It has officially been 11 weeks since Austin began its city-wide shutdown, and even longer since we hosted our last Friday night acro jam. This decision ended our 8+ year streak of weekly jams without pause, some of which our eldest members can recall its earliest days.
Being in isolation during these times can be challenging in many ways, especially for those of us who live alone, have disabilities or are immune-comprised, or who struggle with maintaining balance in our mental health. For some of us there is also the added stress of being without work, in not being able to afford basic needs, or in having your sense of long-term financial stability be threatened. There is no singular way to cope with what’s going on in the world today, so if you are ever finding yourself feeling deficient in how you are managing your time, know that you are not alone in this endeavor.
We encourage you to give yourself as much time and space as you need to process any grief, loss, or anxiety that arises during this time, before re-energizing your efforts to look toward the future. Be assured though, that there is a future to look forward to; and a time when our community will come together again in celebration of the connections we have made, the skills we have developed, and the joy we have instilled in our practice. Acroyoga has always been about a celebration of unity and skill, but it has also challenged us, as we learn to practice with compassion, cohesive collaboration, and trust. We need to emulate those values now more than ever. The way we practice and support each other may not look the same as it has in the past, but have faith, as we are all in it together.
In peace,
Jenlyn Meyers
For a more pragmatic approach, the following is a detailed list from our friend Carlos of the San Antonio Acro Community, highlighting the ways in which you can stay physically and mentally healthy during quarantine.
What to do (and not do) during these crazy times??
By Carlos Arredondo
What’s the best thing one can do if they are forced to be at home? Here’s my brimmingly confident advice:
1 – SUNSHINE – sunlight is shockingly important to your mental health and physiological processes. Try to get at least 45mins-1hr a day (acknowledged this is weather contingent of course). Seriously, it makes a big difference! Even cloudy days/indirect sunlight.
2 – OUTDOORS – Get outside! Even if it’s your backyard. And the more green/vegetation in your vista, the better. Outdoor air and changing your cabin-fever scenery will have huge impacts on your psyche, and your ability to think clearly.
3 – MOVEMENT – MOVE! Doesn’t matter what or how, so much as that you do it… every day. Can be walks, jogs, yoga, calisthenics, doesn’t matter. You could shadow-box or play with invisible characters you made up or do Richard Simmons aerobics, but MOVE YOUR FRIKKIN BODY! This can’t be emphasized enough. You’ll feel the effects more on your mental-state/health then your body, but your body will benefit also.
4 – HUMAN CONNECTION – Even if you can’t have in-person interactions with other humans or don’t have housemates (like myself), then zoom, phone-call, or whatever. But try to have some human communication in your life at least once a day is good! Without human dialogue, it will become easy to be trapped in your own head… especially if you are dealing with any fear/anxiety about this whole ordeal.
5 – CAPITALIZE TIME OPPORTUNITY – Many of us are forced to have a huge time-window on our hands. What will you do with it? Waste it on fear and paralysis? Choose to numb your mind while you binge countless Netflix shows? Or lose it in some frivolous activities? My argument: this is an AMAZING opportunity to either do something you’ve been procrastinating, finish something you hadn’t had time to finish, OR begin a new project! Why not tackle something on your “bucket list”? What is something you want to do before you die? What an amazing opportunity to begin a new intention, or re-define the things you’ve been putting off.
6 – MEDITATE / PRAY / INTROSPECT – What a better time to introspect and soul search or find peace or God than in a time of unprecedented volatility, crisis, fear, powerlessness, and vulnerability?
What kind of incredible insights can we come to while coming to terms with our situations and being wholly honest with ourselves? I think there has rarely been an opportunity like this for such. Set some of your time aside for meditation /contemplation/ introspection/ prayer… Decide to be incredibly raw, real and honest with yourself, only good fruit can come from that!
7 – FAST – Guard the gates of your mind, and first things first: cold-turkey fast the insanity that is all the fear-fermenting useless talking-heads on mainstream media. This should be a top priority, if you don’t want to lose your frikkin mind, sanity, and human decency. Avoid them like the plague!
8 – DON’T – Detach from reality because of fear or helplessness; DON’T Disengage your mind by letting it turn to zombie-fodder on netflix binges or video-game marathons; DON’T stop living your life as much as is possible; DON’T see this as an excuse make poor lifestyle health choices; DON’T see this as a justified excuse to disconnect from your friends & family & communities; DON’T see this as an excuse to do less with yourself or your life, but as an opportunity to do something more & different! ; and most paramount DON’T lose your sanity and calm/cool mind. We need it now more than ever!
I hope you find this helpful! It took me awhile (and lots of agony) to figure this out for myself.
Cheers my friends… take heart and be of good courage… peace and love to you!