My Self-Care Routine (during a pandemic)
It is funny, now most of us living through this time period can say “I went through a global pandemic, and lived to tell the tale.” (Not saying that to be insensitive, but instead to prove my coming point.) However, how did we survive? What exactly did we survive? For a lot of us, COVID-19 has not taken a friend or family member from us, but we all have come into contact with the precautions and day-to-day changes of life that have made this pandemic immediately recognizable. From masks to nasal swabs, to hand sanitizer, to strange theories about how it spreads, and most importantly the misinformation. This pandemic will not easily be forgotten, and neither will its side-effects.
Now that we have ripped off the proverbial bandaid of wearing masks and socially distancing, we cannot easily go back. The dam has broken and we cannot keep the floodwaters from coming at us full force. For years to come, we will still see individuals worrying about a resurgence of this disease and the dawn of others. So, how do we all stay sane in this enigma of COVID-19 and global health crisis? So many questions, so few answers.
For the record, I am not a health care professional and will never claim to be; however, I know what works for me, and self-care has been my most important tool during this time period thus far, not a mask, not hand sanitizer, not social distancing, but rather exercise, meditation, keeping hydrated, eating healthy, trying new experiences, and most importantly, staying positive.
This disease is causing more people to become isolated from friends and family, and despite a lack of data to back up my claim, I still believe that in the future we will see a spike in teen, young adult, and senior suicide and mortality rates, not affiliated with the COVID-19 virus, but certainly caused by it. So here is what I am doing to combat the virus for my own sake:
- Yoga, meditation, deep breathing, and journaling.
These methods have been utilized for a very long time, and their efficacy is still valid. Humans need time away from other forms of noise in their lives such as television and social media. Each of us would benefit from our own time away from others to re-group and allow our minds to quiet from the noise around us.
2. Exercise
This one is massive. The amount of science detailing the benefits of even brief periods of cardio-vascular exercise is overwhelming. Why don’t more people utilize this? I do not have the answers to all of your questions! However, I do know that for me, exercise has been the greatest thing to ever exist besides sliced bread. (ew, cliche.)
3. Journaling
Sometimes when we try to express our thoughts to others they can get caught up in delivery and just not land where we want them to, so I journal. This makes it very easy for me to practice being concise and clear in how I speak, and it couples as therapy! Being able to get your thoughts out of your head in a succinct and clear way is a beautiful tool to help keep your spirits high. Often times I catch myself having a thought that absolutely will bring down my entire mood because it has me thinking and chewing so deeply, but as soon as I get that thought onto paper, it escapes my brain and out into the world. Peace.
That's it! These three tools are not cure-all’s for the woes of humanity, but they can definitely get you by if you are having trouble stabilizing yourself during this time, or any time really. There is one vital component that I did not mention in the list above and that is keeping a positive mindset. In order for the above-mentioned tools to take full effect, you personally must believe that your current situation is going to get better.
I have noticed that our lives are like the business cycle or the ocean waves, pushing and pulling, booming and busting, going up and down. In life, there are two things that will always happen (besides death and taxes): that is an upward shift in attitude and a downward shift in attitude. So, whenever you are feeling down, remind yourself that per the laws of nature, an upward swing is about to happen! No, depending on how deep your valley goes depends on how high your next peak will be! So have hope that there is something good coming, you just need to keep your head high and muscle through this time to get to the next!
I hope that this could help you, and if you would like a detailed story about my daily self-help routine, I would be happy to publish that!
