COVID-19, the challenges it’s rapidly brought to our lives is like plating dodgeball…but with 800 balls thrown at you all at once and you’re the only one playing. Many Americans and really citizens of most countries are facing a multitude of challenges and disruptions they’ve never faced and while they seem manageable one at a time, when dropped on you all at once like a piano in a cartoon, they become bigger challenges. My dad mentioned that I seemed to handle the transition from relative freedom (while in Japan) to quarantine (2 weeks sitting in a room by myself post repatriation) to social distancing, rather well. I realized that the skill set I’ve picked up as an expat and frequent traveler to adapt to life in a new country and culture have made me well suited to adapting to #COVIDlife.
Mindset Matters
There’s so much talk about when things go back to “normal” and people seem to be kind of treading water and waiting for that day. The reality is we may never go back to what was normal pre-COVID and if we do get there, it will most likely be years and not weeks or months before that happens. The new “normal” in a post-COVID world is likely to be very different from life as we knew it before. While some may find this attitude pessimistic, it’s realistic. Instead of a waiting mindset, we need to transition to an adapt and adjust mindset. When I move to a new country, a lot of times the situation as a whole is out of my control and all I can do is adapt and adjust to the conditions around me instead of complaining about how different it is from what I’m used to, or the norm in another country. Instead of complaining about how much better things were pre-COVID, it’s time to adjust to the situation we are in now, with all it’s limitations and challenges.
Routine Rules
As an EFL teacher I’m used to working some funky schedules, I’ve had jobs where I worked in the afternoon/evening or my weekend was on weekdays. I also spent about 6 months working remotely in Bali, which meant I was living and working in the same space. Currently my work schedule means early mornings and late at night as most of my students are still in Asia and I’m in the US Whether it’s adjusting to a more flexible work schedule or not working at all, having a set routine can help maintain a sense of normalcy; not only with new schedules, but with also adjusting to a new environment or living conditions. I set an alarm to get up at the same time every day regardless of what time I start teaching, I also go to bed around the same time every night. When I started working remotely, I had a tendency to eat all day, to help curb this I started intermittent fasting. While this isn’t for everyone, scheduling your meals can bring structure to your day and help keep you from over-eating. Another thing I keep built into my routines is exercise, I love to run so making sure I run on a schedule does a few things for me: it gets me moving, it gets me out of the house, it forces me to take some time out of my day just for myself. Routine doesn’t just have to be your actual schedule; I know I’m on the struggle bus when I start to drop my skin care routine. Again, it’s something that I have control over…also no one wants to come out of this pandemic with janky skin. No matter what’s going on in my environment or what I’m trying to adjust to a routine gives me structure and is something I can control in situations that can be complete chaos.
Get Moving
We’re all spending waaaay more time at
Another take on connecting is to spend some time connecting to yourself, connecting to your passions and interests. Work, family and other obligations can get in the way of spending time on ourselves and our interests. This doesn’t mean you need to be hyper productive and learn 5 new languages and 10 new skills. In the words of Sweet Brown “ain’t nobody got time for that”. I’ve been spending more time playing in photoshop, I ordered a new Korean book and started studying again, and I downloaded some new books and set a reading goal.home and stationary these days. With stay-at-home orders, remote working and social distancing, which is increasing our time indoors and our screen time. Gyms are closed so it can be hard to be motivated to workout or many people lack the knowledge on how to modify exercises at home…and let’s face it, very few of us are building home gyms just because of this. But movement is important; whether it’s actual exercise like running or yoga, or simply hiking or going for a walk there are a lot of benefits. It gets you out of the house, you’re living and working in the same space and for some of us we’re with family or roommates almost constantly. It gives you a change of scenery and maybe some time by yourself, even if it is just a walk around the neighborhood or yoga on the balcony. In the words of Elle Woods “exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy and happy people don’t kill their husbands”. While most of us aren’t in danger of offing a significant other (hopefully) exercising or getting some sort of movement can help boost your mood. I’ve been joining my dad on his daily walks, which as long as the weather is descent he likes to take in the park. In the state of Maryland, we’re lucky enough to have access to about 200 miles of trails in our state parks. An added benefit of movement is that it can help us deal with the mental and emotional toll that all these changes are causing. I’ve dealt with depression and anxiety since I was in high school in a variety of ways. One of the coping strategies that stays accessible no matter the country is exercise and time outside. And movement isn’t just limited to exercise, activities like hiking, fishing, SUP, surfing, and kayaking are all activities that can be done with social distancing…just make sure you respect any closures of areas where you like to go to do whatever activity.
Connect
Many people talk about feeling disconnected from friends and family during this time, personally I feel even more connected. While I can’t see most of my friends in person, we can connect via a number of online platforms which is a stark contrast to when I lived in China and if VPNs were down I could be out of touch with my family and friends outside of the country for days. I repatriated to my parent’s house, so for the first time in years I’m seeing them on a regular basis…and making them guinea pigs in my vegan ice cream experiments. Virtual game nights with friends around the globe, FaceTime calls with my grandpa, even zoom group workouts, and of course texting. I even participated in a zoom meeting organized by a photographer that I follow on Instagram. With 100 participants in over 30 countries it was a wat to connect with other creative minds, share ideas and make new friends. Another take on connecting is to spend some time connecting to yourself and to your passions and interests. Work, family, and other obligations can often take precedent over our interests and ourselves. Now is a great time for some self reflection and development in ourselves and things we enjoy. This doesn’t mean you need to be hyper productive and learn 5 new languages and 10 new skill. What it means is spend time doing what you would normally put off. I’m shooting types of photography that I normally don’t, I’ve also (finally) ordered a new Korean book so I can continue studying and download some books I’ve been eyeing for a few months. While in person interaction is down, we have more ways than ever before to connect with each other than ever before and this is an opportunity to build stronger relationships with the people in our lives, and make new connections with people who share the same passions and can inspire us during this time of limited options.
Do some normal shit
While we can’t do everything that we would pre-COVID, there are some things we can do. Get out of your athletic wear and put on some makeup. This may be a highly unpopular suggestion, but I do my hair and makeup and wear “normal” clothes aka jeans 2-3 times a week. Am I going
anywhere? Nope, but it’s nice to dress like that, especially on days when I’m struggling to get my work done or when I want to do self-portraits. Whatever those normal things are for you, keep on doing them at least a few times a week. The goal is to keep as much of your life as undisrupted as possible.
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