Isolation: The Essentials
Before I say anything, please please listen to the government/WHO advice and make sure you do what is necessary and right for yourselves and others. Stay at home, wash your hands and avoid social contact wherever possible.
I want to offer some ideas that might help you whilst you're stuck at home and wondering what to do or how you can get some benefit from the situation. We're going to have a lot of time to sit and think about things we could do, should do, might do, want to do, don't want to do, will do, won't do etc... you get the picture. Time isn't always our friend, but maybe we can help sift through the mental noise and make some progress.
- Laugh - it’s a pretty serious time so it’s really important to laugh and joke. You might want to do this with a friend online or just watch some funny TV or play some funny games. It might sound a bit simple but I can guarantee that having a giggle will not do you any harm!
- Stop working so hard! - set yourself timers or get an app to help you break up your days and not burn yourself out. ‘Hours’ is a useful app but there will be many others, find what works for you. Most importantly, when your work day is over, close your laptop and divert emails from your phone. Your work day is done compadre, bask in the glow of a job well done and then deal with it again tomorrow.
- Talk… to anyone, neighbour over the fence, family/friends on facetime, yourself in the mirror? OK maybe not that, but honestly, I can’t stress to you enough the benefits of human interaction. When the best version is not available, you go to the next best thing and we are blessed with excellent technology that allows us to chat with people anywhere in the world. You may have already started doing this but make sure you keep it going.
- Good food - being at home doesn’t mean you eat badly. In fact, you have extra time to cook some really tasty meals. Not a great cook? Hop on Google and learn some skills, it’s great for your belly, great for your brain and it’s a brilliant way to lose yourself in something for a while. I would encourage even if we weren’t forced inside. Also, don’t panic buy or hoard food because it’s just not necessary.
- Lend a hand - helping others is often a great way to help yourself. It’s fulfilling, it’s rewarding and you may surprise yourself with what you’re able to do for someone. It might be helping a colleague with their workload, it might be offering support for neighbours or participating in community projects. Something is always better than nothing.
We’re currently offering one-off coaching sessions for free so go to www.elementcoach.co.uk to get some more guidance.
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