Shelter-in-Place Tips from a Professional Shut-In
If there is anything chronic migraines has taught me, it’s how to be stuck at home. On some days, even getting out of bed is an accomplishment. So though the times are unprecedented, globally, they are extremely precedent-ed to me, personally.
Here are some tips I’ve picked up along the way as a professional patient, and from my many journeys from the bed to the medicine cabinet and back again. I hope you find them helpful for surviving your COVID-19 isolation.
Fashion really doesn’t matter anymore, so stop trying.
When I was in the hospital for inpatient migraine treatment (yes, that’s a thing, or it was before COVID-19), I was briefly kicked out of my hospital room so that my nurse could give me a new bed. Why did I need a new bed? Probably not for the reason you think, but I’ll let you use your imagination nonetheless. I grumbled as I walked into the hallway, complaining that she hadn’t given me enough warning to let me change out of my pajama pants (which had donuts printed all over them) into my yoga pants (which had flowers printed all over them). I was embarrassed to be seen in my whimsical attire, but the down-to-earth nurse scoffed and said, “Really?! You’re in a freakin’ hospital.” She was so wise. Now I proudly go outside in sweatpants, a sweatshirt, and strange socks that I’ve worn three days in a row.
Focus on one chore, abandon the others.
This creates a lower threshold for feeling a sense of accomplishment. I choose to focus on keeping the house well vacuumed, because we have a Roomba so I can press a button and feel like I did something 30 minutes later without having actually done anything at all. Let’s ignore the fact that there are dirty dishes in the sink, and we don’t have any more Kleenex or toilet paper. Because the floor is vacuumed, until the dog moves and sheds all over it again.
Practice culinary creativity.
But I don’t mean the difficult kind of creativity. I’ve made the mistake of spending an entire day preparing two loaves of sourdough bread, a new recipe from The Joy of Cooking, and some fresh vegetables for dinner. I’m over it. There’s still plenty of room for creativity in cuisine without being a such a go-getter. You can, for example, make everything you eat the same shape: fish sticks, fries, and baby carrots. Or, go for a matching color palette: fish sticks, fries, and baby carrots. Or, declare it a kid’s meal theme night: fish sticks, fries, and baby carrots. I find that even on lazy days, there’s lots of room to express myself through food.
Share your life, somehow, with someone.
I chose to do this by setting up a blog about headaches and wrapping my sorrows in funny stories. I often hear that not only do people read it, but they also are encouraged by it. I never imagined that sharing my thoughts and experiences about chronic pain would resonate with so many, but it turns out that deep down, lots of people can identify with loneliness, and hurt, and darkness. We fight it together when we share our lives with each other.
Tell yourself true things on the bad days.
This makes encouragement from other people into a nice bonus, instead of what strings you from one agonizing moment to the next. When I’m having a bad day, I tell myself that there will be a tomorrow that’s better, because I’m almost certain this is true. And I also tell myself I am loved in spite of my mess. I’m very certain this one is true.
