I Wasn’t Prepared for This by Jay Keel
I WASN'T PREPARED FOR THIS AND I AM GUESSING YOU WEREN'T EITHER.
Last Friday, I was at a training for a new job and the major selling point for the new position was how busy I would be. They were experiencing record sales and the next six months were expected to be booming.
And then, COVID 19 started to take over the news and more and more cases were being reported.
At the training we received instructions to, "go home if we felt sick," no questions asked. We were told it was OK to move our chairs further apart if we felt uncomfortable. There were lots of little things that were different but the training was generally a standard Human Resources orientation for new hires.
I keep checking the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Covid-19 Map https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html and watching the news which was starting to turn apocalyptic.
The next day I got a text that training was being postponed and I would get an updated date on Monday.
On Monday training was postponed again and Tuesday I got a call from my new manager. They weren't going to be able to move forward with hiring me but they would love to have me when things got back to normal.
The news about the viruses growth got steadily worse. Although China had stabilized Europe in general and Italy specifically was facing rapid the spread of illness and death.
The stock market plummeted.
School was cancelled. Initially for three weeks and then for 6 weeks but chances are they won't reopen this year.
Local governments announced a state of emergency.
Professional sports were cancelled, then March Madness and finally Coachella.
Every day the sizes of acceptable gatherings shrunk. Bars and clubs were closed.
Toilet paper and bottled water hoarding started and I stopped even considering going to Costco. We stocked up on the basics and prepared for some sort of government lockdown which came just a few days later.
As I sit writing this California and New York have announced shutdowns of all non essential businesses and stay at home orders in order to flatten the curve. https://www.flattenthecurve.com/
It doesn't seem like anyone near me is adhering to this announcement so I expect Police enforced curfews soon.
It looks like we are in for weeks or perhaps months of social isolation and that worries me much more than COVID 19.
Coronavirus is being heavily monitored and reported on. We are working on a cure and there are strong preventative measures in place.
The effects of social isolation and loneliness combined with the fear and stress caused by the current physical and financial dangers is not being monitored and is effecting far more people.
I have already heard of a suicide in a family nearby.
Research has linked social isolation and loneliness to higher risks for a variety of physical and mental conditions: high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, and even death.
According to Julianne Holt-Lunstad, PhD, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University, lack of social connection heightens health risks as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day or having alcohol use disorder. She’s also found that loneliness and social isolation are twice as harmful to physical and mental health as obesity (Perspectives on Psychological Science, Vol. 10, No. 2, 2015).
"There is robust evidence that social isolation and loneliness significantly increase risk for premature mortality, and the magnitude of the risk exceeds that of many leading health indicators," HoltLunstad says.
There is extensive research on this subject and I could go on and on and site numerous studies and articles. The bottom line is that social isolation and loneliness are very unhealthy and there are millions of people who are now being forced to stay at home.
SO WHAT CAN YOU DO TO REDUCE YOUR FEELINGS OF ISOLATION, LONELINESS AND STRESS?
In our family, we have adopted the following guidelines for this period of our lives.
We get outside as much as we can when we can. We walk the dogs in the morning before my son starts school in the morning and at night after dinner. We play catch or kick the soccer ball in the backyard after lunch. We have push up and burpee contests. We are adding more movement every day. There is a large body of research on the importance of strength training, movement, Vitamin D and play on your mental health so we prioritize it.
We practice good sleep habits. We stick to a regular sleep schedule. We stay away from screens before bed. We keep our bedroom cold and dark. Poor sleep has a negative effect on both your mental and physical health. For more info see my favorite Youtube video on sleep https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu6lbDBEnlY
We check in with the news. We don't check out with it. Most experts say that this is a marathon not a sprint. Things are changing day by day not minute by minute so I check the news twice a day. If the world ends I am sure someone will text me.
We stay in touch virtually. My wife hosts daily live yoga and meditations free on ZOOM and we also use Facetime, WhatsApp and Skype to stay in touch with friends and family and for business. Our son is attending school on Zoom and gets to continue learning and connecting with his friends. I am not trying to tell you that virtual meetings are the same as meeting in person but they are almost as good and much better than no contact all.
We are mindful of what we eat. We are paying extra attention to what, when and how much we are eating. I love the simple guideline of, "eat food, not too much, mostly plants," but the most import thing is that your food should come from a farm not a factory.
We practice optimism. Optimism not only reduces stress, but it also promotes the production of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine plays an important role in important brain processes and controlling our mood and focus.
We share our real feelings. These are uncharted waters for many of us and I am scared sometimes. I feel like I am living in a dream and wonder when I am going to wake up. We can't stop our emotions from being triggered, since they originate from the middle section of our brain that is not under conscious control. When you deny the emotions because they are too overwhelming, it puts additional stress on the mind and the body, creating even more psychological distress.
We are dedicated to using this time wisely and in a positive way. I feel blessed to get to spend more time with my family and I am excited to have more time to create and write. There is a gift in this crisis which is there if you look for it.