By Jessica Watson April 5, 2020 The Age
"The changing nature of life at sea, when you are at the mercy of the weather conditions, meant that I never had a strict routine. But I did have a number of rituals that gave me some structure and consistency. My favourite ritual was making a point of watching the sunset every evening.
When you’re alone, it takes a little effort to give things like meals any sense of occasion, but I’d recommend making that effort to eat in another location or perhaps set the table – something that wasn’t possible on a rolling boat!
Mental fitness
When you’re alone, there’s no one to tell you to snap out of a mood, so I learnt pretty quickly that I had to take responsibility for my own headspace. I definitely won’t claim that I was cheerful all the time, there were more than a few teary whinges (regrettably to the camera!) while at sea. But on the whole, I learnt to catch those spirals of negative thoughts and use them to remind myself of why I was out there.
When I wasn’t feeling great, I focused on smaller milestones - when you’re feeling down, crossing a whole ocean (or in this case facing weeks of isolation) can be overwhelming. I also found it very difficult to be in a bad mood when I put on loud music and stood in the wind, so this was something I learnt to force myself to do on bad days.
Standing in the wind might not be an option while stuck at home, but the idea of forcing yourself to do the things that make you feel better is just as relevant.
Connect with others
Making a point of staying connected is perhaps the most common piece of advice for those who are physically alone. Satellite phone conversations with family and friends were fantastic, and I found it particularly helpful to talk to others who had experienced similar situations.
Writing regular blog posts provided another form of connection, one which importantly trained me to be constantly thinking in terms of how I would explain how I coped – a coping mechanism in itself.
Savour the rare solitude
I fully appreciate that concern for loved ones and the stress of economic impacts of the COVID situation may make this unrealistic for some, but for those who can, I’d encourage you to try and enjoy the solitude.
Being alone can make life wonderfully simple, and while sharing experiences is great, I found that there is also something uniquely special about having an experience all to yourself. Being alone is a rare opportunity to do exactly as you please, even if it is just within the confines of your house in our current situation.
While at sea alone I realised that it was a unique situation that I would likely never experience again, and this realisation allowed me to savour the great majority of the time alone."
