I’m very fortunate to have previously been able to work from home and have a home to work from.
Unfortunately, my freelance work has completely dried up, but I am confident the construction industry will return to growth in time.
Here are a few things that are helping me deal with the “current normal.”
Maintain a regular sleep schedule. I try to go to bed and get up around the same time every day. While I have struggled with anxiety, I do sleep better some nights than others, I find that sticking to a regular routine keeps me from feeling “off kilter.”
Get outside for a little bit every day.
Thankfully I have a small garden and sometimes walk in my neighbourhood early evening.
Social distancing and self isolating, so I have been doing that daily. It means no family contact which is the hardest thing ever when living on my own! I so miss just a hug.
Limit consumption of news. No, I don’t ignore what’s going on completely. I have online subscriptions to the newsletters of New Scientist and The Economist, to give me a snapshot of what is really going on in the world rather than the total media speak. I am trying to avoid watching news on TV but do check in once a day.
Go “offline” in the evenings. Turn off the computer, put away the phone. I usually watch a film or series through one of the streaming services. BTW, I enjoyed “The English Game” on Netflix. Created by Julian Fellowes, it was soapy, fun and engaging and has some wonderful Yorkshire scenery and period costuming. Though not a docu-drama, it is based loosely on actual events. Again, on Netflix, I admit to binge watching into the early hours, “Unorthodox”, based on the memoirs of Deborah Feldman, the story of a girl who rejects her radicalised Jewish upbringing and flees to Berlin. Highly recommended!
Take a book break. I’m currently reading Boleyn Curse by Deborah Cohen, a recommendation by my Canadian friend. Her daughter-in-law is the author, and this is her brilliant first book.
Stay in touch online. I’ve been doing a lot more texting, WhatsApp-ing, Facetime-ing.
Exercise, if you can. Even just a few minutes a day is better than nothing.
Take a moment to appreciate something in your immediate vicinity. Do this several times a day until it becomes a habit. 😉
And finally, have something that gives you a sense of purpose and gets you out of bed in the morning. Maybe it’s knitting, or cooking, or organising online family chats, or pottering in the garden. For me, it’s writing this blog, after having lost my writing mojo over the last weeks and I am just beginning to appreciate the need to rekindle creativity to maintain my sanity.
Give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.