Keeping My Sanity During Social Distancing
It seems like so much longer, but it’s been about two months since I, like so many others, have been officially working from home under the “shelter in place” regulations for New York. It’s been a whirlwind of emotions. I’ve been wanting to work from home for quite some time. I always felt like I would be more productive at home. I was positive that my productivity would increase as I would omit time commuting on the dreadful NY MTA, not take off for things like work repairs in my home, and pretty much set my hours to my match my highest productivity level. So now here we are, working from home for the “foreseeable future,” but with an added surprise; a pandemic. Ideas of multitasking and working from coffee shops went out the window.
I quickly realized that treating this like a normal work-at home situation was a mistake. This isn’t normal. Being thrown into a pandemic is a “mind-screw.” My expectations for being super productive were unrealistic. I thought I would fulfill my work obligations, work on my passion projects, and monitor two teens in their “distance learning,” and keep my home as sterile as possible, while in-taking all of the updates of what was happening in the news. My emotions were all over the place which showed up as tiredness. There were days, and still are, where taking a shower was my biggest achievement of the day. Self care is actually the first thing that I needed to accomplish so that I could be productive at anything else. Here are the things that helped me stay sane:
I learned to practice more compassion, for others and myself. If I need a day to snuggle in bed and watch TV, it’s OK. It’s a reset time. Things will not go the way I expect them to, and deadlines are going to be fluid.
I practice mindfulness, focusing on my five senses with my self-care. Sipping tea, listening to my apple music subscription, taking flower baths and really using aromatherapy every day has been super helpful.
Focus on what I control instead of what’s going on in the news. This is not the easiest time for a person who likes to be prepared and control what’s going on. I can’t control very much with this pandemic, but there are many things that I can. I can control the news and social media that I consume. I can do my best to be prepared with food and supplies for my family. I can make an effort to reach out
I get up and move every morning. If you follow me on Instagram (@sayyesmoore), you’ll see that I walk my beloved Cockapoo, Max, every morning. It gets me up to start my day and keep a routine, while getting some fresh air. I admittedly had a lot of anxiety going out with the masks, the social distancing, and all the crazy that goes along with it. I found that going out early in the morning and doing what I need done while there’s relatively no one out works well for me. Now that the weather is improving, my daughter and I have added walks to the park to enjoy the weather and spring blooms.
Leaning into creativity. One of my favorite things is flower arranging. Supporting local flower stands is really rewarding. I’ve found a great Instagram page @floralsymbiosis, that does arrangement videos entitled “Making Art During Corona.” They have been so valuable in helping fostering my creative outlet.
Working on a new passion project. I’ve been blessed to co-found a wellness business called “Black Wellness Initiative.” Working on that has kept me engaged in a really positive and rewarding new venture focusing on our wellness holistic box and other projects. Check us out on www.blackwellnessinitiative.com
Keeping in contact with other people. I’ve been guilty of saying that I’m going to call or check up on people and then I get so busy that it never happens. Its a priority to reach out to family and friends now. Social distancing can lead to loneliness and depression if you don’t find creative ways to socialize. The pandemic put NYC “On Pause,” but it didn’t stop milestones like birthdays, anniversaries and senior graduations. Virtual meetings and parties, Face-time calls and daily texts are helping keep me connected and loved. I have unfortunately lost some family, friends and neighbors to Covid-19. Be intentional about keeping in touch with people and checking up on them.
Many areas are starting to release some restrictions, but NYC is still on pause for a while longer. How have you been keeping sane during this quarantine period? Tell me below. Stay safe and be well.