How to Cope with Self-Isolation

Shit isn’t it? If you’ve never had to stay in before because of a health issue, you may have originally reacted with ‘Yaaaaaaaay all the rest and pj days and being at home!’ and for one or two days, it can be nice. But any longer than that, when you can’t go outside, is very different to having a bunch of time where you can choose not to go outside. When it isn’t your choice, it’s super frustrating and you start to feel cabin-fevery pretty quickly, even if you have an actual fever and are feeling snoozy. If you feel fine but still have to stay in, even worse. So here are some tips from someone who has had to figure out how to stay sane as a result of years of health issues.

Make your space as nice as possible to be in. 
What space do you have? How much energy do you have? What needs to be done to make it pleasant for you to spend all your time in? If you are low on energy, prioritise the space you spend the most time in, and the areas that need to be kept clean (kitchen and bathroom) and tidy them up so you start each day with a clear space to use. This can be done over a few days if you are still working from home or you are feeling rough and can’t blitz it all at once (I never can.)
Use the space you have effectively
One of the worst things is sitting for days on end in the same place and feeling like you are about to be at one with your couch/bed/chair. If you are lucky enough to have a few rooms to use, (oooh, fancy) alternate rooms according to what you are doing. If you don’t have a lot of space, try to use the space differently. Only use your bedroom for sleeping and dressing, use the sofa to relax on and sit at a table to work. Let’s say you are in a studio or bedsit and you really do just have one room. Then it’s even more important to divide up your space, if you have a bed, a sofa and a chair, still use one for sleep, one for work/productive activities and one for relaxing. And if it’s just your bedroom? Even switching to the other end of the bed can help you psychologically distinguish between a sleepy place and a wakey place. No, really. Honestly, just try it. (Also, sorry our housing situation is so shit you only have a bedroom, that’s always icky)  

Get up, washed and dressed if you can
One or two pj days are pretty good, but once it becomes a feeling of ‘what’s the point in bothering’ you’re getting into an icky mindset. So what is the point? You will feel better, hygiene is especially important at the moment, and it puts you into a productive mindset rather than a resting one. Try to at least wash and put on fresh clothing even if you are super poorly (either physically or mentally ill or both) If you have a bath, that can be amazing because it’s like being in a warm watery duvet that also cleans you while you lie down.   

Work or Productivity
A lot of people are going to be able to work from home in some capacity, whether it’s remote fancy tech stuff or just getting through some paperwork. But if you are not working, it’s still good to do something productive, so you feel like you’ve achieved something that day. Depending on your energy levels, it can be anything from ‘Wash up’ to ‘Sort out that box of crap under my bed’ to ‘Colour in some of that adult colouring book I bought 6 months ago but haven’t opened’ Write yourself a To Do list and then re-write it, prioritising the things you need to do most at the top. Plan on doing just ONE thing so you don’t overwhelm yourself with The To Do List of Despair, and you’ll be super happy if you get anything else done too! And if you don’t, well you did what you set out to do. Creative stuff such as art, crafts, baking, etc is also great because of the sense of achievement you get from completing something. 

Socialising
This is probably the one we all struggle with most. It’s super easy to take the contact you get from colleagues for granted, even if they are super annoying sometimes or Barry is always a dickhead, it’s good for us to have those little bits of interaction throughout the day. Being faced with no-one over a sustained period is very lonely (tiny violin) and we sort of forget how to do the peopling after a while. But it’s ok! We just have to do it differently. Remember phones? I bet you still have one, but now it’s a tiny computer. You can still actually use it as a telephone to hear another human voice! Messaging is great too, but it’s better to have a bit more contact than just words on your screen if you can. If you have friends who are also off work it’s an ideal time for that catch up you keep meaning to have. Video calling is also good for us so we can feel more connected, and sharing funny cat memes is definitely still encouraged. If you still miss the general buzz of having people around, podcasts and audiobooks are great for having on in the background, with a friendly human person reading their memoir to you or discussing the news in a less terrifying, more comedic way. The only thing to stress here is Beware Parasocial Relationships - if you feel like you are relying too much on regular podcasts, youtube videos etc for company or you start prioritising them over socialising with people you actually know, take a break.

Escapism
It won’t take long for you to be bored of being in the same place alllllllll the time. But you can escape into magical stories that take you elsewhere in your mind even if you have to stay in the same room. I’ve always loved reading and used books for escapism and a break from my surroundings and life for a while. Just this week I’ve been to Germany, Russia, Swaziland, the USA… not to mention my favourite fictional places I can return to like Eretz, Red London, The Night Court, Weep, 100 Acre Wood, The Night Circus, The Starless Sea… A really great book takes you somewhere else. The same goes for films and T.V series that are so compelling they are immersive, but there is just something about books for me which really make me feel like I’m in a different world when I’m reading them. 

And finally, when you get the all clear and can go back to normal, it can feel a bit strange being outside for the first time if you’ve been in for over a week - like the world feels suddenly a lot bigger or like you forgot how to do it. That’s normal and it will pass when you get back into your regular routine. But please remember how icky and difficult to manage it is and be a bit more compassionate to those of us who have to manage this all the damn time.