As I sit here thinking through what all has transpired around the world in such a short time, my mind easily wanders to the thing that matters most—to me and to you: Our relationships. We all wish that the outbreak of COVID-19 had never occurred. We all wish our family, friends, and even jobs weren’t placed in harm’s way by this or any other crisis. We all just want things to go back to normal.
And they will, in many ways. We don’t yet know how this experience will change our culture overall, but we can be relatively certain that, despite those changes, much of our way of life will return. And we also know that, until then, we have to stay safe and healthy while we wait. That means understanding the best ways to cope during this quarantine in order to protect our whole being: body, soul, and spirit.
Take Care of Your Body
You’ve heard the old cliché, “Use it or lose it”? Well, it’s a cliché for a reason. A study in the Journal of Applied Physiology suggests that just two weeks of inactivity can have an impact on your health, effectively undoing any gains you’ve made in your muscle mass. In fact, you can exercise for four months, make wonderful strides forward in your health, and then lose almost all those improvements by just taking one month off. So, don’t do it. Don’t hit the pause button on your physical activity. Keep going! And you don’t need a gym to do so. Walk, jog, run in place, ride a bike, do push-ups, sit-ups, walk up and down steps… there are endless possibilities and plenty of video tutorials on YouTube.
Additionally, try to eat and drink healthy. Stay away from junk food that will only leave you feeling sluggish. Drink plenty of water. If you are a caffeine and sugar addict (coffee, soda, etc), try cutting back and switching to naturally low or unsweetened tea, hot or iced. And if you have access to vitamins and supplements, keep (or start) taking them. You’ll boost your immune system and begin to feel better overall.
Protect Your Soul
Even if you are home with other family members, the sense of isolation and cabin fever can have an impact on your mental and emotional health.
Researchers have found that both during and after periods of quarantine people report experiencing fear, sadness, numbness, insomnia, confusion, anger, depression, stress, irritability, and more. Your unique personality can play a big role in this. As just one example, most everyone is familiar with the idea of “introversion vs extroversion.” A lot of people have begun classifying themselves as “ambiverts” (a mix of introversion and extroversion) but the reality is that all humans are really ambiverts. Think of the two as extremes on a sliding scale, and we all slide toward one or the other, while still retaining the ability to “cross the isle,” so-to-speak, when absolutely necessary. If you land more on the extroverted side of the scale, and you thrive on being around other people, the experience is going to be challenging. You’ll need to feed that social need with video, phone calls, and chats. If you land more on the introverted side of the scale, the isolation may not be as much of a challenge, but you might need to set some healthy boundaries for those who are isolated with you.
Either way, it pays to know your own personality quirks so that you can recognize when something is awry. Pay close attention to your moods, and when you feel yourself spiraling downward, pause, reflect on your current state, and then take action to correct it. It might be that you’re just “hangry” and you need to grab a bite of something healthy to eat to help your mood.
Feed Your Spirit
While it is true that we tend to experience greater anxiety when we feel like we don’t have access to the information that we need, being flooded with more information than we do need can create a sense of panic that leaves you overwhelmed and anxious. Rather than spending your time watching, listening to, and reading news and commentary, I highly recommend that you add some “news distancing” to your “social distancing” regimen. You already know the really important things about this virus: Stay home, keep your hands clean, sanitize all you can, and strengthen your immune system. But it is equally important to protect your inner man from the never-ending flood of bad news that is causing you panic and anxiety. A lesson from Matthew 14 applies: It’s practically impossible to “keep calm” when you are fixated on the storm itself (v. 30). Yes, stay informed of critical updates, but turn off/mute/ignore the commentary. Turn your eyes upon Jesus instead. Meditate on His word.
Rather than spending your time watching, listening to, and reading news and commentary, add some "news distancing" to your "social distancing" regimen … and then turn your eyes upon Jesus instead. Meditate on His word (Philippians… Click To Tweet“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. … And the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9).
How to Find Help and Support
If you are doing all you can to take care of your body, soul, and spirit, but still feel yourself spiraling downward, seek help. You are not alone in this. We are all in this mess together. Call a trusted friend, family member, or spiritual mentor. Reach out to someone for prayer, support, and encouragement. (Consider joining thousands of others in this Prayer Group I started on Facebook.)
Yes, we all wish that the outbreak of COVID-19 had never occurred. We all just want things to go back to normal and for those around us to be safe from harm. But we also know that the old saying still rings true: This, too, shall pass. As Psalm 30:5 says, “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Morning will come again, and when it does, we can all rejoice together!
