11 Tips on How To Stay Sane During Social Distancing

First and foremost, the only reason I’m writing this is because one, it’s helping maintain my sanity and two, because we started social distancing a little before it was goverment-mandated, so I feel obliged to share my tips.

Also, this probably won’t apply to parents with older children, I’m talking middle school or high school. My children are 5 and under so I’m still able to be creative with less. Plus, I don’t have much experience with older children so I’m not sure what one would do to keep them entertained. Just being honest.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t struggling with a little boredom.

But it’s of the utmost importance we stay healthy for our children, and I’m talking mentally. The moment we start to crumble, our children will not only see it, but embrace that kind of mentality. Of course, I’d love for our lives to go back to normal, but I don’t see that happening soon (I’m a realist, not pessimist).

I live by the motto when life gives you lemons, make lemonade so I am doing my best to keep our daily life light-hearted, unpredictable (because predictable becomes boring real quick), and tantrum-free. Again, doing my best being the operative words here because tantrum-free ain’t happening anytime soon.

Tips for Maintaining Your Sanity While Practicing Social Distancing

1. Pinterest is your friend – Seriously, if you haven’t already jump on the Pinterest bandwagon. It’s filled with everything from arts & crafts, DIYs, recipes and so much more. There are even printouts and worksheets for homeschooling.
2. Stay active – Whether it’s a daily walk or playing in the yard. Whatever it is, get outside to get some vitamin D. Your soul needs it, it improves your mood and boosts overall brain function.
3. Get your kids in the kitchen – There’s no way to drag out a day than cooking with your kids. What will take you 5 minutes, will take your child 15 minutes to complete. It’s like watching paint dry and the mess that occurs along the way, can definitely take some time. I’m kidding of course, bonus because this is actually a nice bonding experience.
4. Bust out the board games, if you have some – Depending on your how old your children are board games can be a lot of fun. Growing up, my family used to have family game nights on the weekends and it was a highlight of my childhood.
5. Start watching or reading the classics – The Wizard of Oz. Mary Poppins. The Sound of Music. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very appreciative that Disney + released Frozen 2 early, but if I have to watch that movie one more time, I’m gonna lose my mind.
6. YouTube some yoga classes – We forget but YouTube literally has everything and more. You can easily find a yoga class for you or for your children. Or even dance classes. It’s something fun and different. Plus, I’m sure your kids would love to do this together.
7. Self-care – There’s no better time to start doing all those little things you’ve always to do than now. Whether it’s a weekly sugar scrub or reading a book a month. A new podcast. Organizing your closet.  Find something that YOU want to do and make it happen.
8. Limit the time you spend on social media – Look, there’s a lot of information out there. A little too much if you ask me. And it’s the only thing being discussed. I’m not saying to not stay up to date, but maybe limit yourself to a designated time in the morning or afternoon. Whatever works for you, but don’t spend your entire day, reading and reading and reading. It bares a lot of weight on your mental state.
9. Create a bucket list or set some goals – Right now, whether it’s for you, your children, your partner. You’re spending an enormous time at home so let’s be productive and set some goals.
10. Don’t forget so stay in touch with family and friends – Just because you can’t see them, doesn’t mean you can’t see them. Hello, FaceTime. If there was ever a more convenient and healthy way to stay in touch, it’s this right here.
11. Change your mindset – We can’t control this situation at all, but we can change the way we view this and react. How can you make this experience positive rather than negative for yourself and family?

This isn’t permanent.

Eventually, life will return. I’m not sure if it will ever be the same because this is a pretty challenging time to be living through, but the sooner we accept it and start practicing social distancing and focusing on what we can control, the less extreme this situation is.

I’m not trying to downplay this by any means, because without sounding like a total paranoid person, I saw this coming.

Back in January, when the media really started focusing their attention on the coronavirus, I had this pit in my stomach and knew it would greatly affect our country. And because of this, I think that’s why I’m not experiencing anxiety like a lot of people currently are. I see it for what it is (which is horrendous), but I’m also trying to find the silver lining in all of this. I’m trying to maintain my sanity for myself and my family. I’m trying to stay positive and find balance in our life. Is it easy, no? But as parents, it’s our responsibility to put on a happy face and stay strong for our families because our children are looking to us.