A lockdown was not on anybody’s list when envisioning the great things that were expected from 2020.

Working from home, social distancing and isolation turned our reality into Groundhog day. 

Empty shelves in stores, cleared freeways and kids going stir-crazy at home made us all a little skittish. 

The one thing to remember in this time of sheltering in place is that you’re not alone. 

Humanity is in this together. 

💌 Doing ok?

Prepping for a home quarantine is a must, but first things first: how are you doing?

Take your mind away from sanitizing everything and check in with yourself. This is all you’ve been talking about in the last few days. You’ve processed a large amount of info on COVID-19. You’re scared, nervous or troubled. 

The best way to fight anxiety is to choose your thoughts and what gets to influence them. Get your updates from reliable sources only (CDC website, the WHO and recently added a myth busters page)  and decide not to engage further if the messages are coming from personal opinions, people that “want to spread the truth”, etc. These can easily transform into emotional avalanches, causing more harm than good. 

If you want to keep your dear ones in the loop with the latest news, ask yourself these questions before pressing the send button:

• Is this message true?
• Is it backed up by a reliable source?
• What will this info do to the receiver, how will he take it?
• Am I helping him/her or enabling his/her panic?

🛒 Home essentials: responsibility vs hoarding

The Department of Homeland Security recommends stocking up on a 2 week supply of food. That, unfortunately, has led to a lack of basic supplies at some major retailers and has spread further anxiety amongst all of us. 

Here are some pointers to keep in mind when thinking how to stock up for your family:

• even in the most devastated areas of the world, like Italy and China, the major retailers were opened and everybody has access to food – there’s enough for everyone
• think about the needs of every family member and pet
• stick to non-perishable food items
• don’t forget about comfort food – your morale will thank you later
• household hygienic products must not be neglected – soap, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, tissues, feminine care products, and diapers
• if possible, get a 30-day supply of your prescription medications
• think about having an at-home first aid kit to treat common injuries and also, other miscellaneous medical supplies (over-the-counter medicines like pain relievers, cough and cold medicines)

💪 Prevention tips:

• If you enjoy fresh products, in these days of social distancing, try the local outdoor markets and keep your distance
• Instead of going shopping, try delivery services like Amazon Fresh and Instacart
• Leave a note asking the delivery person to leave the items at your door or even outside of your building to limit human contact, and therefore the risk of spreading the virus

👊 Score extra points for humanity:

• Check-in with the elderly neighbours and ask them if they need anything during this period.
• Leave printed shopping lists on their doors, collect them later and offer to do the shopping for them – giving back to the community in times of need is a positivity booster everybody needs
• Talk your parents into complying with the rules of social distancing and isolation – even if you have to fight them every step of the way. Changing their minds and routines might not be a walk in the park, but it’s better for them to be mad at you and safe, than on good terms and in real danger of getting sick or worse. 

Surviving isolation at home: Family lock-down

Make no mistake: the only thing that can prevent a tragedy is isolation. This is the only available and effective measure to help slow the transmission of the Coronavirus.

72% of Americans said their lives have been disrupted in some way by the coronavirus, either by canceling going out to dinner, taking a vacation, or attending religious services – a massive 46-point leap from last week when only about one-quarter of Americans said the same.

It’s our time to learn from what happened world wide. We’re against the clock.

Also, it’s time to set a routine for your family and make the best of it. Your kids need structure, and you need some peace of mind, so here’s what to focus on:

• ✏️ Personal projects’ grit → anything that takes us away from our natural order of things is scary. Giving your mind a purpose, a strong willed orientation towards tomorrow, a plan rather than a new fear to nibble on makes us less vulnerable to the bad things happening in the now. 

• 📐Discipline → with the prospect of workplaces shutting down or moving to remote working, keeping a routine will keep you from falling behind. Wake up at the same hour, shower, get emails done first thing in the morning, get some exercise at home, tasks, chores, etc. 

• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Nurturing positive emotions → use this time to learn, clean, declutter, reconnect with loved ones, take some time for yourself (even in isolation), stay in touch to friends and family (online), catch up on your reading, journing, meditation. 

• 🎲 Entertainment → here’s a list of “free, online, boredom-busting resources!” that has everything from museum virtual tours, online courses, music, podcasts, prayer resources and more, for everyone to enjoy. Extra kid activities here. Board games, movie marathons, video game dance parties, art projects – for young spirits of any age. 

• 🏃 Exercise → while a lot of 2020 plans are on hold or cancelled, there’s no need to extend this to our physical health. Everybody is waiting for this crisis to pass; people are thinking short term preservation, but your mind and body are not on hold. Lack of exercise is tied to hormonal imbalance, toxins build up and overall bad physical and emotional state. Not to mention weight gain, with all the quarantine snacking we’re doing. Get on your feet and turn on Youtube for some indoor training tips, weight lifting, plank poses, jump rope exercises, yoga and what not. It’s a good time to get your kids into it as well.  If this guy could run a marathon on his 7ft x 7ft balcony, whilst self-isolating, there really is no excuse.