Tom, Stu & You Podcast

Episode #13 - Tackling the Challenge of Self-Isolation

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Today we’re tackling the challenge of self-isolation and figuring out how we’re supposed to be feeling during this time of incredible disruption. 

 

Key Messages: Don’t feel ashamed for being anxious, don’t judge yourself for not being as “productive” as everyone you see on social media, & communicate with the people in your life

 

We’re touching on a few ideas in today’s episode:

  • Self-development mindset during a pandemic
  • Feelings of shame
  • Adding stress to an already stressful period
  • Living each day with intention
  • Ways of minimizing stress and anxiety
  • What Tom and Stu have been doing to keep sane during self-isolation.

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    If you are feeling optimistic about this new time you’re finding yourself with, there are a few things we recommend you to consider doing. 

     

    • Meditation - now more than ever, it is so important to be mindful of the emotions you find yourself going through each day. Reach out to me, and I can share with you a free month of Sam Harris’ Waking Up app. It steps you through 10mins of daily mindfulness to help you better recognize the feelings we have as well as recognizing the noise within our minds. An important part of this approach, and one of the main reasons I like it so much, is that Sam encourages you not to judge yourself for becoming lost in thought or distracted. I’ve tried other forms of meditation in the past, and I felt shame at not being able to ‘do it’ whenever I’d realize that I didn’t just have a clear mind. 
  • Develop new hobbies and routines - morning walk, yoga, exercise, meditate, journal
  • Get your ass moving - whether it’s a morning walk, yoga, or a home bodyweight workout like one of these, moving is good for the soul and good for your body.
  • Connect with friends - there is something about chatting online with someone that provides a greater opportunity to be vulnerable. 
  • Skill up - if you’ve found yourself unemployed like me, with plenty of time on your hands, there are a multitude of online courses you can complete to build new skills that you can hopefully use in the future. 
  • Get creative - easiest, and most enjoyable way to relax (again though, it comes back to what we were saying earlier about no judging yourself). It can become a form of meditation in itself, as many people find themselves getting lost in the process. The closest I come to finding flow, that period of your life where time seems to pass in a blur, when you have absolute concentration at the task at hand, is when I’m deep diving into a new creative project. I can find hours and hours have passed without so much as a break for the bathroom or food, and you just ‘come back’ to the present moment, it’s dark outside, you’re starving, and more often than not, I find that I have a small smile on my face from just having done something I find so enjoyable. 
    • “Destroy the idea that you gotta be good at artistic things to enjoy them, that every hobby has to become smth you’re so good at, you can monitize it. A capitalist lie. Sing offkey, draw poorly, write badly. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not monetized. You’re not a product.” - @bookavid on Twitter
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    Tom, Stu & You PodcastBy Tom, Stu and You