Cultivating Compassion in New Routines

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Self-isolation, and social distancing are forcing us to reshape our routines to something more simple and with less accessibility to everyday entertainment. Not being able to do what we are used to and go where we want can be a challenge at first, however taking the time to think about the ways we can keep a balanced life in this new context can spare us from being frustrated and engaging with non-beneficial time-filling activities such as drinking or watching TV.

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When one’s routine has been shaken, stress and anxiety are likely to rise. If we don’t have the right tools or support in place to deal with these emotions, finding or resorting to healthy ways of coping can be difficult. This is when having a plan becomes even more critical. By thinking ahead of the strategies you could use to feel better in difficult moments, or of the things you could do when boredom hits, you are decreasing your chances of giving away to the ‘what if I had a drink now’ thought.

If you don’t have a plan yet for isolation and social distancing, and have been going with the flow day-by-day, it might be time to adjust your routine to the current context – which might become the new norm for the next couple of months. That being said, there are a few different things to take into account when planning your life around the pandemic. Work will change for some of you if you have moved from an office to home, you might be caring for children and dependents, and also your own physical and mental health. While the first two may be taking a lot of your time, it is important to create boundaries, so you can also focus on yourself. For guidance on how to juggle work and parenting 24/7 now that the schools are closed, check out this blog.

On the opposite side, if you are finding yourself with too much time in your hands, you will have to find ways to adjust your lifestyle. While watching TV and spending time on social media are easy ways to entertain ourselves and keep up with what’s going on in the world, too much of it can leave us cranky, frustrated, anxious, and sad. Plus, when we are already feeling low, it is best to start doing something active, as engaging the mind and body in an activity enables us to distract ourselves from negative thoughts and the resulting emotions. You’ll find ideas of active and fun things to do besides watching TV in this blog .

Besides keeping busy at home with hobbies and fun activities, it is important to plan for when we’re not in the right headspace for being proactive. It’s okay to not be motivated or excited to do something, and but happens. Rather than forcing ourselves to stick to our plan or being angry or disappointed, we can acknowledge that it may not be the right time for us and that we can resume the activity when we feel better. Just by acknowledging that, we are stopping the rumination process and can bounce back quicker. If this means sitting with boredom for a few moments, that is fine, as curiosity, creativity, and imagination are often triggered when we have nothing else in our minds. The idea is to let ourselves be before automatically reaching out for an easy solution to our boredom such as watching TV, grabbing our phone, or a drink.

Here are things that may help you transition from being bored to being at peace with yourself and explore your creativity and feelings: