Facing the situation of suddenly being stuck at home hits everyone differently. In this column, I will talk about five things that can be used to help you navigate this time of social distancing while keeping your well-being in check and maintaining a sense of being part of a bigger society outside the confines of your home.

1. Practice basic self-care.

Given everything going on, you will have good days and bad days, and that’s okay. Basic self-care means activities like hygiene, drinking enough water, eating regularly and keeping up on your medication. Be kind to yourself, set reminders if they would be helpful and take it one day at a time.

2. Stick to a somewhat regular schedule.

When you are stuck in the same place all day, time becomes an illusion very quickly. You don’t need to block out your entire day, but stick to the basics. Make sure to eat regular meals and snacks, take stretching or movement breaks, and, as much as possible, have a regular bedtime/wakeup routine.

3. Spend more time on a hobby you love or learn a completely new skill.

Hobbies are important. They give us time to focus on ourselves and unwind. Right now, finding ways to infuse our lives with novelty and variety is key. Pick something that sounds genuinely fun, relaxing, distracting or whatever you need it to be.

On the other hand, focusing on a new challenge is a welcome distraction. You can use your phone to learn a new language, for instance. Public libraries offer free online resources for everyone: you could take classes in topics such as personal development, photography, writing, graphic design and other creative trades from the comfort of your home.

4. Set boundaries.

I have taken a Facebook break that has been going on for weeks. My timeline had turned into never-ending streams of panic, stress and overall negativity; therefore, I had to set some boundaries. For me, that has looked like taking a social media break, extracting myself from or muting some chats (on places like WhatsApp, for example), and not watching the news.
Taking these steps has been amazing because I am using this freed-up time to work on myself and on my personal projects for 2020. Plus, what we focus on, grows. If you bring bad thoughts into your headspace, your mind and body will feel the effects of that. As humans, we cannot distinguish whether something is happening to someone far away or to us personally. So, I highly suggest setting boundaries with yourself by managing how you consume your news and social media.

5. Write down your thoughts.

You might not normally be a journaling person, but now is a good time to start. In isolation, we are set up to get really “in our heads.” Writing everything down helps. The form is not important: you can just free-write or scribble down words and emotions without bothering to string them into sentences.

We are all going to need a lot of self-compassion to get through this moment and stay healthy. If the only thing you do while stuck at home is get through the best you can, that is more than okay. Plenty of us are in the same boat.

Eric Faria is an educator and self-esteem consultant. He produces and hosts the TV Show, I AM with Eric Faria, available on YouTube. The show is also a podcast on Apple Podcasts and SoundCloud. Send him an email via eric@ericfaria.com.