful times, I seek to get some quality recovery and stick to sleep schedules & hygiene.

One thing that has helped me to really control my stress, apart from increasing our safety at home (link to a useful resource for day-to-day tips is at end of page) and knowing the wider family are also safe, has been to look at some of the positives from this terrible situation and then try and gain perspective and build some hope. If you'd permit me, I’d like to share with you some of the things I’ve noticed which have helped me to reduce stress (in no particular order):

1.     Slowing Down

Hasn’t it been a blessing to be forced to slow down with the rest of the world? I’ve had a lot of client conversations across the week about how people are being thankful for the rest and the time-out from the usually relentless pace of life, spending more time at home with their loved ones and connecting more face-to-face, albeit online. More people are reflecting on life and I hope we can all learn something very significant from this and carry it over when we return to our workplaces in the future.

2.     Health Improvement

Are you eating better? Are you portion controlling? Throwing away less waste? Trying out different forms of exercise? Establishing a good daily sleep/wake/meals/exercise routine? Speaking more to friends and family? Watching less TV? Becoming less materialistic? Spending less money? Limiting or switching off altogether from news & social media? Yes to all of the above for me.

3.     Being Creative

We have a 3 year old and one of the hardest things is to keep her entertained for hours on end. I must admit, my wife is fabulous at being creative with arts and crafts (and much more) and has amazing perseverance. I might disappear for a few hours to work, but when I come down for a break, I’ve been given butterflies made from cereal boxes and hungry caterpillars made from toilet roll tubes.

I’m also being creative in my own business and adapting a few existing revenue streams so I can add value to my clients and help as many as I can to get through this difficult situation. Do get in touch with me if you want ideas on how to keep your staff engaged, motivated and active while they work from home.

I also think it’s wonderful how older family members have embraced technology and we're now regularly using FaceTime for reading bedtime stories – which is really good for keeping Grannies involved with the daily routine.

4.     Stronger Faith

I’ve found though that my faith has been significantly strengthened during the past few weeks. I believe we are doing all I can to keep my family safe from harm and now I’m able hand it the rest all over. I’m praying daily for the whole world, our country, our politicians, our key workers and our health care system. I have faith we will get through this and one day wake up to a much different world and we will have learned so much about ourselves and how we once lived.

5.     Increased Teamwork

My wife and I have really needed to come together and work as a united front to get through our days. It requires really good time management, communication, compassion and appreciation. This period isn’t going to be over soon, so working together successfully is going to be crucial. It'll always require a bit of compromise on both sides, but I know that at the end of this, we will be an even stronger unit and we will look back at this period of our lives and know that it really tested us, but we got through it both together.

Ok, to finish off, I hope you have enjoyed this article and I wish that it has helped you think about some positives from our unique shared situation. Let’s all stay safe from the harm that’s outside and protect ourselves from the stress that’s inside. Together, we will all get through this.

Please leave me a comment to share your positive experiences so far too.

Send me any questions you may have to: [email protected]

Stay Safe

With warm regards

Dr Jonny Bloomfield

29th March 2020

A (hopefully) helpful guide for the public by virologists experienced in high-level biological containment 

Please read and watch the video. Share with anyone who it could help...

DOWNLOAD HERE