5 Ways to Remain Sane During Social Distancing

The world has seemed up turn upside down in an instant. It’s not just one city, state, or country–it’s the whole world.

Social distancing is our best defense against the virus–

But how do we, as social creatures, keep sane during this time? We aren’t even sure how long this will be in place! With kids running around the house, it’s easy to want to pull your hair out.

Find a project to work on

It can be anything. What have you wanted to work on but never did? Have you wanted to try something and pushed it aside? Well now is the best time to start because we’re not going anywhere! Dust off the guitar you have hidden away, pull out some art supplies from the kids’ stash, break out the flour and get baking! Another idea is to work on a section of your house (if you have the materials) and fix up that room that’s been driving you crazy.

Whatever it is, it’s important to keep yourself busy. Find passion in the little things, in the slow things that we’re far to busy to do in our every day. You might find that you never want to stop. Let your mind get lost in the process. Work with your hands.

The 100 Day Project is coming up in April and you can join anytime! I’d love to see what you come up with.

The Crafter’s Box is also my very favorite subscription service that I have subscribed to since the very beginning. I have no affiliate with either of them, I just love their desire to make creativity accessible.

Have greenery in your house

Plants and nature have a huge impact on our mood and anxiety levels. Social distancing can be extremely difficult and what’s happening outside our homes is a huge stressor. Plants can ease some of that tension, give you something to distract yourself with when you take care of it, and be something beautiful to look at.

Bring some plants in, even if it’s a basil plant from the grocery store, get some green in your home. Buy some seeds on Amazon or purchase a plant from one of the many online companies that offer delivery. I have slowly become a plant fanatic over the last couple of years, but I just purchased an indoor hydroponic garden to put in my kitchen. I want fresh herbs, want the greenery, and I don’t know how long everything is going to go on. I need the green and the tasty goods! From a homeschooling perspective, it’s also neat to see the life stages of a plant up close for the kids.

Simplify for #stayhome

Your house no longer needs to function as it has been!

Move furniture around to give yourself space and room for the kids to run around. Put away fancy things that were for decoration that can be broken. Store away all your excess dishes and cookware in the garage. You are no longer having people over, you’re not entertaining, you don’t need all this extra stuff to take care of and clean. If you have a family of four, only have four plates. It means fewer dishes piling up in the sink!

Schedule online hangouts

Mama, you need to socialize! Keep up with friends and family online or on the phone. Schedule weekly calls/video chats, etc to have adult conversations and to feel human. Just because social distancing doesn’t allow us to be physically close to loved ones doesn’t mean we can’t see their faces or hear their voices. We live in an age of technology. Let’s use it.

I am starting a weekly, online book club with my friends. We read a couple of chapters a week and talk about what happened. It gives us something to talk about, a distraction from what’s happening, and a taste of life.

Online baking club is another idea. This can tie in with your project I mentioned up above too! Friends post pictures of their baked goods online, talk about what challenges they had/are having, and what they’re working on for the upcoming week.

100 Day Project would be another great social topic to share with friends.

Stop looking up COVID-19 information

It is addicting, it is scary, it causes ANXIETY. Yes, it is important to know what is happening, but you don’t have to look every five minutes. Even typing this sentence is giving me the itch to look up if there is anything new posted. It. Is. Not. Healthy.

Pick a time to look up what is happening each day or every other day. Only check the news at that time. It will help you sooo much.

Social distancing is hard, but we can get through this.

Implement these tips into your every day and do your best to stay positive. If you are homeschooling (or have just been thrown into homeschooling), I am working on some tips for you in a future blog post as well as some fun resources to do with your kids as a family!

What are you doing to keep sane during these times? Any tips that I forgot? Let me know in the comments down below!