Coronavirus, Anxiety, and Self-Quarantine

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Coronavirus, Anxiety, & Self-Quarantine

I’m writing to you from our apartment, where we’ve been self-quarantining for the last 4 days. We had planned a trip to see my family in Northern CA for my mom’s birthday and were going to fly out on Thursday morning. Given how much and how quickly things were escalating, we ultimately decided to cancel our trip at 9 p.m. the night before. I was a mess trying to make this decision. Our flight was supposed to leave at 8 a.m. the next morning. We were in the middle of prepping our pup’s stuff to take her to boarding and decided we needed to take a moment to stop and talk through all of it.

We were worried about unknowingly contributing to the spread of the virus.

We were worried about unknowingly passing on the virus to at-risk people.

We were worried about potential domestic travel restrictions and not being able to get home.

We were also sad, mad, and frustrated because it sucks not being close to family and having to cancel a trip we were so looking forward to. But we knew the decision not to go was for the greater good.

This virus is absolutely scary and freaky, but so is the panic surrounding it. Especially for someone like myself who deals with anxiety on a regular basis, how quickly everything escalated over the last few days has made it tough to be able to sort through my emotions.

It’s crazy times when cities are shutting down completely. It’s crazy times when people are buying out all the toilet paper (??!!) and there’s no fresh produce to purchase. It’s crazy times when we haven’t been able to find hand sanitizer or disinfectant wipes for the last several weeks — even before all of the escalations. It’s crazy times when people are fighting over the last of this or the last of that at the supermarket. It’s crazy times when there’s so much uncertainty.

But I’m also recognizing the power of everyone coming together to fight this dang thing. While social media can often feel suffocating seeing everyone’s highlight reels, it’s been a refreshing way to feel connected in this time of social distancing and self-quarantining. It’s been refreshing to see how everyone is coming together to support each other, small businesses, and to fight hunger for those in need. It’s been refreshing to see that we’re not alone in our concern and anxiety.

More than anything, I think we’ve really recognized how blessed and privileged we are to be able to comfortably hunker down and do our part to help flatten the curve.

I’m thankful for my husband and pup who help keep me grounded.

I’m thankful for a healthy body that allows me to exercise, helping my mind and soul just as much as my physical health.

I’m thankful that we have stable jobs and supportive companies and managers that allow us to work from home and not miss a paycheck.

I’m thankful that we were able to buy what we needed to limit our outings and help slow the spread.

I’m thankful that we live in a corner of our city with beautiful running and walking paths so we can get outdoors and get some fresh air.

I’m thankful that we have a balcony to get some fresh air even if we can’t get outside for a walk.

I’m thankful that people are recognizing the need to self-quarantine and that they’re doing it.

I’m thankful for those on the front lines of this thing — healthcare professionals, pharmacists and pharmacy workers, grocery and supermarket workers. Be kind to them.

I’m thankful for people like my brother who are helping to draft policy, answer questions, and deploying employees to respond.

While we are all apart, this is an unprecedented time to come together and support each other. Be kind to one another. Be patient with one another. Don’t hoard groceries — you don’t know who might be in more need than you and hasn’t had a chance to get to the store yet. Turn off the media and unfollow accounts if they’re making you anxious. You can stay informed without feeling overwhelmed.

Most of all — if you can self-quarantine, please do. Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face. And spread love, not the virus.

Best wishes to you all — stay healthy and check in on one another. 🤍

Living In-Between

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Living In-Between | This Capsule Life

Do you ever feel like you’re in this state of living in-between? Like you’re not actually really fully living at all — you’re only half living in each of your roles? I 1,000% feel that.

Sometimes I just feel like I’m floating around not really sure of what my next step should be. What I’ve learned is life feels blurry like that at times. What I’ve also learned is that more people feel like this than we realize. We’re not alone.

I was listening to Tara Brach’s podcast this morning while getting ready and she said something that really struck me:

If you let go a little, you’ll have a little peace.

If you let go a lot, you’ll have a lot of peace.

If you let go absolutely, you’ll have absolute peace and tranquility.

Wow. I thought that was so powerful. Here we are trying to control what happens in our lives in order to find peace and contentment, when in reality the best way to find peace and contentment is actually by letting go. Tara recognizes that this isn’t an easy process; that we have to practice this daily in order for it to even start coming “naturally” to us — at first, we’ll even have to let go of “not letting go the right way.” Phew.

No, I don’t have all the answers. No, I’m not perfect. No, I don’t feel like I’m fully living in all of my roles. No, I don’t know exactly what my purpose is just yet.

And what I’m realizing is that is all well with my soul.

Episode 008 Show Notes: 10 Ways to Cut Down Your Screen Time

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Episode 008: 10 Ways to Cut Down Your Screen Time

In this episode, we chat about the elephant in the room: screen time. We talk everything from the addictive nature of it to its physical and mental effects to 10 ways to reduce the amount of time you spend scrolling vs. living.

Let’s get back to basics and fill our time with things that fill our souls. Who’s with me?!

Ah, less screen time. It’s the elephant in the room. With screen time apps becoming all the rage and the focus on how too much screen time affects your health, you know you should put limits on screen time and create a better routine. But why-is-it-so-hard? 

It’s true: screen time can actually be addictive.

According to results from a study by Dimitri Christakis, a psychology professor at the University of Washington and director of a children’s center at Seattle Children’s Hospital, certain types of fast-paced media might be truly addictive. Hellooo, social media!

And the Center for Humane Technology says social media sites know what they’re doing when it comes to using “tech trickery” like artificial intelligence-driven news feeds, notifications, and autoplaying videos. The group is quoted as saying: “These are not neutral products, they are part of a system designed to addict us.”

So how does screen time affect our health?

From physical effects like an increase in a sedentary lifestyle and interrupted sleep cycles to mental effects like anxiety, depression, social isolation, and social comparison, screen time can take a serious toll on our overall health.

10 ideas for you to cut down your screen time

Here are the first 3 ideas from the podcast — tune in on iTunes for the rest!

  1. Use the tools available to you — there are lots of apps out there and settings like “do not disturb” that help balance screen time.

  2. Create a sanctuary for your bedroom — the best way to get rid of the temptation to look at your phone while in bed is to get rid of the temptation entirely. 

  3. Prioritize exercise — according to Psychology Today, while stress and screen-time break down brain connectivity, exercise builds connections and actually makes the brain bigger, which helps fight depression, poor focus, insomnia, addiction, and anxiety.

Screen time studies & other resources

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Until next time Capsule Lifers — keep finding joy through minimal living.