Surviving self-isolation during COVID-19

We are living in very uncertain times, the like of which none of us remember experiencing before. The world has been rocked by the emergence of a new virus. Many people live in fear of passing it on to someone else and being the source of another person’s severe illness or death. And many more are frightened that they won’t survive this coronavirus pandemic. So in many countries, people are choosing to self-isolate or governments are forcing them into a sort of quarantine.

But self-isolation is pretty tough and it’s causing all sorts of foreseen and unforeseen difficulties. Many people have lost their jobs or are faced with financial hardship or uncertainty. Schools have been shut. Exams may or may not go ahead. Nobody knows how long this self-isolation for COVID-19 will last. Tempers are starting to fray. Food choices are being influenced by people’s emotions, which are largely a sense of heightened fear, anxiety, anger and doom. Previously active people are being forced to be sedentary. Toilet paper is running out…

I go into these and more threats in this post about why you should fear the new normal more than Ted Bundy.

That’s why I got together with my good friend, Byron Clarke, to make this video of handy tips help you and your family survive self-isolation and social-distancing due to COVID-19 with your sanity and health still intact. In particular, we wanted to focus on natural ways to boost your immune system and support your general and mental health.

What you'll learn in this video on how to survive self-isolation

We cover topics like how to:

Manage your stress levels,
Stay connected to your community when you can’t meet up face-to-face,
Choose foods that will support your immune system and your metabolism, like this recipe,
Stay active,
Get a good night’s sleep (this one is so important right now),
Still leave your house and get outside while maintaining your self-isolation,
Channel your creativity,
Search for the opportunities for development, even when it feels like the apocalypse might be on the way,
Keep yourself accountable when making changes,
Start putting some of the greatest risk factors for severe COVID-19 into remission, and more.

Growth and development are born out of great challenges

We talk about trying to find the opportunity in all of this chaos.

Is this the motivation you need to make some really positive changes in your diet?
Have you been putting off implementing new ways to manage your stress levels because you haven’t had time?
Is this a chance to work on boundary setting?
How about learning some new skills, like learning a new language?
Can you embrace your creative side?
Do you have a garden and is this an opportunity to give it some attention?
Is this a time when you can get to know other people in your neighbourhood through online networks, like Nextdoor?
How about volunteering to help out in some way?
Can you think off innovative ways to move some of your business online?
Can you think of people who would benefit from your support or expertise and how you can serve them?
Is there anything else you might be motivated to change or to try?

For a more in-depth discussion of effective stress-management approaches, check out this post on all you need to know about how to deal with anxiety.

Remember, almost all of us will survive this period of turmoil. This is not to make light of anyone’s personal tragedy. But when we emerge from self-isolation and darkness, the world will be a different place. Let’s try to make it a better one.

Catriona Walsh

Dr Catriona Walsh is a Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach, working in Belfast and Mid Ulster. She is a therapist near Antrim who can support your health goals. She provides advice on diet, supplements and lifestyle. She has improved her own health having experienced a decline following a gadolinium based contrast MRI.