The sudden and rapid global spread of the Coronavirus and the resultant Covid-19 outbreak is placing our health systems and infrastructure under increasing strain. This has moved many national leaders to close borders, limit if not cancel travel and urge residents to practice social distancing and self-isolation.
These measures are for the greater good of our communities and, it behoves us all to commit to a change in our daily habits.
Our Reset community of sixty five and over are particularly vulnerable to this virus and as such social distancing is imperative. This prospect can seem daunting for many. Loneliness and isolation are often associated with this period in our lives and can affect our mental wellbeing. How do we make these necessary adjustments and take them in stride in a positive way?
Here are our top 5 tips and resources for you to make the most of this situation.
Find a purpose for this time of isolation and make it a good one. The kind of project that you usually wish you had time for if you weren’t so busy. Have you always wanted to learn Italian? Try Duolingo – it’s free. Sit down and pen that book you’ve threatened to write. A masterclass with Malcolm Gladwell could get you started. I’m sure we can all think of hundreds of projects we’ve started and never finished. Now could be the time to sharpen our skills with a youtube tutorial or online learning course, tackle a DIY home project and get through that reading list.
We have infinite resources to call on right now. The internet is a wealth of information. Many institutions and pages that have made information freely available. The Metropolitan Opera is live streaming operas for free during this outbreak period. Travel and Leisure have collated a list of virtual tours you can take of the best museums all over the world. Not only can you learn from the web, you can contribute to it too! You can give input by becoming a Wikipedia contributor or sharing your literary knowledge as a community editor on Openlibrary.org. Photographers among us can upload images to online libraries like Unsplash for others to use freely.
Reach out to your community. Social distancing does not have to mean social isolation. Stay in touch with your family and broader community circle through phone calls, chat groups, video chats, and social media forums. Did you know that you can video chat with multiple people at once on WhatsApp? For those of whose families are scattered, this is a great way to have group conversation – a virtual visit.
Though the Reset community is more at risk, we are also more experienced and wiser having weathered many of life’s ups and downs. The younger generations, especially those with young kids, may be feeling fear and panic. Share your faith, wisdom and survival tips with them. This will, in turn, empower you too.
Plan a good daily routine. A daily routine is a crucial element to overcoming some to the mental anxiety we face around this pandemic. Increased stress levels harm immunity, and a robust daily schedule can help in managing our stress. Journaling is a good way to kickstart your day and get your thoughts in check.Make time to stay active and get some exercise. Down Dog is a fitness app that you can use at home and is suitable for all fitness levels. As a bonus, they have made all their programs available for free until April. In addition to keeping our bodies active, we also need to make sure our minds are in good shape. Adopting a pet as a companion is a good option and comes with real benefits for your well being and will bring in an automatic element of routine for the months to come.
Take a daily break from all the information, news and noise that is surrounding us. Make a small ritual around this habit. Down your phone, switch off all your devices and spend some time doing something kind and gentle for yourself like prayerful reflection, a warming cup of tea or sit outside in the fresh air for a few minutes. Doing this in the evening is an easy way to set yourself up for a good night’s sleep too.
Focus on positive outcomes for the time ahead. Social distancing is a dutiful way for all of us to contribute to the good of our communities and, if we make good use of this time, we could come away with better mind management and a few new skills and connections to boot.
