Quarantine on holidays and mental health

Covid and mental wellbeing. Almost two years into the pandemic and I have been teaching lots of trainings, given speeches and coached people on how to handle it. Challenged like others by multiple confinements and general worries, I did the best I could to keep my mental and physical stability in 2020 and 2021 and be there for others too, while I also came up with the "mental spa" concept that I, together with many, love (and will repeat in 2022!)... Until I got my very own quarantine after having tested positive for Covid during our vacation abroad. I found myself quarantined with my husband in a hotel room during our holidays, having in some moments a little bit of a mental challenge, as it is to expect. Uncertainty, a thousand questions with 500 variables, such as "Will we be able to test negative by the time we need to travel and be back in Zurich?"; "OK, I am asymptomatic now, but what if I get sick?", "How do I tell my family, with their own Covid challenges, about this?" and way more doubt compared to when you are home sitting on your couch and negative to the virus.

Already 7 days into this, a strange calm starts being present, I think because you have accepted that you won't go out. The previous days, you secretly have a mix of guilt ("what If was contagious to others?" of course) and strange thoughts about how to sneak out or how to call the health authorities and tell them that you HAVE to go out, that you don't live here, that you don't know how to make this health app work because is not the one you are used to. You fight against the fear you'd be kicked out of the hotel you are in as soon as they know you are positive, but then you realize they are just so used to this, that they do not even sound surprised over the phone, and you start negotiating how to get your meals and preferably a discount on the 10 days extra staying.. . The window in the room does not open though , because we are on the 13th floor and that is the way it is, but luckily we see cars and tiny people passing by. We are 6,427 km away from Zurich! I know that many readers have probably already been in this situation and might be smiling now, and we have all felt the lockdown heavily in the past, but somehow this all feels different, and I am taking my temperature twice a day.

Until it arrives: along with the comfort of the water boiler: knowing the simple things that make us happy, like coffee or tea and the journals we write, and the pages we read, the computers we are grateful we brought with us (even though I initially opted for a total detox of phone and emails until I got back, I am glad I can work from here now). They are being our life savers.

And so, I want to share with you what I am doing to keep the spirits up and take care of my mental wellbeing:

• Routine, routine, same thing we did back in 2020. But this new routine had to have a lot of self-compassion at first, because I was not feeling 100% and could not beat myself up for not starting any kinds of routine just immediately. I just gave myself time to process the info and did not force myself to think immediately positive, i.e. "there are worse things". I know there are, but I want to acknowledge how I feel now;
• Journaling about I feel and what I do every day at the end of the day. I journal before if I feel any kind of emptiness;
• 30 minutes sports;
• Working and keep FindYourWay Coaching moving forward as usual, but with many many more short breaks to stretch and look out the window;
• Look out the window and picture exactly what we are going to do when we can get out;
• Meditate and visualize my next PCR to be negative;
• Reading a book called "Overcoming Overthinking" (funnily enough, I was reading it to get a few more tools for coaching clients, and I used them all on me first) and made my "happiness list", which are the things I like to do when deflated in general;
• Looking forward to the time food is being delivered and "setting the mini-table" we have, which gives the impression we are getting ready for dinner;
• I keep the ritual of getting dressed and wear make up;
• Reaching out to friends and family and sending pictures, trying to laugh and use humor.
• Watch fun stuff on Netflix.

It is just so important to take care our mental health and physical health, as a way of prevention also, for when we most need it!!