What’s a Healthy Survivor to do when friends and family are unavailable to provide support? Since the start of the pandemic, social media has been gushing posts on self-care. For example, Mayo Clinic’s "Self-care tips" include…
Eating healthy foods; getting 7-8 hours sleep each night; exercising daily
Maintaining or establishing routines; maintaining social connections
Practicing gratitude; finding things you enjoy (such as music); limiting news watching.
While sensible and often effective, such tips may not motivate people who find them boring…or daunting. Here are a few personal tips have helped me:
Streamline the list of lower-priority tasks. Letting go of lower-priority tasks (especially those that don’t bring joy) frees up time and energy for higher-priority activities—maybe even enabling you to do a task independently that usually require assistance.
Figure out how long you can manage without assistance. Realizing you can get through a day or two on your own may calm anxiety—assuming you can get by safely. It buys time to rethink your needs, brainstorm new approaches, and expand your list of potential support people.
Tap into inspiring memories. Mentally replaying past triumphs or others’ words of encouragement may provide a measure of comfort or inspiration.
Think about helping your usual support people. The idea that your support people will be relieved—maybe even inspired—if you can self-soothe may unlock emotional reserves. Paradoxically, so, too, your confidence may be boosted by reaching out to support them.
If those tips exacerbate feelings of vulnerability and helplessness, it’s time to reach out for emergency support. Call your primary support person, your physician’s office, or 911.
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