Regards to you and yours. This has been a challenging and strange time for all. We honor first responders and all those people who put themselves at risk for the good of others. We feel gratitude for those who are going into their jobs as delivery personnel, vital services, grocery clerks or someone taking the time to check on a senior who needs a phone call.
Many are currently living in isolation “sheltering” and working at home; families are crowded together; some are newly unemployed and fear losing their home; while others are still commuting to the workplace.
We hope to inspire you today with two linked articles below. The first piece written by former astronaut Scott Kelly—telling of the tips he developed in outer space for dealing with isolation. The second is an article by Tara Parker-Pope—listing how we can form healthy habits which can be handy when one is in isolation.
You can read their full articles by clicking on their respective links below. I have summarized their tips and recommendations in a simple bulleted list with my brief comments to the right:
Scott Kelly’s Tips from Outer Space (serious!):
Follow a schedule [Make a to-do list for each day in the morning]
Pace yourself [Don’t burn out on too many projects]
Go outside [Nothing like nature when you aren’t in it much of the time]
Get a hobby [And that’s not sarcastic!]
Keep a journal [See what naturally comes out of you digitally or on paper]
Take time to connect [Just by saying thank you and tipping well will work wonders in valuing others. Also, many people are using phone, video, texts/emails to connect to friends and relatives. Instead of people relying just on texting, it is said there is a resurgence of telephone, skype, and video calls—whether FaceTime, WhatsApp or Zoom calls. Technology can foster drinks and meals together as well as joint video activities.]
Listen to experts [Many people are turning to scientists and physicians more for accurate information]
Remember we are all connected [Isn’t that close to the punchline of the Jodi Foster movie, Contact? But it’s true and we are all going through this pandemic together]
He adds for us to all wash our hands—frequently!
Tara Parker-Pope’s Tips for forming new habits:
Stack your habits [Build a new routine on a former successful habit]
Start small [Small changes can coalesce into major changes]
Do it every day [Michael Jordan’s rules of success also say “practice”]
Make it easy [Supported by Nudge economics: “Easy” systems makes it likely to happen]
Reward yourself [Celebrate accomplishments]
Set a daily incremental goal
These tips are good suggestions for us in these challenging times. It seems that breaking through isolation is something like turning some of the discomfort into joy — via activities, connection and mindfulness (such as altering the way we think about isolation). For example, being sheltered, we can imagine that we are at a “spa” where creativity, wellness, structure, and new habits can be created. Then we are able to re-discover we are not alone, we desperately need each other, and there are things in this world which are even greater than the sum of us.
Be safe and take care.
Joe
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/18/well/mind/how-to-build-healthy-habits.html