Maintaining Mental and Physical Health While Social Distancing

While social distancing is an effective way to curb the spread of the lethal virus, it can have detrimental effects on our mental and physical health.

Many people, especially the senior generation, are locked down in their homes. It is prudent to take care of both your mental and physical health while staying safe. In a pandemic, good health narrows down to simple behaviors such as exercising, eating a balanced diet and getting quality sleep.

These actions are beneficial to keep your mental and physical health in check while in solitude. Social distancing has changed our interactions with people, our exercise routines and our work schedules. So how can you work out while you are alone at home? How can you sleep when you are anxious about everything around you?

This article will help you get started. Here are ways to maintain your mental and physical health while social distancing during the current crisis.

Plan and Take Action

Stress and depression are associated with feelings of helplessness. Planning and preparing to stay healthy while at home during the current crisis will make you feel in control.

Identify reliable food suppliers and reputable sources of news, learn how one can catch the lethal virus and ways to prevent it, and learn all coronavirus symptoms. To release pressure and anxiety, make a concrete routine to engage in social and physical activities at home.

Continue Treatment While Social Distancing

CDC encourages people with preexisting mental conditions to prioritize their treatment during hard times. Additionally, they should monitor their health for new symptoms.

Nowadays, it is relatively easy to keep in touch with your health care provider by taking advantage of telehealth options. You should also ensure you have a steady supply of medication while at home.

Create a New Routine

We are all worried about what will happen next, and no one is quite sure when this menace will end. The pandemic has interrupted our daily routines, which might heighten fear and anxiety.

Coming up with a flexible routine at home will preserve a sense of purpose and order and elevate your mental conditions.

Stay Physically Active

Now that we are spending much of our time at home, you might find yourself watching the television all day. Research shows that physical activity can elevate your mood and help fight depression.

You can still walk your dog or go for a run while still social distancing. People in quarantine can engage in a wide range of exercises without equipment such as calisthenics, yoga and virtual workout sessions with friends and colleagues.

Stay Connected

Social distancing minimizes chances for social interactions, which are crucial for emotional wellbeing. Those who are anxious and stressed could lose a key source of positive support and reinforcement during the current crisis.

Thanks to technology, people have a convenient way to stay connected through video chats, phone calls, messaging and social media, among other platforms. Fun activities at home can be made “social” by liaising with your friends to do the things together while keeping an open video chat.

Engage in Fun, Challenging or Helpful Activities

Such activities trigger a sense of mastery and pleasure and shift your focus away from worries and negative thoughts. A recent study shows that engaging in unique, challenging activities is pivotal to behavior activation.

Whenever you feel depressed, you can watch a movie, read a novel, write poetry, play a musical instrument, bake, garden or play video games with friends and family.

Get Enough Sleep

Poor sleeping patterns can elevate depression and bipolar disorders. Getting enough quality sleep increases emotional and mental resilience and reduces the chances of contracting a disease.

For best outcomes, blend behavioral strategies and lifestyle changes, including relaxation techniques, physical exercise and eliminating nicotine and caffeine, and keep distractors away from your bedroom. Though the news helps us know what is happening around the world, too much can induce fear and anxiety, especially during a pandemic. Thus, limit your exposure to news feeds and screen time at night.

The purpose of social distancing is to prevent oneself, one’s family and those at high risk from catching the virus. Remembering these reasons can help you avoid sadness and unhelpful thoughts.