When we think about comfort, we think of it as a passive activity. The definition of comfort is a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint. Comfort implies doing nothing. Yet, when thinking about comfort, particularly sustained comfort, during this longlasting pandemic, I realized that creating comfort during this time is anything but passive.
I thought of this blog topic as my husband Frank and I were out on our daily walk, something he and I do to bring a sense of comfort to our lives. It’s our one hour we take a day to get some fresh air, a little exercise and an escape from the small square footage of our apartment. During this walk, I got some texts from a friend about how bored they have been, how sick of their couches they have become and how hard it has gotten for them to get motivated to do anything. I realized that in order to sustain our sanity during this coronavirus outbreak just how active we need to be in creating our own comfort.
How to Create Comfort for Yourself During a Crisis
Comfort is crucial in these times we are living in. We’re on high alert, are being continually reminded of death and virus spread, with the exception of Netflix and a bottle of wine, we don’t have go-to stress relievers at our fingertips. We can’t go to a movie, can’t hit the gym, go out to dinner, attend a concert, we can’t even socialize with our friends beyond a video call. We are stuck with ourselves with little distractions and left to be completely responsible for creating our own comfort and ease, happiness, sense of community and sanity. Creating comfort during these times is a different flavor than anything we have ever known before.
Despite the tragedy of what we are living through, there is beauty in it and I truly believe that within any tragedy opportunity resides. People are folding back into themselves in pretty profound ways. They are using this time to connect back with the simple things that bring them joy, using this time to learn something new, reconnecting with friends they previously didn’t have time for, finding stillness and quiet, paying attention to the little things that often go overlooked and many are even finding community in a time where we’re all so separated, even if that connection includes watching Tiger King on Netflix.
When we can actively create our own comfort we have the opportunity to find joy in whatever situation we’re in. It is through this that we find some control amidst the chaos, we self soothe, and instead of being washed up against the rocks in this endless storm, we are steering our own ships.
These efforts of comfort don’t have to be grand gestures. Members of my Facebook Group have told me they have found comfort in gardening, painting, taking walks in nature, listening to free broadcasts, bike riding, connecting with their community via video chat, exercising at home and cooking, to name just a few.
Even the most passive forms of creating comfort can be done with active intent. Perhaps instead of crashing into an unmade bed after staying up until 1 a.m. becomes more of a ritualistic practice that includes a reasonable bedtime, a soothing cup of tea, a luxurious bath or a good book. Maybe creating comfort means forgiving yourself in the mornings you unexpectedly sleep late because your body needs it during these stressful times, or just finding peace with yourself if you haven’t found the motivation yet to get out of your pajamas. For me, these actively passive acts include daily Vedic meditation and doing a weekly meditation group via Zoom, putting a little makeup in order to feel more engaged with my day, getting a shower in early and keeping to some sort of a routine.
Think of creating comfort for yourself during this Coronavirus pandemic as creating active comfort. Doing this alone may help you feel less victimized by what is going on. And if you have felt yourself slipping into a depression that you can see yourself out of on your own, start small with tasks to get your moving, like breathing exercises, creating a few doable daily tasks, forcing yourself to get off the couch and getting dressed. More importantly, if you feel you have slipped into a depression and you are having a hard time getting out of, some states are currently offering free virtual counseling sessions and there are other resources for getting help virtually here.
If you have created some interesting ways to create active comfort for yourself, I’d love to hear them in the comments.
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