So how is social distancing/ self-isolation going for you?
Most of us are in some kind of lockdown situation right now, and even the homebodies amongst us are starting to chafe at the bit. Like a friend said to me recently, it’s all very well to want to self-isolate voluntarily, but when it’s imposed from the outside, the natural impulse is to be irritated, to feel caged and to want to rebel. PLEASE don’t!
I cannot overemphasise the importance of practising social distancing at this moment in time. This is not about our individual freedom to do as we wish. It’s about the greater good, about understanding that only flattening the curve (delaying the spread of the virus) gives us a very real chance of beating this and that overburdening our medical system when it is already stretched beyond capacity will rebound on everyone in society. If doing our bit is staying home and staying away from other people, then surely that is not too great a sacrifice to make?
So, stay safe and stay informed.
But how does one stay sane? After all, the novelty of lie-ins, endless bags of crisps and binge-watching Netflix is likely to wear off sooner or later. All that lovely family time that we’ve yearned for in our frenetic work lives will start to grate upon our nerves when it’s just us and no one else to break the monotony. So, what does one do?
Here’s the thing: look at what you’re missing out on in this phase in your lives and try to replicate it. I’ll give you an example of what I’m doing and you can cherry-pick what works for you.
Routine: In our ordinary, everyday lives, we have some kind of routine going for us, determined by our work hours or the nature of our jobs. Try and create a new kind of routine for yourself, one that is sustainable long term. I wake up at 7am on weekdays, check my phone for emails and social media, and then get ready for my daily walk.
Exercise: Here, in the UK, we are allowed to go outside once a day to exercise, as long as we keep a two-metre distance from other people. I go for a daily walk to get my dose of exercise and fresh air.
Meditation: My yoga is the form of meditation I practise each day. It makes me focus on what’s going on internally and to learn to let go of all that is toxic, negative or beyond my control. Yoga, above everything else, keeps me sane.
Work: For those of us who can work from home, it’s important to set up a zone that you associate with work and work alone. In a home environment it is so easy for lines to get blurred, but to keep to the discipline of work hours, it is important to delineate the two.
I have a favourite chair that I retreat to when I need to write. It’s like a switch has been flicked on. I go into work mode almost instantly, despite whatever else may be going on around me. I plug into study music that allows me to tune into my innermost self, shutting all the outside noise off, literally and metaphorically.
Creativity: Art flourishes in the most straitened of circumstances. Now, more than ever, its time to explore your creative side. Is there a hobby you’ve always wanted to pursue? Is there an unfinished work that you need to complete? Go do it! Think of all the commute time you’re saving and use it towards creating something that matters to you.
Family meals: The rule in our household is that we meet for at least one meal a day. That one meal is our time to reconnect, to chat, to joke and laugh, to recharge our connection before we disperse to our separate corners again.
Movie weekends: Another family ritual we have established is that every weekend one of us chooses a film that all of us watch together. It can be a romcom, a golden oldie, a cartoon or a highbrow serious movie, but we all have to watch it together. This way we are exposed to a variety of films that under ordinary circumstances we wouldn’t have bothered watching.
Reading: This is a personal one. As a writer, I need to read. It’s my way of switching off from writer-mode and switching into being a recipient of somebody else’s words and imagination. It is how my mind exhales, it is as necessary as breathing to me. Regardless of whether you are a reader or not (I’ll hazard a guess that you are if you’ve read this far), pick up a book and read. There is no better way to end your day than in the company of a book.
Weekends: To stop the days melding into each other, Sundays are my days for a lie-in, with a coffee and the papers. It’s the day I oil my hair and call my dad from the bed. It’s the day I make aloo parathas and halwa and give myself a break from my new routine just so I know that it is a weekend.
Makeup: This may seem trivial or superficial, but I’m making it a point to dress well, paint my nails and put on some makeup. So, so important not to slide into a mild depression by living in pyjamas day in and day out. There is something about the very act of dressing well every single day that allows me to keep the blues at bay.
Calling people: Video call someone every day. Look at their faces, listen to their voices, reconnect in this manner if you cannot (and really, should not) in person. I cannot extol the therapeutic qualities of a daily chat enough. No matter that you are not in the same room or even the same country. Just the fact that you can touch base in this manner can feed your soul fairly satisfactorily.
Laugh: I’m lucky that 50% of my household is comprised of genuinely funny people. These two make the other two laugh, a lot! They see the humour in the most bizarre situations, they make everything into a joke and annoying though that may be at times, it does restore perspective and sanity to what seems at times to be a world going mad.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it’s one that I’m trying to abide by. I cannot say I haven’t had my moments of cabin-fever or meltdowns, but overall if this lockdown extends to another three months, then I know, these things will preserve my sanity in a way nothing else can.
Stay safe and stay sane everyone. See you on the other side. ❤️
