THE RATIONALIST KIT, HOW TO SURVIVE THE QUARANTINE

The first part of the Rationalist Kit has received an incredibly warm welcome. It compiled a set of basic questions that you should ask yourself to rationalize your thoughts and the overview of your surroundings, to identify and evaluate your concerns.

Today it’s time for part two - the key BEHAVIOURS that makes isolation easier. It is not rocket science or philosophizing beyond human nature. And that’s a good thing. It is, by definition, an extremely simple guide on how to organize your day to stay strong. Pretty universal, good for everyone, good for you and me.

 THE ASSUMPTIONS

You won’t save the world, so stop worrying about it. Instead, you have a huge influence on yourself and your immediate surroundings. Focus on yourself and your immediate surroundings.

Your greatest enemy is idleness and leaving your mind to itself. It is an ideal ground for anxiety. The anxiety that radiates to others. And you really wouldn’t want to depress yourself and your family and people in your immediate environment, I believe.

- Organize your day. The key is structure and a well-understood routine

- Get up, make your bed, dress normally, take care of hygiene, don’t let things slide, don’t mope around

- Interchange your activities every 0.5 to 1.5 hours, also while working. Change the nature of your activities. Introduce diversity for both body and mind in this way

- Mind the frequency and quality of meals. Impose discipline in this respect.

 Below you will find a set of 10 basic steps to build your day efficiently and sensibly. And that’s in addition to work.

 Only with these pieces of a puzzle, you will be able to skilfully and thoughtfully put together every day to make a full picture - a whole, diverse day. The day that you have planned and have control over. Without wandering from the window to the sofa, bemoaning this hardship and checking the curve of daily cases and deaths.

 You don't have to do the same things in the same order every day. Change the order and intensity (time) depending on your possibilities and desires. As long as you do it consciously.

 Can you see where the point is? In everyday ROUTINE. Occupy your mind and body. We have known this for a long time: from explorers, astronauts, mountaineers, extreme travelers, from the army, also from prisoners. It's time for us to do it.

 1 - read

2 - watch movies

3 - time with the loved ones

4 - exercise

5 - hobby / passion

6 - music

7 - mentor

8 - sleep

9 - nature

10 – help others

 1. READ

How to read:

- at least half an hour a day without any interruption

- in silence, without a TV, radio, computer, it's YOUR time

- turn off and put down your phone (!)

- immerse yourself in reading, take your mind to another world, for a vacation from everyday life

What to read:

- something that will take your mind out of everyday life and trigger the imagination - fiction and/or popular science

- no press, no magazines, no internet news (gibberish and chaos)

- no guide books, no professional literature ("leave" work!)

Do it systematically; help your loved ones to do the same.

2. WATCH MOVIES

How to watch:

- make it your daily holiday, a ritual, watching together with your loved ones, with some coffee/tea/wine/dessert, to emphasize being together and sharing experiences, to later also discuss the film together

- watch not only to distract yourself from the world outside the window but also to strengthen the bonds

- together with children (if you have any), and later in the evening only with your partner (if there is one)

- with a spoon, not a shovel – don’t binge, it won’t work; after a few such days,you will be fed up with it and still face the problem of "how to survive" again, only with a movie hangover.

 3. SPEND TIME WITH YOUR LOVED ONES

Sounds trivial? But it’s not. It’s not about being present in the same space. It doesn’t count. Only time spent TOGETHER counts. When you pay full attention to each other. Full. No half-sentences: "Uhm, what a nice drawing, my son" etc.

How to do it:

-just sit down and drink coffee/tea together; only so much and exactly that much; you can talk, but being quiet together and enjoying the sun and sky together is also an intriguing experience

- preparing meals together? Games? Working out together? Watching a movie? Together in the garden/on the balcony? Go on, add more to that.

4. EXERCISE

How to do exercise being an ordinary person:

- for yourself and your general health - you don't have to be a fitness pro, relax...

- 30 minutes, every second day

- your goal is to get sweaty

- do what you enjoy, not what is trending online or among friends

How NOT to exercise:

- do not maximize, do not overachieve (are you heading for the Olympics?)

- don't get caught up in the competition (you do it for yourself, not for show).

