What a solo adventurer can offer as advice during a pandemic

With the pandemic in full flight and no definitive end in sight, it’s time now for us to adapt.

Never mind what’s going to happen next week, next month or next year. Let’s focus on the only thing we can control, and that is today.

I’m not saying to disregard everything beyond right now. Yes, we have to be considerate of the future for the safety of our families, careers and society as a whole. But let’s also forget about those … for a moment.

What can we do ourselves to adapt to this bizarre new way of life? One where we’ve been told to “flatten the curve” — a practice that involves being holed up in our homes, places we all should love, until we have been stuck in there for weeks on end, going stir-crazy like a dog in a kennel.

It can be debilitating. Of all systems affected by COVID-19, our mental health may be taking the biggest hit. But by adapting we can counteract it. 

We need to stop being experts

So how can we program ourselves to adjust to this debacle?

First of all, we must let the medical professionals and politicians do their jobs. Stop trying to be experts. The number of people who think they have mastery in all things coronavirus is overwhelming.

If we are not one of the above then we should only be focused on physical distancing and staying clean. It’s easier on all of us.

The last thing we want is to open social media and see people explaining what the latest newsbreak already defined. We want to escape it as much as possible, to feel like life is normal again, if only for a few hours — not run into it around every corner. 

The more we obsess over it the harder it will be to move forward.

The challenges

You might ask what I’ve been doing to acclimatize.

Being a freelancer who works from home, I am used to being around the house. I have built a routine that keeps me in control and helps reduce stress. It gives me order. I still write, plan expeditions and edit films for my YouTube channel. I have a way to keep busy — but not all of us are that lucky.

Many people have been forced to move their offices home, a grey area if they haven’t been there before. Others have been laid off. 

For those who have migrated to the kitchen headquarters with distractions galore, staying on task has become as difficult as trying to find toilet paper. Throw in juggling a couple of school-removed children who are bouncing off the walls, and the new workplace is now like a zoo.

The lack of a structured business environment can wreak havoc on our minds and bodies.

For those of us without a job there is the struggle of staying positive and making the most of our newfound extra time. The bottom line is that depending on our personal situations, we are all experiencing different degrees of challenges and downtime.

Finding a routine

So how can we use routine to adapt and make this new existence easier?

We use it to our advantage. Having a schedule for ourselves and our families can help us cope with change and make the adjustment easier. We form healthier habits. 

My fiancée, Heather, and I don’t have children, but we do have two dogs. “Training kids,” I call them. And though not as high maintenance as children, they do require attention and activity. We use their presence to get us moving and keep us in line.

They have to be fed daily, let out to do their deeds and walked to stretch their legs. I take care of it in the morning and Heather does her part in evening while I’m working.

Besides keeping a routine, we must get outdoors and keep moving. It’s a fine line between self-isolating and seizing up.

Here’s what works for me: I have my day broken into sections. For the first hour I deal with the dogs, have coffee and read. Then I write. After that, I exercise (which is another key component to this article) and then it’s back to editing videos until suppertime.

In the evening I might work again and finally end the day with some family time, whether it be a walk outdoors or sprawling on the couch. The four of us unite.

The freedom of working at home can be dangerous, but if we keep an organized track the chances of veering are greatly diminished. Of course I’m not perfect, and I do fall victim to the odd trip to the cupboard only realizing when I get there that I wanted nothing only a break from the monotony of my computer screen. But I try my damn best to be disciplined because I know the positive benefits.

Get active, get outdoors

Besides keeping a routine, we must get outdoors and keep moving. It’s a fine line between self-isolating and seizing up.

Right now the sitting disease is breathing down our necks more than ever. It has a chance to get us all, even those who have been immune to it in the past.

They never told us to “freeze,” like in that tag game we played growing up. The results can go either way. If we’ve always exercised we may have a setback because our local gym has closed. Now we’re wondering how to keep active. If we didn’t exercise before now the chances are even lower and the couch is summoning us with its comforting powers and big shiny TV screen nearby. We’d never finish Netflix if we tried.

So we can’t succumb to it.

Even with new rules that prevent us from visiting municipal and provincial parks there are still open spaces in the woods and neighbourhoods. We can get ourselves and our families out and active while keeping a safe distance from others. It will help to keep us sane.

The chemical serotonin alone that’s absorbed from the sun’s rays (even on cloudy days) boosts our mood and helps us feel more calm and relaxed. It even works on the children and pets. The solutions are there if we make the effort to adapt. Once we can do that, the couch in the evening or the hours of housebound work during the day are just another welcome moment. If you’re without work now, you likely are at ease enough to make the most of your time and plan the path ahead.

Whatever we do, we need to be grateful for life and, most important, believe that we will all get though this together.

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