Life is going to be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic for the foreseeable. There’s no way around it. Most cammers are used to setting their own schedules, but it feels considerably different when A) we’re forced to stay at home and B) the rest of regular life is so unsettled.
Instead of getting bogged down in negativity, now is the time to focus, to try and remain as grounded, calm, and healthy as we can manage and to use this period of home sequestration wisely. Here are some tips for getting through the coronavirus upheaval with our sanity intact.
Set A Schedule
I encourage you to create a daily schedule, preferably breaking your workday into one hour or half-hour segments. Set alarms on your phone to keep you on track. One of the biggest challenges of long stretches parked at home is keeping the things you like to do (including cruising Instagram and playing video games) from bleeding over into what you should be doing.
Make Content
Every cloud has a silver lining. This is an excellent opportunity to be creating clips and content, building those passive income streams that will pay dividends long after this crisis is over.
Exercise
Gyms and spinning classes may be shuttered for now, but daily exercise still must be a top priority. For now, anyway, walking, hiking, biking and skating outside are considered safe activities. At least once a day, get some fresh air into your lungs, look up to the sky and take in as much sunlight as you can. If you’re confined inside due to weather or health, look into yoga, Pilates, and strength training videos online.
Clean
Spring is almost upon us! No time like the present to clean house, get organized and paint your bedroom ceiling that periwinkle blue you’ve been dreaming about. If it’s been a few years since you’ve excavated your closets, empty them out and cut some of that old stuff loose. Donate it to those in need, or auction it off online. Tending to our living spaces is excellent self-care.
Stay In Touch, But Not Too Much
Now more than ever, it’s important to remain informed. However, too much screen time is the recipe for stress, burnout and mental exhaustion. Be sure to unplug for part of every day, especially if the news or Twitter trash talk starts to drag you down.
Dust Off The To-Do List
You know all those projects or hobbies or life goals you keep putting off because you don’t have time? Now you do! Set aside an hour each day to learn German or belly dancing or to play with your watercolors.
Plan Your Snacks
Is there any temptation more treacherous than days stuck indoors with nothing to do but graze? This is where you have to be firm with yourself. Divvy up your day’s treats, and if you find yourself still feeling snacky, make sure to have additional healthy choices on hand like fruits, nuts and vegetables to nosh on.
Shower, Shave, Change Your Clothes
This may sound remedial, but many of us, if we don’t have plans to head out into the real world, lounge around all day in our jammies. The problem is this can start to look — and feel —a whole lot like depression. Take twenty minutes out of every morning for basic grooming. Your body, your housemates and your mood will thank you for it.
Stay Healthy
I know you’re probably sick of hearing this by now, but wash your hands, get your rest, keep your hands away from your face and practice social distancing whenever possible. Sterilize commonly touched surfaces, cough and sneeze into your elbow and if you start feeling sick, tuck yourself into bed straight away. So many of us try to power through our usual winter colds and sniffles, but no more of that. We’re dealing with a new normal.
Finally, last but not least…
Offer Help — and Ask For It
We are all in this together. When life gets weird, that’s when we need each other most. If you can, volunteer to help others shop for their groceries or watch their pets. Check in on your elderly neighbor. Donate to your local food bank. Helping others is a huge mood booster on top of just being the right thing to do.
And if you’re feeling overwhelmed, reach out. Tough times like these are precisely what your support network is for. Don’t be shy about asking your loved ones to text or call daily if you’re feeling isolated.
Let your fans know that you’re struggling, too. Allow them be there for you. Ask for positive feedback, stuff to make you laugh, and tips. Just be sure to cut anyone off who tries to take advantage of this unsettled situation.
Nothing lasts forever, and we will get through this. Until the coronavirus emergency passes, make self-care (and hand-washing!) your top priorities.
Until next time, be sweet to yourself.
Lola D.
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Lola Davina is a longtime veteran of the sex industry and author of Thriving in Sex Work: Heartfelt Advice for Staying Sane in the Sex Industry, a self-help book for sex workers available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes and wherever else ebooks are sold. Get the audiobook version here. Contact Davina at Lola.Davina@ynotcam.com and visit her on Twitter at @Lola_Davina, as well as on Facebook.
Image of Lola Davina courtesy Pat Mazzera.
