With the Coronavirus going on, people are self-isolating, quarantining and social-distancing to slow the spread. Don’t get me wrong, self-isolating is important, but so is looking after your mental health. Being cooped up for a long time can lead to boredom, cabin fever, weight gain, anxiety and more! Here are some tips to help you feel connected while we're all staying in and staying healthy.
Use social media and video chat programs to stay in touch with friends and family. Possible video chat programs you can use include Skype, Google Hangouts, and Facebook Live.
Exercise. This will help you stay in shape, and also boost your mood and immune system! Are nearby gyms shut down? Clear out a bit of space in your home and put on a workout video. If you don’t have weights, you can improvise with things like Kleenex boxes, or maybe you have spare packs of toilet paper. Don’t forget to also do stretches!
Catch up on any shows you’ve missed. You might be able to find them on Hulu, Netflix, or online. For those who live alone, putting on something dialogue-heavy, even just as background noise, may cause your brain to think there are other people in the room (so you won’t feel as alone).
Speaking of feeling like there are other people in the room, grab some headphones and listen to some “8D” music online with your eyes closed. What’s 8D music? It’s music that uses some kind of audio trickery to make your brain think it’s coming from your left, right, even behind or in front of you. It’s like being in a concert hall.
Use the Taste Dive website to find suggestions for new shows to binge. Just type the name of a show you like, and the site will generate a list of similar shows. You can also use cabletv.com’s What To Watch service. It works pretty similarly to Taste Dive, with the difference being that you have to enter a minimum of three shows rather than one.
Start a hobby. Do you have an idea for a novel? Interested in learning origami? Doing impressions? Learning a dance routine? Making a dance routine? Chances are you can do all of those with the things you have at home.
Make some posters. Grab some paper and markers, pens, colored pencils, or whatever your preferred drawing medium is. You can draw from your imagination, or give yourself a challenge and try to replicate an image (either something in your house or something you find on the Internet).
Have a topic you’re passionate about? Write a book or novella. Even if you work 40 hours a week, the quarantine means that you don’t have to take time travelling between your home and office.
Combine 1 and 3 for a virtual movie night get-together!
Play a new game. Personally, I’ve been playing a lot of Skyrim; the character customization of open-world RPGs like these allows for many different ways to play, so you get several different games for the price of one!
Well, that’s all for now. If none of my suggestions work, I have no doubt that you can come up with something else. If you’re still struggling, try asking friends for suggestions! We're all in this together.