Man, what a difference a few weeks can make.
I myself have oscillated between feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, normalcy, and hope. I think we have all spent considerable time thinking about the “long-term” nature of this. I’ve found myself jumping ahead to what months of social distancing looks like, and what the world – and my world – will look like in over a year.
Taking a cue from astronauts, who have had radically “unhuman” lives in space for long stretches, I’m formulating my own plan, which includes:
Taking it one day at a time.
What can you do right now, in this moment, on this day, to help and better serve humanity and those around you? Do that! Right now that means: social distancing and limiting trips to public places, and, for ALL TIME, it means WASHING YOUR DAMN HANDS. And, I suggest you read a proper guide on that, because it might be different than what you’re doing.
Being a team player.
If you’re with people, a person, or gaggle of children, chances are that you’re going to be spending A LOT more time together for quite some time. In An Astronaut’s Tips for Living in Space (Or Anywhere), Astronaut Anne McClain (who spent 6+ months together with 6 crew members on the Space Station) says “You can be successful in confinement if you are intentional about your actions and deliberate about caring for your team.” That means practicing being a good communicator and leader/follower, ensuring good self-care and team care, and nurturing good group living skills.
Keeping a schedule.
Astronaut’s circadian rhythms get royally effed when there’s 16 sunrises and sunsets a day. To help, they follow a strict schedule and keep a consistent bedtime. Astronaut Scott Kelly (famous for spending 1 year in space, while his identical twin brother stayed on Terra Firma as the control) says, “You will find maintaining a plan will help you and your family adjust to a different work and home life environment“ but also cautioned that it’s important to “pace yourself…for the long-haul.” I highly recommend reading “I Spent a Year in Space, and I Have Tips on Isolation to Share” for his unique insight.
Spending time to focus and unwind.
Pick up a guitar, read consistently again (since university textbooks killed that side of your soul in 2005), or create a Pinterest-worthy windowsill herb garden. Keep your mind active and away from constantly ruminating about our current, fragile condition. Breathe.
Staying connected.
Google Hangouts is my friend. Facetime is my friend. My friend on the end of both of those is my friend. Stay together, but apart, thanks to modern technology.
Exercising regularly, preferably outdoors.
I feel like we could either come out of this looking like long-haired flower children with gelatinous frames or Boston marathon-ready. I’m going to try to focus on achieving the latter through regular exercise (running!) outdoors. Connecting with the natural world brings me a sense of calm and creates space for appreciating whatever time we have on this brilliant, blue bubble.
…
That’s my plan, for now. I’m going to leave you with this quote from Scott Kelly’s New York Times article, which I hope inspires good vibes during this challenging time:
“Seen from space, the Earth has no borders. The spread of the coronavirus is showing us that what we share is much more powerful than what keeps us apart, for better or for worse. All people are inescapably interconnected, and the more we can come together to solve our problems, the better off we will all be…I’ve seen humans work together to prevail over some of the toughest challenges imaginable, and I know we can prevail over this one if we all do our part and work together as a team.”
