As with most people, going on week 2 of social distancing has become incredibly taxing for me. Since I tend to be a more extroverted person, the lack of direct social contact with my friends and boyfriend have taken a toll on my mood and energy levels, as well as combatting the feelings of regression that come with leaving school and going back to doing homework in your childhood bedroom. For the first few days of social-distancing, I definitely moped around my house and mourned the loss of normalcy, however, that got old fast, and I was ready to take on social distancing as a new challenge, complete with its own benefits. Here are my tips on how to survive social distancing and staying home!
- Maintaining relationships
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This aspect is definitely taking the biggest toll on my mental health as well as most people across the country. Losing face-to-face access with some of the most important people in your life can be hugely damaging to morale and mental health. However, there are ways to maintain these relationships virtually! The most obvious is Facetime. Make sure you are keeping in touch with friends or family members through either singular or group Facetime calls (Zoom works as well if you do not have an apple product). Being able to hear and see my friends and family’s voices and faces, although virtually, has been a huge help in staying positive. And get creative! Netflix Party is an extension for Google Chrome that allows you to sync streaming with friends and comment on the movie/shows in real time. My boyfriend and I even did an online Yoga workout through Facetime that ended with both of us feeling refreshed and happy.
- Stay exercising
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A big part of why I felt so down the first few days of being home was that I had gone from going to the gym and being active at school to living in a small Cape Cod style house with no easy gym access. I found that at-home workout routines keep me feeling energized and less like a couch-potato. It makes me feel good and productive which is so vital in a time like this! And when the weather is a bit nicer, I plan on going for runs outside (6 feet apart from everyone else of course!)
- Catch up on hobbies
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As everyone knows, being at school is great but also eats up a lot of your spare time. Now that I’m home and working off my own schedule, I have found way more time for activities I love but could not do as much at school. From reading new books I had had on my list for months to getting back into drawing and painting, I have found that filling my time with activities I enjoy and want to do make social distancing and being in the house feel less like a prison sentence and more like something positive.
- Don’t forget about self care
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When you’re inside all day and not seeing anybody but your immediate family or roommates or even not seeing anybody at all, it is easy to neglect self-care and no longer prioritize it but neglecting my needs was only making my mood worse. So put on a nice outfit and makeup just for fun, do a facemask, paint your nails, or any other form of self-care you want. I did my eyebrows the other day and felt far more like myself than I had in the past two weeks!
- Go outside
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I am not suggesting flooding to restaurants and shops, however, just because you have to practice social distancing does not mean you should lose out on Vitamin-D. Take some time everyday to get outside, whether that be reading or eating a meal on the patio, going for a walk, or even just sitting outside for a few minutes, make sure you are spending some time outside. Your body and mind will feel better and a bit of cabin fever will disappear being outside the walls of your house.