Uncertainty is all around us. It is something that is just a normal struggle of daily life. We never know what may happen tomorrow, next week, or even next month. However, when you add in life threatening health concerns, fears around finances, and worries if you will ever find any toilet paper at the grocery store, then a whole new stress starts to form.
I got the chance to talk to a group of high school students about self-care over Zoom and found myself thinking about all the ways that this pandemic has increased isolation and the importance of utilizing self-care activities in our daily lives. Even though quarantine has put some barriers on connecting with friends and family, in some ways the pandemic has brought us closer together as a community.
Yes, We are unable to celebrate our best friends birthday at a restaurant, or go to the movies on a Friday night, or even attend yoga at our local gym. However, we are all experiencing the same struggle. There is not one person that this doesn't impact. Everyone's routine has been altered in some way, and that is what brings us closer together throughout this pandemic. With the knowledge that my neighbor understands what I am going through and I, in turn, have empathy for my neighbor.
Isolation can be easy to fall into in this time where we are binging Netflix at home, only leaving to restock on our TV snacks. However, there are things we can do to turn towards others and reach out for connection (that we as a human population crave). I have seen this in my community, with just the simple act of people sharing ideas to stay connected, sharing ideas to redevelop daily routines and help cope with uncertainty and worries of the future. It makes since that we would experience worry thoughts and an increase in our overall stress levels throughout the pandemic. It is normal to want things to go well and to want to find ways to prevent 'the worst case scenario' form happening. In reality, all of our worrying about things that we don't have control over won't prevent the possibility of a feared disaster, it just gets in the way of enjoying what we can now.
At this time, it can feel like our lives are put on hold, and routine can be a great way to gain back some control and make sure that we are participating in activities every day that help us feel accomplished. Routine can help us schedule that importance self-care time and help us set goals for ourselves so that we make sure that we do get out of bed and get off the couch. Routine can also help distract us from all those worry thoughts of things we can't control and help us feel like we are doing something productive and working towards our future.
The great thing about having technology through this pandemic, is it allows us to get creative in how to accomplish this and it widens our options. Yes, I can't go to Yoga at the gym, but I can join a Zoom yoga class in my living room. Yep, I can't join my friends at a restaurant for celebrations, but we can participate in a Group FaceTime, showing off our own dinners we made at home. Social media and technology have allowed us to connect with each other, spread the word about local Zoom events, and share ideas on how to overcome isolation and find things to schedule into my routine.
Checkout Facebook events and the news channels to stay connected with local Zoom events in your area.