Well here we are—ALONE! OMG! It feels uncomfortable and icky and I don’t like it! Before you dive off the deep end into your bucket of tears I promise that socially distancing doesn't equal social suicide. Here are 5 things you can do to get through this:
1.) Arizona has some of the best weather right now. Socially distancing does not mean that you are on house arrest. Go for a walk or a hike...just don't touch anything--especially the cactus! Gas prices have dropped so fill up with some gloves on and go for a scenic day drive. That discomfort that you are experiencing is just you learning how to be alone with yourself. What an amazing and liberating experience! I encourage you to lean into the discomfort.
2.) Start a journal. I mean if this is really going down then you should probably write a good bye letter. Say good bye to all the bull shit that has held you back in life. Say hello to a new bucket list! If we make it through COVID-19 then you should probably live your best life from then on. So come up with some damn good ideas; I mean it’s not often that we get to cheat death. Which leads me to my next topic: Gratitude!
3.) Positive psychology suggests that humans are pre-wired for automatic negative thought sequences (ANTS) and in order to break these pathways we must train our brains to focus on positive things. Listing out gratitude is one way of focusing on positive things. For example, it feels surreal when you walk into a store and half of the items are missing from the shelves. Focus on the fact that you were able to find some things and you will survive. Just remember what college was like—you never had any food in your pantry so what’s new? McDonald’s has been my rock through all this! Please don’t judge me.
4.) Connect with others as much as possible. Invite friends over but remind them to take precautions. Clean your house a little better than you would if a date were coming to visit. Start a hand washing and twerk contest. Wash your hands to the beat of a Cardi B song of your choice and shake that thang. Your friends will have an amazing time. Only invite cool people; you don’t want those other life sucking viruses in your happy space!
5.) Last but not least: go on an online shopping spree. Splurge on something. Think of all the money you are saving by not going out every day. Treat yourself to something. Being quarantined is a time to enjoy ourselves and be nice to ourselves. You deserve a little reward for how well you have been adulting lately!
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