How to Blunt the Impact of a Quarantine in Your Life

It was a balmy 38 degrees and raining when I went for a run this morning. I got home, soaked and muddy, and my wife said, "Going to take a warm shower?"

The thought of taking a shower with hot water hadn't even crossed my mind, because for as long as I can remember, I've taken cold showers.

Aside from any debatable health benefits, I've used the cold as a way to fortify my mind. If I can withstand cold water (and well water in Maine is very cold) then whatever the day throws my way won't appear as bad.

It's part of my routine. I eat the same foods. I follow the same schedule. I workout every day. I get to bed at reasonable hours.

It probably sounds like I'm extremely boring, but it's buffed me from hardship.

You see, with complete transparency: I've barely noticed the quarantine in my daily life.

I've noticed it in my work life and felt some stress, but the impact has been blunted, and I truly believe it's because I haven't changed my routine.

Don't get me wrong, some people are facing legitimate problems from our economic crisis and I'm not trying to downplay this fact. What I'm trying to illustrate is that with systems, processes, and routines, your much more likely to bounce back.

I have the benefit of having already worked from home. I didn't need to adjust from a commute or from physically seeing people outside my family. But for those who've made massive changes, the point stands. Stick to whatever routine you can to keep normalcy.

I've read before that changing your routine when ill is one of the reasons people stay sick longer. Their body has to adapt to new stimuli. The normal way of doing things has been thrown out the window, and now your body is playing catch up.

If you can maintain your lifestyle through our current crisis, you'll find you're significantly better prepared to handle the challenge.

Now, let's take this a step further. The same scenario plays out with businesses. What routines can you be doing within your company, every day, to keep a sense of normalcy?

If your company is firmly based on its values, this shouldn't be hard.

For example, most companies would say they're customer-focused. So, are your employees checking in with current customers to see how things are going? Are they looking to improve the user experience with your brand's assets?

These are things they were likely doing before if they were customer-focused, so why not do the same now? In fact, you'd be surprised how many opportunities open by talking to the people you serve.

Did you do a morning huddle in the conference room? If so, have you maintained that practice virtually? Why not?

The more routines you can maintain in your life and business, the better prepared you are for whatever you're challenged with. It doesn't make the problems go away. But it does make them much easier to handle.

Long story short: Go take a cold shower.