Self-Care During Self-Isolation

It's amazing how much the world can change in a matter of several weeks. Over the past few months, with my sons solidly in their teen and pre-teen years and our oldest with home alone and first aid certifications, my wife and I were taking advantage of our newfound freedom, spending more time visiting friends and planning travel. I was able to branch out my business and do more travelling, and all we saw were opportunities ahead. Then COVID-19 hit and many of our plans went up in coronavirus-infused droplets.

Things hit particularly hard as I learned that my dad and stepmom tested positive for COVID-19 coming back from a trip to Europe. Dad has been in intensive care for several weeks, but he is slowly recovering. Fortunately he was very healthy prior to this, but is still fighting for his life.

What COVID-19 has shown me was just how unprepared I was for something of this nature, even though I thought I had everything under control. That said, as my coaching education drilled into me, we can either be the victims of our circumstances, or we can find opportunity in the situations in which we find ourselves.

So how are we supposed to find opportunities in something that has had such a vast impact on the way we live? When many of us are without stable income, are sick, or have loved ones who are?

1) It's a great time to develop some healthy habits. I know that rampant COVID-19 snacking is a thing, but honestly, I was far from healthy before self-isolation began. Living on sugar and caffeine and processed food, running from meeting to meeting, driving back and forth between home and clients. Having one drink that became too many with friends. Well, a lot of those choices have been taken away from us. Access to restaurants is limited, grocery store stock is inconsistent at best, and most of us fortunate enough to be working are working mostly from home. So what better time to learn how to make a new healthy meal, and kick our sugar addictions? The best part is that there are very few who will see us in the throes of sugar and processed food withdrawal. Get back to simple, healthy foods. Be mindful about eating, and about how great you feel when you eat something that's good for you - that will help develop good habits and maintain them when all the world's temptations are accessible to us once again.

2) Treasure the time we have with the people around us. Having a house with two adults and two children all working from home has been a bit of a challenge, we all have conference calls at different times and our schedules don't really line up very well. But we've been having a blast. We try to have lunch together every day, and we have plenty of time for family activities on evenings and weekends since we're not all in a rush to be somewhere else. Even if your loved ones don't live with you, I've seen people host virtual parties over Skype and Zoom - even if we can't be together, we can be together. Reach out. Text. Write emails. Leave video messages. Humans crave connection, we'll just need to be a bit more innovative in how we connect for a while.

3) Make the home your gym. I know that this is tough for gym rats. Trust me, I was one of the last guys out of the gym when self isolation started. I don't feel like myself if I don't get a sweat on in the morning. There are a number of workout apps and websites available that use little to no equipment. A friend of ours who can't go to the gym works out in the foyer off the front entrance of her house. There are ways to get or remain healthy if that's what we want to do. The exercise also releases endorphins that can help improve resiliency and quiet negative thoughts and anxiety.

4) There's no better time for self-improvement. Books, podcasts, videos are all accessible at little to no cost. For the businesses fortunate enough to still be running - perhaps this could be a time to examine corporate culture, goals, planning. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the rat race and feel like we're on a treadmill that just keeps moving faster. Now, as our treadmill temporarily slows down, maybe it's a good time to just take a breath, even if it is through a mask.

5) Remember, this is temporary. I'm not saying that things will ever go back to the way they were. I have no idea when we'll be able to go to a movie, a concert, a camping trip. But we will get past this, then we'll deal with what comes. That's what people do. Visualize the person you want to be when all this is over, and figure out how you can become that person by then. You can come out of this stronger.

How have you made the most of an unfortunate circumstance, either current self-isolation measures or another difficult period in your life? Please comment and share, we could all use some great ideas!