Many people are currently practicing social distancing as a means to flatten the curve of infections from the Coronavirus. That means that very abruptly, many peoples entire lives have come to a halt and life as they knew it has been turned upside down. This is happening worldwide, and what I have realized through this experience is that when we moved to a small island in northern Norway, I had to change many of my behaviors to survive a unintentional social distancing. I put together some social distancing tips to try that I learned along the way to share in an effort to help with the boredom and anxiety that many people are feeling.
First of all, to be completely transparent, I am a true extrovert. I like meeting new people and my soul recharges the most when I talk to my friends and family. For example, after a long day of work, where I talked for the majority of my day, the first thing I did when I got in my car was call my mom (or best friend, or husband). I do value my alone and quiet time, but too much of it completely drains me and affects my mental health. I have learned over the years to find the balance that fits me most. When we moved to Norway and I suddenly found myself very distanced socially, I had to make some quick changes to adapt.
My 11 tips for keeping your sanity during social distancing
1. Go outside, every day
This for me is one of the most important tips. Of course, northern Norway’s weather isn’t always forgiving so there are some days I never leave the house at all. But, I try to get out as much as possible for a walk with the dogs or with my camera to take photos. I have learned to walk even if the weather is cold or snowy, and sometimes even rainy. It makes a big difference in my mood if I can get some fresh air.
2. Be the you that you always imagined
When you picture yourself living the life that you always imagined, ask yourself what are you doing? For me, those things include making art for art’s sake, writing, and yoga. So, I started doing those things. Yours are probably completely different than mine, but now is the time to lean into them and practice the life that you imagine.
3. Start a brand new hobby
This could be something you have tried in the past, or something completely brand new. I tried many hobbies… knitting, blogging, photography, reading, painting, and cooking. These should be things you enjoy and that is the only reason behind you doing them.
4. Chase a new dream
This is a bit different then a hobby, because this will be more of a grind, and I think it is so important to have a hobby that you do just because you love it and not because you are trying to monetize it. For me, the dream that I decided to chase was writing. Practice makes perfect as with anything so I don’t limit my writing to just one outlet. I write in a journal, I started writing poetry again, I started a blog (a long time dream of mine), and I have two books that I want to write. Still a dream in progress that I am actively working on since we accidentally socially distanced ourselves.
5. Practice gratefulness
This is a whole topic in itself that I would like to dive into, but practicing gratefulness provides so much abundance to my life. It grounds me, relieves my anxiety, and puts the big picture in perspective. Instead of allowing myself to obsess over what I don’t have or what I want, it reminds me to open my eyes to the abundance of goodness that I already have. This is key for me and when I don’t do it I struggle a lot more with my mental health, so it is important that I make this a priority daily.
6. Move your body
Guys. I seriously dance in our house almost every single day. That is probably embarrassing but I absolutely love it and I count it as exercise. Sometimes I do a work out program, sometimes I do yoga, I try to walk as often as the winter weather allows, but I always dance.
7. Video chat with your friends and family
This has been incredibly helpful for me while away from friends and family. I can talk for hours with my mom or my best friend, and because you see each other you forget that you aren’t physically together. It makes the distance feel small.
8. Read a book
Read a book, or even better, start a virtual book club. I have always loved reading but didn’t have much time for it prior to our new lifestyle. Now, I have more than enough time to read and have a stack of unread books that I am excited to get to. I also started a virtual book club with two of my girlfriends from home which allows me to video chat with them more often.
9. Get dressed and do your make up
I realize this one sounds completely vain, but it isn’t. At first it is really fun to live in yoga pants and not put on any make up, but what I found for me personally is that I feel so much better about myself when I do wear real clothes and take time to get ready. Sometimes I will do these things even if I only see my husband that day, because contrary to belief it actually isn’t about anyone else. It is completely about me and how I feel. This is a secret to improve your mental health when you are struggling or feeling a bit depressed.
10. Do home projects
This includes a nice deep cleaning, but you can only clean your house so many times before you are over it (trust me, I know). So this is the perfect time to organize the garage, paint the spare room, or downsize and declutter. Cleaning up and bettering your space, especially when you are spending a lot more time there than normal, will feel good and distract you from the social distancing.
11. Limit screen time
This is by far the hardest because when you are home a lot and bored it is all too easy to scroll social media, watch YouTube videos, or put on Netflix for 7 hours. I still struggle with this one but when I limit my screen time it frees up so much more time to be productive and to do things that better me as a person.
I hope my tips for social distancing were helpful as these are the things that have helped me when I had to get comfortable with living an entirely different life very quickly. What are some things that you have been doing that have helped you stay sane while at home?
xo,
Kelly
But a really wonderful perspective