There are lots of little things that I’m doing or others are helping me with that are keeping me sane during this long isolation. Some of them might be things you want to add to your arsenal of tools for combating the difficulties of this time. These things work for me, no promise they will work for everyone.
Ayurvedic Self Massage
As I said in my very first post, one of things I was most worried about going into this was lack of physical contact with other humans. Hugs are incredibly important to our mental health, and physical contact with other human beings, even in the most casual way, release both oxytocin and dopamine in the brain, which improve mood, happiness, and relaxation. In order to counter the loss of this contact, I wanted to do something else to activate my parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system is one of the three parts of the autonomic nervous system, and it’s the ‘resting’ state– it takes care of food digestion and slows your heart rate, and improves circulation in the cardiovascular and lymphatic systems. There is a great deal of evidence that when the parasympathetic nervous system is engaged, it stimulates oxytocin and dopamine the same way as a hug. There are many ways to stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system, including breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, prayer, and even sex. One of the best ways to activate your parasympathetic nervous system is massage, because massage ignites the physical processes of the system by increasing your blood and lymph circulation. This automatically turns off your sympathetic nervous system, the system behind your reactive response to stress, which produces cortisol. Therefore, the massage reduces your cortisol levels, thereby reducing your stress. It increases your dopamine and oxytocin levels, helping you to feel happy, calm, and balanced.
Any type of self-massage (or for those of you lucky enough to be in isolation with loved ones, partner massage) will help you, but I particularly like the focus on circulation of Ayurvedic self-massage. There are plenty of videos on the internet to help you understand exactly how to do this, but the basics include vigorous circular rubbing with warmed oil. Pay special attention to joints, the neck, and the head. I treated myself to a massage oil in Juniper and Ginger, both known for their warming properties which increase circulation, from the wonderful Neal’s Yard Remedies… it was worth the splurge. I make myself some herbal tea, and stick the bottle of massage oil in a mug with some water from the kettle. Ten minutes later, I have gorgeously warm massage oil to begin my massage.
I’ve been doing this once or twice a week, usually before bed (shower in the morning, your hair will thank you for letting it sleep in the oil). It is truly luxurious, guarantees an amazing night’s sleep, and leaves you feeling energised for days.
Gousto Recipe Boxes
I am incredibly lucky that I had decided to restart my subscription to Gousto about a week before I started isolating. I wish I could say that I was full of clairvoyance, but I did it because I was planning on a solid stretch of dissertation writing. I’ve used Gousto on and off for years, and it can be a real lifesaver. I’ve tried other recipe boxes, but in the UK, at least, Gousto is far and away my favourite. They usually have 50 recipes available each week, of which you can order anywhere from two to four, with two or four servings of each. They have a dedication to keeping a range of dietary options on every menu including a selection of 10-minute, vegetarian, plant-based, healthy choice, gluten-free, dairy-free, fish, meat, and family favourite meals every week. They have committed to local (to the UK) sustainable ingredients, and reducing their plastic use (which has been one of my least favourite things about recipe boxes). But my favourite thing about Gousto is how good the recipes are, and how interesting they keep things. They always have Global Kitchen options, with things like Dan Dan Noodles, Indonesian Fiery Prawn Broth and Coconut Rice, Vietnamese Quick Pho, Rich Beef Ramen, Vegetarian Pad Thai, Mauritian Fish Vindaye, Roast Vegi Couscous, and more. They also do a Modern Bistro range where you can pay a small supplement to the usual portion price and get 21-day aged steak with fancy potatoes, or wild salmon with pesto, or a veggie tart with burrata.
It all comes to my door perfectly portioned, chilled, and labeled, with the recipes on cards. I find them pretty easy to follow and do, but I have to be honest, I have pretty good skills for a home cook, so I can’t speak to how easy it is for a beginner. However, Gousto is reviewed all over the internet for being a great way to teach yourself to cook, so I think my understanding that the recipes are pretty accessible is fair. Right now they’re offering a limited range of recipes, because they’re renovating their kitchens to be able to respond to COVID-19 demand. So they will be taking new customers soon. I am shamelessly promoting them because they have literally saved my life in the last 6 weeks. If I had not been receiving these boxes, I would have had no sure way to get food on a regular basis. Due to my high risk status, I’m supposed to be getting access to grocery deliveries from cooperating places like Sainsbury’s, but they haven’t received my (or it seems most other people’s) info yet (I’ve been isolating for over 6 weeks now). Gousto has brought me 8 meals a week (6 more recently), guaranteed, no matter what, and I am so grateful for their service. And throughout this whole thing they’ve been donating meals to The Trussell Trust and Shelter (though they’re not tooting their horns about it the way some are). So if you want to try Gousto, I encourage you to do so, and THIS LINK will get you 10% off your first box, and 5% off your first month.
Melissa Krieger’s Hatha Yoga for Better Sleep
I’ve been using this particular sequence to get to sleep for years, and it is a godsend during coronavirus. Like the self massage above, it works to take you out of your head and into your body, activating your parasympathetic nervous system and easing you into sleep. It’s worth the 40 minutes, especially if you consider how long you can spend lying awake not sleeping. I can often fall asleep the moment I get off the mat when I do this.
