Advice on life from an already isolated spoonie :)

Hello to you fellow humans, It’s kind of dawned on me during this time that it’s actually a situation I’m perfectly equipped for, which is a first I’ll tell you that! As I’m currently crashing, and feeling rather overwhelmed I’m going to try and keep this as simple as possible. So here are my spoonie tips for surviving in isolation (while working or while sick). My heart and love goes out to the world right now, we’ll get through this and become better people on the other side.

•    Get dressed. It could be new pjs, your old favourite dress or jeans and a t-shirt! Just make sure it’s relatively clean and you change out of what you slept in before 12pm, I promise you it’s a game changer in regards to mood and motivation.

•    Decorate your space to make you feel the happiest possible. I always talk about decorating my four walls both figuratively and literally. So put art and fairy lights up, only follow people on social media that make you feel good and all in all try to make your cocoon as inspiring and comforting as possible. As always I recommend pinterest for inspiration ;)

•    Routine. Routine is the one thing that keeps me afloat sometimes, writing my to do list in the morning and checking things off as I go along. Some days it’s work stuff some days it’s brushing my teeth, it always matters however. Another thing I will say is vary your activities. I find spending hours in the house doing one thing is a sure fire way to get me into a slump. So get up and stretch every half hour, stimulate your brain, socialise, meditate etc. Basically pretend your a sim! You have to keep your needs up and you can’t focus too much on one thing, it’s all about balance. (For those who don’t get the reference here’s a visual explanation of that!)

•    Talk your feelings out - even with yourself! Being cooped up brings a lot of stuff to the surface, distractions are taken away and the way you truly feel is hard to get around. There’s no escaping your own presence! So talk about it, with friends and family if you can but for me, checking in with myself is often helpful too :) pray, cry, sing, get comfortable with that, be human, be honest with yourself.

•    On the flip side, keep socialising in anyway that you can. While being present in your body is great, dwelling inside your own head for too long can only be detrimental. If you can’t talk to someone in your life in person or on the phone, find a helpline and reach out. Once you say the words I often find the feelings get a little smaller and easier to handle.

•    The little things. Now this is where silly little moments mean the most. Lighting a candle before a bath, cooking a favourite meal (or having your family kindly do that for you ;), watching a good show, getting into a good book, doing your makeup, trying something creative. It all adds up in the end, be extra kind to yourself and to others. I’ve truly never felt gratitude as much as I have when I’ve had a rough day, I come up to bed and my lovely mum has straightened my sheets and put my heated blanket on for me.

•    Limit your time online. It’s hard, it’s the window to the world for me, and now for you guys too. But it’s so important to switch off, to put the world down and slow yourself down too. We still have windows to open, nature to bask in and good food and friends to give time to (even at a distance!) remember the real world is just as beautiful, even if it’s hard to be in right now.

•    And finally let yourself feel. We are human, for most of us we have never lived through anything like this, and there is nothing scarier than the unknown. No one gets trapped in their own home for a good reason, and there are so many extra worries that come with this situation. Friends and families health, people’s livelihoods and others mental wellbeing. It’s ok to be overwhelmed by it all, but even in tiny ways we can all help each other, this is a small way of me doing my part,

Sending so much love,

Hope