Social isolation is a state of complete or near-complete lack of contact between individuals and society. This is quite different from loneliness. Loneliness is a temporary and involuntary lack of contact with other humans in the world, or your circle.
As humans, our reactions to certain conditions vary. There are people who naturally like being alone, and for different reasons too. Some people like being alone just because they cannot deal with the “drama” of others, as it is commonly said. Another set of people like being alone, because they always seek peace and quiet. There is yet another group of people, whose being alone is not out of an ideal situation. Cases like this are mainly health related. That is, as a result of maybe depression, certain diseases and illnesses etc.
This brings us to the crux of the matter. The social isolation or social distancing the world is facing right now is as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. People have been asked to stay back at home to protect themselves and protect other as well. One thing this move hopes to achieve is to prevent further spread of the Corona Virus.
Isolating one’s self, even though it is the right thing to do, it can also be tiring and frustrating. A lot of people don’t know what to do with themselves are they are already going stare crazy. This has led to our coming up with a short list of things you can do throughout this period of mandatory social isolation. They will help you stay sane, busy and even productive.
How then do we thrive in isolation? By doing the following;
Do something you enjoy.
Everyone has that one thing that they enjoy doing. For instance, some people enjoy reading, watching movies, binging on your favourite TV shows and series, while others just like sleeping, trolling the virtual world etc.
All these activities can help you kill time without you chewing your head off.
Make up for lost time, by calling friends or family members.
One thing that has become a norm in the world right is what we know as the “money chase” or “securing the bag”. These phrases are responsible for almost all our business, restlessness, and disconnection from friends and family members.
For so long, we have hidden behind our hustles, work schedules, endless meetings, horrific hours in traffic etc as reasons or excuses not to keep in touch with people we should. That should stop now, because you have more time on your hands, and this time would be better spent making up for all the times we neglected our friends and family members. Pick up your phones and start to call. Mend friendships and other relationships.
Exercise or do physical activity
A lot of people attribute their inability to exercise to how busy they are, which means they do not have enough time to work out. The good news is now you have a whole lot of time on your hands to exercise. Use it wisely.
Do not forget that you do need to leave your house to get some exercise done. There are lots of indoor routines you can use.
Be mindful of negative chatter.
This is very pertinent if you want to thrive in this season of isolation. Be mindful of your social media intake. What I mean is this. There is an alarming amount of information on the internet about the corona virus. Unfortunately a great amount of this information is false and only seeks to breed fear in the hearts of people. You would be doing yourself a great deal of favour by avoiding such information.
There are designated institutions both medical and media, that would give you the correct information that you need to survive this virus. In addition, there are individuals in your circle who are great at peddling wrong news. They are also very good at alarming others with their nay saying; please avoid such persons this period. Isolate yourself from them too. It would interest you to know that you do not need that kind of negative energy. Protect your mind.
Learn a new skill.
Isolating yourself shouldn’t just end at Netflix-ing and chilling. You can spend this time learning new skills from the internet. Youtube and Google can help you achieve that.
There are countless skills you can learn on the internet, such as graphics design, video editing, photography, creative writing, makeup, sewing, shoe making, and a whole lot more.
Social isolation is not a death sentence, so let’s make the most out of it and thrive.