5. HOBBY / PASSION

A hobby/passion other than your work (!) is key for your mind and inner peace. Here's why:

- supports creativity - at work and with daily routines you exercise only certain ways of thinking; your passion triggers other scenarios and opens doors to out-of-the-box thinking

- clears the mind - you move commitment (preferably 100%) out of work and everyday life; it's like sending your mind on a short vacation

- gives freedom - you stop being a slave to work and everyday life; you have your asylum, your exclusive space, it’s priceless.

Do it every day, even for a few minutes. Or even by only thinking about it, if on a given day time was taken up by other activities.

 6. LISTEN TO MUSIC

Do you have your kind of music?

I'm not asking about music that you just like. I am asking about music that you listen to concentrated, which gives you experience, which takes you out of this world, enabling you to forget about current problems, after which you come back strengthened, cleansed, calm and ready for challenges. The music that is your sanctuary, not just a nice backdrop.The music you sometimes listen to without doing anything else. Music that you can, for example, listen to before bedtime, in the dark, to close the day on your terms, and not with work or other problems.The music you identify with, which can be said as the kind that resonates with you.

Or maybe you just have at least one such album or even just one song?

7. MENTOR

Make sure you have someone to talk to, seriously, deeply. With whom you can consult your emotions, fears, and hopes. Someone who will listen, ask, support with advice and experience (bigger/different than yours).

Without the threat of judgment, the fear of "revealing yourself". Someone with whom in conversation you can take off all your masks and turn off alarms. Someone you trust and who trusts you back. Someone with whom your energy returns and you are ready to face the world.

It can be your partner, although emotional relationships can sometimes be an obstacle. For sure there are such people around you somewhere. No online gurus and professional helpers. It can wait.

You could be someone like that for another person too. Look around if anyone needs your support of this type.

8. SLEEP

A much-underestimated piece of the puzzle, and even a key one. If you ruin it, all the rest will fall apart (!). Without the right amount of good quality sleep, you are weak and inefficient in everything. Don't act as if you’re a commando soldier or a superhero. Prove that you can be rational.

How to sleep:

- 7-8 hours (scientifically proven, end of the discussion)

- adapt these hours to your daily cycle; right now, being forced to stay at home, you have a fantastic opportunity to learn about your daily cycle

- mind the quality of sleep - the last half hour before going to bed, i.e. no screens (smartphone, monitor, TV, etc.) and mental departure from the everyday race (reading, self-reflection, meditation, conversation, a walk, etc.)

- if after getting up you need coffee, then... you sleep badly and you are only cheating the brain, that is yourself. It will be compensated after the caffeine trip.

When in doubt, I recommend you to read, for example, Why we sleep by Matthew Walker (a scientist, not a bestselling author of something).

 9. NATURE

We are inseparable from nature. It can be dangerous, but it also brings peace. Nothing calms you down like some green, blue sky, the sun. This is an important element of our balance. Let's make use of it.

 Examples of how to do it:

- the garden (if you have one) can be both, a refuge and a workplace, every day - take care of the lawn, the plants, trees, etc., again– everyday; apart from that, just sit there, look at the sky, listen to the birds; you don't have to become a professional gardener all of a sudden

- the balcony (if you have one) - the same; you can order plant pots, soil, seeds, bulbs online, take care of it; and again, just sit there

- the apartment – like the above; take care of the plants, add new ones, enjoy how they grow, read about them; you don't have to be a professional, a beginner level will do

- walks - do not give it up for as long as you can; add it to your daily routine, even for a few minutes; with safety measures, of course

- pets - we know they support us without even knowing it.

Simple? Perfectly. As long as you make it an element of your daily routine.

 10. HELP OTHERS

How can this be done:

- make at least one face mask and give it to a person in need in your neighborhood

- check if and what someone older/weaker in your neighborhood may need and buy it with your shipping (it doesn't have to be much, one thing will do)

- donate anything to any of the foundations/charities supporting the elderly/weak/excluded/ in need

- support with a good word and a positive attitude; what you do and what you say affects the people around you

- do not spread your sorrows and fears all over in the media; you may be relieved for a moment, but you infect hundreds of other people with this sadness and anxiety; it's a poison; do not spread the poison.You wouldn't want to be like Gríma the Wormtongue of The Lord of the Rings, would you?

 SUMMARY:

Are you starting to see what it is...? In everyday ROUTINE/RITUAL. Occupy your mind and body.