It's crazy times. Who would have thought that we'd all be hunkering down at home not from a
natural disaster or some freak weather storm, but from an illness that came out of the blue. I know
there are lots of people who are frightened about what the future holds, not just for during this time in
Quarantine, but after we come out of it. How many businesses will have to close? How many jobs
won't exist anymore? How many of our loved ones will have become ill, or even died from the virus?
There's a lot of talk about physical health, but we need to also remember that our health is not just
based on if we have a fever or not. Health is a multi-faceted part of us. We have to find a balance of
mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health.
I don't like the "Social Distancing" line that has been thrown around, because that makes it sound
like we should be antisocial. We should be Physically Distant, but now is the time to be there for
each other. This is an unprecedented time, and everyone is struggling with it in some way or
another. There are lots of extroverts who may get depressed if they can't socialize with others,
which can also lead to health problems. There are many who are anxious with what the future will
hold, which leads to sleeplessness and burnout. Hopefully this will lead to a new normal where
people are more in tune with their mental health and it won't be such a stigma to say "I'm struggling.
I need help.".
I have hope that this will lead to some positive changes in many ways. This could change the way
we interact in our communities. Maybe instead of driving into our garages and not talking to our
neighbours, we'll start to really care about one another and look after the needs around us.
I've seen on FaceBook quite a few homeschooling parents telling all the parents who have suddenly
been thrown into quarantine schooling, that this isn't even normal for homeschoolers. It's new
territory for everyone (pulling together, reassuring). They have said not to expect 6 hours of work
from your kids, most students do between 2-3 depending on what they are working on. That's
COMMUNITY!
It's important to remember these guidelines for adults working from home as well. There are many
parts of your normal workday that help break up the stress, that you are missing right now. It's
important to take into account the coffee breaks, drive time, etc. Locking yourself off from the world
to work for 8 hours isn't healthy in a stressful time like this. It's really important to take care of your
body and mind (emotional, physical, mental,& spiritual health). Maybe it means working until
lunchtime, eating with the family, playing some board games, and going for a walk in the afternoon.
I'm sure you know that you can't do your best work if you're stressed. Two hours of good work is
better than 6 hours of stress an anxiety riddled work. Work yourself into more hours as you get used
to this new normal. Take care of yourself, take care of your family, take care of your friends.
Remember, don't cut yourself off from everyone. Social Distancing doesn't mean Social Isolation!
Call your friends, Play virtual poker, FaceTime that friend you haven't had time to connect with, Send
a message to say, "I was thinking about you... Remember when we went on that epic adventure?"
Ask how they are REALLY doing. Let them know they are not alone. We're all in this together.
