Social distancing for beginners

A GUIDE TO PANDEMICS, PLAGUES, AND THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE I’ll be honest and just say, for the record, that this would have been so much easier when I thought I was an introvert. Recent

evidence, however, has so thoroughly refuted my previous assumption that I can no longer own that label. Even though I know I’m not an introvert (I’m owning “ambivert” until further notice),

the idea of forced social isolation — distancing is the word that’s being volleyed around — is daunting. I’m a single mother. More, I’m a full-time, working single mother. Luckily for me, I

work from home. Unluckily for me, I have to manage that work while taking care of and entertaining extremely active children. My usual child wrangling-while-working technique of taking them

to an indoor play area while I work on the sidelines won’t exactly fly when social distancing is the theme. So I, like many of you, will be stuck at home. While I love my home, the thought

of staying there for a solid week brings to mind instant cabin fever. But when we’re dealing with pandemics, plagues, or a zombie apocalypse, containing and preventing infection becomes more

important than anything else. With this in mind, I decided we might need a guide to social distancing. MAKE A PLAN This is when we tap into our inner resourcefulness. Whether we have a

family or don’t, we need to be prepared for that amount of time at home. But that plan needs to be about preparation, not panic. SUPPLIES We don’t need to buy out all the hand sanitizer or

toilet paper. We don’t need to stock up for six months of isolation. We just need to get what we think we’ll need for a reasonable amount of time. When we react from panic and start

hoarding, not only are we shorting other families who need these supplies, we’re also handicapping medical personnel and service workers who actually need face masks, gloves, and sanitizers

so that they can do their jobs. ENTERTAINMENT Let’s all have a moment of silent gratitude for all the streaming services. If you don’t have any, it could be time for a free trial. We might

as well get caught up on those shows we never have time to watch. But we need to think bigger than binge-watching. We can get caught up on our reading — on Medium and with whatever reading

pile waits for us to find the time. We now have the time. We can only do so much watching TV, playing video games, and reading. It might be time to break out coloring books and board games

and to figure out creative ways to spend time in our homes. We could also turn home projects and crafting. We just need to make a plan for what we’ll do with our time. EDUCATE We’re stuck

inside, and all regularly scheduled programming in our lives has been canceled. Stores are closing, sports events are being canceled, and mayhem reigns supreme at local grocery stores and

pharmacies. Might as well learn something. Podcasts, YouTube tutorials, online classes, and even learning apps all offer opportunities to broaden our horizons. Travel enthusiasts can watch

travel programs or learn about a desired future destination. Whatever subject has long captured our interest can be indulged with this extra time available to do it. Granted, many of us are

still working for home, but we can turn a little of our leisure time toward learning. EXERCISE We still need exercise. We just need to do more of it in isolation. Luckily, there are plenty

of free workout videos. My favorite is Yoga with Adriene. It could be a great time to start a new, healthy habit by choosing an exercise program for ourselves and our families. Staying

active, even when sequestered, can be a great habit for all the days we can’t make it to the gym, to a fitness class, or outdoors for exercise. ADJUST OUR ATTITUDE This is a big one for me.

I was bemoaning the idea of working with my kids at home underfoot, but I’m also understandably stressed about current world events. When school was canceled, I had a moment to vent and

complain, and then I adjusted my attitude. WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER Most of us have to work. I’m not the only one being forced into social isolation. We’re really all in this together. You

know, separately. We all have work to do and bills to pay. It’s not going to be easy for any of us. Once I looked a it from that point of view, I was able to change my perspective and start

to prepare. Realizing we’re in this together can also help us put a stop to the panic that contributes to hoarding and a “me first” mentality. ENJOY A STAYCATION You know all those days when

you woke up and wanted nothing more than to stay home? Your wish has been granted! Stay home, sleep in, wear pajamas all day, and relax. Turn social distancing into a staycation. Turn to

