COVID-19 Blog Series: Taking Care of Yourself
very time I get on an airplane, I hear the direction of putting on my mask first before helping others. It seems horribly selfish, especially since the person being helped in the videos is always a child. However, thinking back, this is so important. If I am not taking care of myself, how much can I truly help others?
We’re going through a global collective trauma. Meaning, the entire global is experiencing a traumatic event through this pandemic. The consequences of this pandemic is far reaching from sickness, death, loss of employment, stress, worries, and even loneliness. Though none of the following suggestions are here to completely cure these issues, they can be ways to keep us grounded and help us to move forward.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Working with my students and coworkers, I’ve been frequently hearing how unproductive everyone has become. They talk about how they have all this time at home but are not doing what they expect to be doing. Give yourself grace during this time. You’re mentally exhausted from all that’s happening, and that can mean physical exhaustion, too.
Reconsider expectations. With all that is happening, you’re not going to be functioning the same way. I myself take very frequent and long breaks in my work day. Instead of being ambitious, I gauge what I can do based on what I have been doing so far. Normally, I can read through several papers in a single sitting and give feedback to my students, but now a days, I can only do one at a time at the same quality. That is where I set my own expectations.
Engage with others. I cannot emphasize how important it is to connect with others right now. This is perhaps one of the most helpful things you can do for yourself and others. It may seem awkward to simply call a friend or family member and talk on the phone, but with technology, there are a lot of options. I have heard of friends having game nights, bible study groups meeting online, and even family just spending time together. I was on FaceTime with my family the other day as I was eating, and my grandmother just enjoyed watching me eat.
Exercise when possible. Social distancing is very important right now, but if you are able to, go for a run or a walk outside. If you’re indoors, look up exercises you can do at home. Even if you have no equipment, you have your body and a floor. There are many exercise videos, even for beginners, that can be found online. Based on my own lack of activity, I’ve been trying to do push-ups daily and slowly increasing how many I can do each day.
Find fun activities. Look for any fun activities you can engage in. My own parents have started gardening in their backyard, I am holding game nights with my coworkers, and I have an informal book club with a friend in Pennsylvania. If you enjoy physical activity, take up a new exercise routine at home. There are thousands of options out there. I personally love sci-fi and fantasy, so I’m reading the first book of the Witcher series and recently finished watching the Netflix Korean thriller Kingdom.
There is so much going on right now. Many of our readers are truly struggling with health, small businesses, employment, and even finances. If you can find one thing in your day that is blocked off to make sure you’re okay and to recharge, that will put you in a better place than you were before.
