Getting through self-quarantine
10 things to consider for getting through self-quarantine by Melissa Winchell.
This came across my Facebook feed last week and I’ve been wanting to share it with all of you. It was written by Melissa Winchell, a professor at Bridgewater State University. It has some great suggestions on how to get through this period of self-quarantine.
So #coronavirus #COVID19 quarantine is likely coming to Massachusetts. At least, I hope so.
Listen, friends, my son was in quarantine for an entire year while he recovered from chemo and a bone marrow transplant. Before we began, I asked the doctor not how to survive the isolation, but how to thrive in it.
Here's what I learned during my 12 months of quarantine with him:
1. Protect the vulnerable even if doing so means isolating yourself and re-arranging your plans, expectations, and life. We quarantine for others, not ourselves. Quarantine is your contribution to the public good and an act of love.
2. People may die. All the families we befriended on the transplant's isolated floor lost their children. All of them. If you are quarantined and have health, be grateful. It really, truly could be worse.
3. Quarantine is annoying & hard & exasperating...but remember: the best you can ever tell yourself, should you be someone who suffers from the virus, is that you quarantined the hell out of quarantine. No regrets. You did all you could. It's the only peace there is.
4. Establish a routine early especially if you are isolated with a child(ren). Wake up, game time, craft time, reading...create structure within each day out of chores and meals and books and the ordinary. And if like me you'll be working from home set hours/limits on that too. It makes time a friend and not an enemy.
5. Ask yourself who you want to be while quarantined? And work each day on being that person. Quarantine is an opportunity to start a new habit or return to a hobby or play more music in the house. Be determined to use the time to grow.
6. Turn ordinary into joy. A meal on the living room floor is a picnic. A walk in the backyard is a scientific exploration. A dive into the recycling bin is a craft or engineering feat.
7. Pay attention to your self-talk. Don't tell yourself it's never going to end and you're going to die of boredom or claustrophobia. The circumstances are out of your control, but you can become aware of how you respond and make space to change.
8. Get outside. You can stay away from folks and still walk the dog, build a campfire, visit an urban garden, or sit on your front stoop. Fresh air and sunshine do wonders for perspective.
9. Make plans for the future. Quarantine won't last forever no matter how often it feels that way. Dream about your next outing, vacation, or day in the office. Envisioning the future is essential to hope.
10. Lean into quarantine. The change could teach you something. What is it here to teach you? What can you learn? How can you carry the gifts of isolation-time with you into the rest of your life? Decide not to resist quarantine, but embrace it. I promise, you'll be amazed at what you learn.
Here is the link to the Facebook post.