7 things to do to keep ourselves sane while social-distancing
We’re in the middle of an exponential pandemic, where the true cases of Corona virus are growing day-by-day. It’s natural to feel overwhelmed and feel at odds with the situation. Here are somethings we could do to keep functioning at high levels and fight the pandemic.
1. Virtual-connect with family and friends
Social-distancing does not mean we cannot connect with our loved ones. It’s true that social-distancing is the need of the hour, but we can leverage existing technological tools and interfaces like Zoom or Google Hangouts to connect and hangout with our family and friends. Knowing that we are “in this together” can help each of us strengthen our bonds and foster emotional well-being.
2. Work from Home
In times like these, most companies have instituted a work-from-home. Leverage the same. Follow the Work-from-home etiquette and ensure that you function at regular office timings when most of your colleagues are present so as to work collaboratively. Maximize the usage of collaborative tools like Slack to help the projects move faster. Call your colleagues directly when the message doesn’t go through easily via conference calls.
3. Stock-up on essentials in moderation
Prepare a check-list of essentials and ensure you have a month’s supply for yourself and your family. Basics at this time include a) Hand-sanitizers, b) grocery essentials, c) health-and-safety kits, d) N95 Masks and e) Other medications like vitamin tablets for your regular intake. Think also, of the larger community or the society and hence stock-up in moderation.
4. Indulge in a hobby
There’s no better time to indulge in a hobby than now. You will have far fewer distractions and an even better reason — “it’s therapeutic” . My friend and I were having a friendly phone-discussion today morning as we missed our regular hangout. My friend promptly decided to record a song, which she has been putting on the back-burner for quite a while. I decided to sit and draft my first novel. And, we have each sworn to support each other in our endeavors.
5. Work-out at Home
There are several workout videos on YouTube that are simple and easy to follow. We don’t necessarily have to run to the gym for this. We could use our Yoga mats at our homes for our Yoga practices, and there are various videos and Apps that can help us with this. Asana Rebel is one such app which lays down a step-by-step tutorial for every Yoga Asana. I follow Ira Trivedi due to her simple and effective Yoga practices on Youtube.
6. Cook for yourself
Give your cook and maid some leeway. Ensure their safety too. Indulge in your cooking. Cooking is therapeutic too- as it makes us feel good about ourselves being a way to nurture ourselves. So, go cook some healthy dish for yourself instead of stepping out.
7. Journal
We are living in a unique and a crazy time. While unique times call for desperate and crazy measures, we don’t have to overwhelm ourselves due to the pandemic. Journaling is a good way to vent our frustrations and keep our mental and emotional health at check.
The best we could do at this time is to keep ourselves and our families safe. Hope this has been helpful, in a way, to keep you alert. Stay safe people!