It’s a super accessible sequence, and Melissa helps you figure out exactly what to do for each movement, even if you’ve never done yoga before. It’s also non-demanding physically, so if you have poor balance or flexibility, you should still have no problem doing it. I really like Melissa Krieger in general for this reason, she offers no-nonsense, down-to-earth routines with clear explanations. In the mornings I’m particularly partial to her Morning Slow Hatha Yoga Flow, and her Sun Salutations, depending on the mood, these days. The site I use, Do Yoga With Me, is great because of the range of free videos available, and I’ve never felt the need to pay for the additional content. While I love other popular sites, like Yoga with Adriene, I find DYWM offers greater variety and is more adaptable to whatever situation my body is in at the moment.
A Few Luxuries
Eight Gousto meals a week wasn’t quite cutting it, and grocery deliveries have yet to be made available to me, so I started subscribing to Pasta Evangelists. It’s a small company in London that delivers fresh, homemade pasta to your door (with all the fixings). It’s a splurge– each ‘portion’ is for one person, not two like Gousto, and it’s probably about the same price you would pay for the same pasta dish in a restaurant. But, hey, I’m not going to restaurants! And the pasta is REALLY GOOD. They have a fair range, from the traditional, like Carbonara, to some very inventive dishes, like Amalfi Lemon and Mozzarella Tortelloni with Sage Butter and Pistachio Crumb. They usually have a vegi option and a gluten free option each week. Recently they’ve been doing Rally for Restaurants to help independently owned restaurants in London survive.
As I mentioned last week, there are a few local restaurants here in the Oxford area which have started delivering, doorstep delivery of chilled, cooked food, which you reheat in the oven or on the hob (stovetop). Earlier in this process, I was hesitant to get take-away food because I wasn’t sure how communicability worked. Luckily we’re getting more and more of an understanding of it, and it’s fairly clear that if you reheat food thoroughly, it’s safe. Otherwise, you just have to be careful of the containers themselves, and get rid of them right away. Having the food come from time to time gives me a break, and let’s me have more time for whatever else I need to do. We don’t realise how much convenience we rely on in life until the conveniences are gone.
A wonderful luxury I’ve taken advantage of is the delivery service offered by the Oxford Wine Company. They, and other merchants in the area, are doing delivery, usually within less than 48 hours. I got one of the OWC’s cases, and I’m enjoying some wonderful new wines. It’s going to take me a long time to get through the 12 bottles!
Pluto Living
If you haven’t met Pluto yet, it’s about time. Pluto is a little schnauzer that lives in Canada with her Mommy and brings us two-leggeds messages to keep us centred in this isolation life. She is very funny, remarkably sweet, and sometimes soulful. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and the Instas, as she calls it. I’ve become aware of the other talking animals on the internet, and there are a lot of them out there, but Pluto is something special. She’ll remind us to wear button pants from time to time to check the waistline, but she’ll also sing a folksong to memorialise the people lost in the horrific rampage in Nova Scotia last week. I look forward to her videos, and think about them all day.
My Bullet Journal System
I’ve been bullet journalling for two or three years now, and I have always appreciated it for helping me to visualise my accomplishments during PhD life. The new circumstances have required a shift in my usual approach, however. It took a few experiments, but I now have a system that is working well for me. I use a two page spread for every two weeks. On the top page is a check-grid that lists the dates down the left and the things I need to do (and need to remember to do) across the top. Things get X-es as I do them. On the bottom page is a two-week calendar with dates (to Skype, FaceTime, etc) and other things I’ve gotten done that aren’t on the other list. It helps me to feel a sense of accomplishment as the day goes on, and it reminds me to do the things that make me feel better, like get outside at least once a day, and go for walks.
My Cat, Lyra
I’m so glad Lyra is living with me now. For the first 7.5 years that I lived in the UK, she lived with my parents because I either lived in student housing, or I was away on fieldwork. At the end of my fieldwork in Israel last year, I flew home to the US to get a new visa, and realised it was time for Lyra to move to the UK. Doing international pet importation in the middle of what was supposed to be Brexit was one of the most stressful experiences of my life, but I am so glad we made it happen last year. Lyra is just a few days away from her one year anniversary in the UK right now, and I am so happy I’ve had another living being to share my isolation. She’s pretty good with the cuddles!
Neighbours and Friends Who Care
I honestly don’t know where I would be without some really amazing people. One friend, K, has brought me fruit and other groceries every time she’s gone out for her own family, and she even brought me some compost for the garden. My neighbours on either side have run out to the village shop for me several times, and I’ve had notes through the door from strangers and neighbours. Even the vicar and his wife got in contact to make sure I have everything I need. Chabad of Oxford and the Jewish community delivered matzo, matzo meal, horseradish, and gefilte fish for me before Passover. While these things have been needed in the moment, what’s really wonderful about all of this is the feeling of support, love, and caring that it gives me while I’m all alone at home. Thank you all.
This Isolation Life 