I promised myself I wouldn’t do one of these posts. But here we are.
I’ll keep it short though:
- Contact your pharmacy and fill the remaining repeats of your medication and if you have no more repeats ask for a new script with repeats from your psychiatrist.
- Social distancing doesn’t mean total isolation from the human race. Leverage the tools that allow you to interact with other humans. Call someone. Skype them. Ask me for help setting up a conferencing server for you and your peers.
- Related: Keeping in touch is especially difficult when depressed. Remember we eat an elephant one bite at a time. So, set yourself a goal. Mine is send one message to a friend everyday.
- Take measures to keep to routine. Wake up as you do during the week at the same time. Get to your work space on time. Turn off the screen when the work day is over. Take your meds. Sleep. And repeat.
- You’re probably feeling anxious af about what this means for you own health and for the world in general. Remove yourself from the fucky whatsapp group with Marianne from the corner who shares alarmist fake news on the regs. You don’t need that in your life.
- Related: choose a handful of authoritative sources from which to get your information from. It’ll help you keep informed and minimize our fear of the unknown.
- Don’t neglect the usual tasks you would do every day. Routine. Routine. Routine. Shower. Do the dishes. Just because there’s no one judging you, your self-esteem and pride in yourself is paramount.
- Pass the time in your free hours and try working on mindfulness. I’m serious. That shit works.
- Breath. Clear your mind of pre-concieved ideas as best you can. Be honest with yourself about the actual situation rather than the one you’ve wound yourself up about all day. Paranoia is that rock that gathers moss.
- Lastly, take your medication. Especially seriously about this one during this crisis. Your support team isn’t around to tell you you’re heading for crazy town.
I’m working from home through this pandemic. My stress levels are low, but surprise surprise (not), I’m working just as efficiently at home than I would at the office. Probably more.
Quite why this is I don’t know but my initial feeling is that, a) keeping things project focused and driven to close them out gives one a sense of achievement and b) there are no distractions with adhoc interruptions that upset my rhythm.
That elephant idiom again.
