Tips for Dealing with Isolation
In a recent group discussion, participants raised the topics of isolation, negativity and control. These major challenges reminded me of an article written in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic by Dee Caffari. Caffari is a British sailor who was the first woman to sail solo, non-stop around the world in both directions.
Caffari is accustomed to isolation after spending as long as six months alone on her boat. In the article, Caffari offered the following tips which are still relevant today for dealing with isolation:
1. Keep communicating.
· It boosts your moral to know that people care, and for your friends and family to know that you are okay.
· Caffari writes: “Stay in touch and ask for help if you need it.” “A five-minute chat once a day could really lift someone’s spirits and be something they look forward to.”
2. Make technology work for you.
· Use the various means available to communicate: Facetime, e-mail, text, phone calls and social media platforms.
3. Create a new routine.
· A new routine provides a focus and a reason to be motivated for each new day.
· A routine also makes the time pass more quickly.
4. Focus only on what you can control
· Do not waste energy worrying about things that are outside your control.
· Limit your exposure to listening or reading news that increases your anxiety or stress levels.
· Make a manageable plan and seek help if you are feeling overwhelmed.
5. Be grateful for the things in your life that you have or can do.
· Focusing on the good will have a positive effect on your mental health.
· Caffari writes: “The sun will continue to rise and set. This situation will pass.”
6. Look for the opportunities and be creative.
· Undertake a new hobby or project that you are interested in.
7. Accept that we must adapt to the new environment we are living in.
· Our environment is changing quickly. We can learn to adapt to the forces that are outside our control.
· “Accepting our new environment or situation allows us to think more clearly and calmly.”
8. The future will be different.
· Caffari writes: “We have an opportunity to re-evaluate and change our behaviour for the better.”
· Change is constant.
· How we adapt to change will define us.
Summarized by Wally Lazaruk, May 2024
Sources:
Isolation tips from an around-the-world sailor
Yacht Week
https://www.theyachtweek.com › blog › 2020/03 › isol…
Isolated but not alone – Dee Caffari – Sailor
Dee Caffari
https://www.deecaffari.co.uk › Diary
Solo-sailor at sea for 178 days has isolation advice for us …
CBC
https://www.cbc.ca › radio › ideas › solo-sailor-at-sea-f…