The following is a guest post written exclusively for Dr. Nick’s Running Blog

An extremely novel situation has arisen in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak. People across the globe are forced to stay home and shun their social lives. The infection rate seems to be spiraling out of control and it can only be controlled when everyone agrees to follow the guidelines given by WHO, CDC, and other health organizations.

Among which, the most crucial ones are keeping your house clean, practicing physical and social distancing when going out for important tasks, and wearing masks, gloves, and other necessary equipment. 

Since we are all quarantined inside our homes due to the Coronavirus, the grim condition can be made less depressing if you start keeping yourself occupied throughout the day. Here are some dos and don’ts you should keep in mind while physically isolated from the world.

The Dos

Maintaining good hygiene including washing and sanitizing your hands with a private label hand sanitizer at regular intervals throughout the day is the key to keeping the virus away. You should make sure the sanitizer you buy is properly packaged. 

There are certain practices that play a huge part in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. These are made more important with lockdown being enforced by governments all over the world to help people in these adverse times. 

Work out

Many of us keep postponing working out because one thing or another comes up in our daily life. That can no longer be the case as being quarantined has given us ample time to do all the things we couldn’t do because ‘we didn’t have time’. Working out will take your mind off of your surroundings and for a little while, you will be able to focus solely on your own self.

Connect with family

We complain all the time about the lack of family time because of our busy schedule. It’s school or work or friends that take up most of our time. The lockdown has given you all the time in the world to spend with your family. Y’all can now make up for the lost time and reconnect to make a bunch of new memories.

Paint

Not all of us are very good at art. But who’s even judging? This can be the opportunity for you to finally use those brushes and paints that have been sitting in the back of your junk drawer. You’d be surprised at how painting can help lift your mood even if you are not the best at it.

Write handwritten thankyou notes to loved ones

Don’t you think this needs to make a comeback? With the advent of modern media, wishing our loved ones on important occasions has essentially lost its essence. Very few people put actual thought into the process now. Nothing compares to the joy one feels when reading a handwritten note or card.

Take this time to write little thank you notes to people who are important to you. Imagine the smile on your mum’s face, for instance, when you acknowledge all she did for you. Feels nice, right? Go on, write one to her right now. You can keep the letters with you and send them when the social distancing restrictions are eased or scan the letters and email them to your loved ones. 

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Cook

This is a skill that we have come to appreciate so much more after the restaurants closed and we have nowhere to eat. Take this time to learn how to cook healthy meals. There are countless cooking channels and websites that can show you whatever you want to cook. If you start learning it, there is no way you won’t emerge a better chef once things get back to normal. You might even be good enough to open your own food business. I mean, there’s no harm in dreaming big, right?

The Don’ts

There are some things that would have more harmful effects than positive ones. Make an effort to refrain from the following to ensure good health during the pandemic.

Increase your screen time

This is the worst thing you can do to yourself. We are already insanely immersed in our gadgets, and to increase screen time even more could prove deteriorating for our physical as well as mental health. The excessive use of these gadgets can not only harm your eyesight it can also make you lethargic and lazy.

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Listen to a lot of news

Being informed is one thing but subjecting yourself to the torture of the ‘breaking news’ hysteria is really harmful to your mental wellness. For this purpose rely only on credible resources like WHO, CDC and other trusted resources.

Think too much

Don’t think too much about what’s going to happen to the world post corona or whether or not the old lady you saw at the grocery store is keeping safe. It’s not your place. All you can do is hope for a better world when life is resumed and try to stay optimistic.

Believe in conspiracy theories

Aren’t these wild? From 5G to aliens introducing the virus into our world, conspiracy theories are insane. You know better than to believe them as these can cause unnecessary anxiety and stress adding to the discomfort that already prevails. 

Conclusion

It is safe to say that these are weird times. Don’t be too hard on yourself and allow yourself to feel every emotion. Don’t suppress them as that has the potential to cause other serious mental health issues. Be gentle and understanding to yourself and those around you. Finally, have faith that this is going to end soon and life will resume on the planet like before.