Elephants and Tea - June 2020 - 21

locked in my house only leaving to go to the hospital for
checkups. This was my life. I had to create a world where
my only companion was my husband, who was still
working. I was often left to my own to figure out how to
manage and cope. We had groceries delivered. I stayed
at home while my husband did all the errands. Due to
the timing my dad would come over, no hugs and sit on
the other side of the room from me while he would visit.
My immune system was so compromised I couldn't risk
getting sick, plus I did NOT have any desire to go back
into the hospital.
It really comes down to focusing on what you can control
as opposed to what you can't while you are self-isolating.
That lack of control is what makes you feel more anxious
than normal. It can drive you mad and do irrational, not
to mention stupid things.
HERE ARE MY TOP TIPS FOR THRIVING
DURING UNCERTAINTY AND LOCKDOWN.

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2
3

Get into a routine as soon as possible. Having a
daily routine will calm the brain down because it
knows what to expect every day and will have a very
calming effect.
Keep moving. That's right expending some of the
built-up energy that you are feeling right now by
exercising. Either do an online workout of yoga,
cardio, or whatever fits your personality.
Meditation. You need to calm down the anxiety of
the unknown that is being created right now. Anxiety feeds off the future of the unknown. Meditation
keeps you present and grounded which is exactly
what the mind needs.

Get up, out of bed every day, shower and get
dressed. This simple task helps you keep the structure for your day.

If you can get outside and take walks, do it. You
need to get out of the house for your own sanity.
Being out in nature has a grounding effect.

Limit the amount of negative information that you
ingest. Especially at this time. Your mental health
is wealth right now. So start to incorporate more
uplifting content than you normally would. That
includes listening to more upbeat music, podcasts,
television and people.

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Practice gratitude daily. It will keep you focused
on what you currently have as opposed to what you
can't at this moment.
Journal. Let go of all that you need to vent about
or that isn't currently serving you at this moment.

Practice some deep breathing. Physically calming
the body down, your mind will follow.
Skype, Zoom or FaceTime people. So you
can still have experiences with them but while
under self-isolation. It's important to keep
nurturing those social relationships.

These are just some of the daily self-care techniques
that I have done and still do daily to ensure that I don't
start losing my mind when I have to self-isolate for health
reasons. Right now, while all this is happening in the outside world I feel even more present and grounded than
ever before. It's like the whole world is panicked and I am
completely at peace. You can't control the decision that
is made outside of your world. Only you
can choose whether or not to focus
on what you can do.
As you can see I have had a lot
of practice with knowing how
to handle daily uncertainty.
My cancer friends and I are
masters at social distancing
and isolation. We actually
can provide the world right
now with a wealth of knowledge about protecting your
mental and emotional sanity
in a time of crisis. l
ELEPHANTSANDTEA.COM
JUNE 2020

http://www.elephantsandtea.com

Elephants and Tea - June 2020

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