Pinterest or Google and figure out how to make a face mask with ingredients from your kitchen. Take long baths. Have a movie night. Get cozy and actually enjoy a break — even if it’s not the

kind of break you really wanted. STAY INFORMED A big part of adjusting our attitude requires that we take our news from trusted sources and not allow the media to freak us out. We can keep

abreast of the latest CDC advisories, and we can follow all the standard recommendations. _Wash our hands. Don’t touch people. Keep our hands away from our faces. If coughing or running a

fever, self-isolate and wear a mask. If care-taking for a sick person, wear a mask. Stay home. _Staying informed can help us take reasonable precautions without panicking. Be proactive, not

reactive. SPRING CLEANING While we’re stuck in our homes, it would be a good time to spring clean. If that doesn’t sound like your idea of a good time, you’re not alone. But while we’re

waiting out the latest national or global crisis, it’s a good time to get our houses in order. MENTAL CLEANING I’m not just talking about the physical ones either. We can use this time to

evaluate our lives and to decide if what we do each day aligns with the way we want to live. While we’re cleaning out closets and scrubbing baseboards, we can consider what bad habits need

to be addressed and what better habits can take their place. MAKE IT FUN If that still doesn’t sound like fun, turn on some music. Make it a game. Reward yourself after with a sweet treat or

glass of wine. Whatever you do, add this to the list. After all, keeping things clean helps prevent the spread of infection, too. It’s not just about washing our hands and not touching our

faces. We need to sanitize our environments. GET SOCIAL Getting social doesn’t sound like a good plan for social distancing, am I right? But we still need our support systems. Our romantic

relationships shouldn’t be our only support. Neither should our families. We need a stronger network, and being isolated in our homes can actually be a great time to reach out and invest in

our friendships. REACH OUT — BUT DON’T TOUCH ANYONE Texting. Email. Instant messages. Phone calls. It’s time to reach out — without ever touching anyone. Just because we’re stuck in our

homes doesn’t mean we can’t hang out with our friends. We just might have to do it via video chat. A coffee morning, a wine evening — we can see a friendly face and spend some time without

ever leaving our homes. TUNE IN With the limitations that come with social distancing, this might be a good time to return to giving others our undivided attention. Whether we’re on a phone

call or interacting with our children, we can use this space to figure out how to be better at tuning in. But maybe this can extend beyond other people. We can tune in to what we’re doing.

Rather than endlessly scrolling social media while watching a movie, we can actually watch it. Multitasking can shift into single-minded attention to what we’re doing. And we can tune in to

ourselves. What’s going on with us. How we feel. When social distancing is recommended, we can really get back in touch with ourselves — who we are, what we want, the way we want to live.

SAY THE THING You know which thing. It’s the thing you want to say but haven’t said. For many of us, it’s the “I love you” we don’t always speak, but for others, it may be something else. An

“I forgive you” or even “I’m angry about what you did.” It could be telling a good friend that they broke your trust or hurt your feelings. If doing this when isolated sounds like a bad

idea, when is there going to be a better time? When the whole world is going to hell in a handbasket and panic reigns supreme, we may need to say the words while we’ve got the time to say

them. At the end of the day, none of us want to participate in involuntary social isolation. Unless you’re an introvert. We all want to be able to live our lives without worrying about our

work or our bills or what we’re supposed to do with all this time indoors. But we really are all in this together, and with a little creativity and resourcefulness, I think we’re all going

to be just fine. Reading material for social isolation: THE TERRIBLE PRICE OF THE UN-LIVED LIFE I SPENT YEARS OF MY LIFE UNHAPPY BECAUSE I COULDN’T IMAGINE WHAT MY FUTURE WOULD LOOK LIKE IF

I CHANGED THINGS. psiloveyou.xyz THE GREATEST PREDICTOR OF RELATIONSHIP HAPPINESS IT’S NOT THE ABSENCE OF CONFLICT psiloveyou.xyz THE WORLD WASN’T MEANT FOR YOUR SHOULDERS: CONSTRUCTIVE REST

FOR FEELING STRESSED HOW TO STOP LIVING A HIGH-STRESS LIFE medium.com