This is a term that we are now seeing used more often. As people settle into their shelter-in-place lifestyles and work from home with kids at home, it wears on everyone’s sanity. The bay area weather is not helping either with cold rainy days.
As someone with health anxiety and germaphobia, this is a time that can take a toll on my mental health. However, there is also an element of familiarity to it all. There is that phrase “the known devil is better than the unknown angel”. While I don’t think I can use the word “better” in these trying times, I know that this is also an area that I know how to deal with.
I am applying the same methods I use for my health anxiety to this crisis. The germaphobia made sure that I was following all the hygiene, sanitizing and social distancing practices anyway. The difference is that now everyone else is too. Not much has changed in that aspect for me. The health anxiety is always there in the background or foreground, and I have methods to deal with it. However, in addition to all the other health worries, this is a new and big one added on top of it all.
Here is what I am doing and seeing how it will play out.
- Setting small and large goals. First goal was to get through day 1 of shelter in place and we did that. It did not come easily but it’s done. Now to get through to the work week – i.e. until Friday afternoon. Our work may spill over into the weekend but that’s ok, at least there will not be the pressure of conference calls. After we get to the weekend, we will set our sights on the next week, and so on.
- Yoga at home every day – this is a must for me and I do home videos for half an hour every day using Yoga with Adriene
- Meditation – I use Headspace for a 5 min or 10 min meditation
- Write my gratitude journal and affirmations
- Write a blog post ever so often
- Check on our finances and make some progress in learning about investments and mortgages
- Check off small items on my work list and learn new topics when I can
- Walk in the neighborhood
- Try to remain dairy-free but not sweating it – it’s better to eat dairy than to make a trip to the grocery now for a dairy-free item for sure (although I am well stocked for now)
- Plan to use groceries we have at home for the next two weeks and avoid going to the store
- Plan to bake a cake sometime
- Sleep whenever we can
- Walk in the garden barefoot on the grass, hug trees and spend time around the plants in our garden, get sunlight on our bodies for about 10 minutes
- Enjoy family time
- Not read the news until noon every day and try to stay informed but not consumed by the news.
- Dedicate a portion of time for financial news and worry and put it away afterwards
- Accept that this is a very stressful time and that we will not be able to do everything we planned
- Trying to keep my mind open to creative ideas and solutions to long term problems coming in during this time
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