How to Thrive, Not Just Survive, While Social Distancing
March 18, 2020 Category: Pop Culture
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A lot of us find ourselves working remotely, practicing social distancing, and just generally staying home. There are a lot of activities that we might usually be doing during this time – like playing on sports teams, going to concerts, heading to the mall, or visiting our favourite restaurants – that we’re not able to partake in at the moment.
So if we can’t do what we’d normally do, what can we be doing instead?
That will depend on what area you’re in, what the government suggests or mandates, and what category we fall into, so let’s take a quick minute to highlight the differences between “social distancing,” “self-monitoring,” “self-quarantine,” and “self-isolation.”
Social Distancing
Social distancing is the biggest tool that we, as the general population, can be using in fighting the spread of COVID-19.
It means lessening opportunities for transmission within the community. This looks like avoiding large gatherings, using verbal greetings instead of shaking hands, keeping our distance from others’ personal space, and staying home if we’re feeling unwell. Limiting the time we spend in the grocery store or pharmacy, avoiding going out for meals, and skipping Happy Hour are all good examples of social distancing.
It’s important to note that social distancing doesn’t mean that we’re unable to attend to necessary errands or obligations, like getting groceries or visiting our doctor’s office if an urgent situation arises, but it does mean that we should be eliminating activities that are non-essential in our daily lives.
Self-Monitoring
If we’ve been asked to self-monitor, that means we should be checking our temperature and monitoring the development of any symptoms that could indicate a respiratory illness, like a cough, fever, or shortness of breath.
Self-monitoring is helpful in catching an illness earlier than we might otherwise do and allows for quicker intervention should we need it. It’s a useful tool if we haven’t been in close contact with anyone with a confirmed case of COVID-19, and can be practiced easily by both adults and children.
Self-Quarantine
This is where self-monitoring kicks it up a notch. The difference between self-monitoring and self-quarantine has some overlap, but the important distinction is that self-quarantine is practiced when we’ve knowingly been in contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19.
For example, if someone went to a concert and was in the general audience and it was later discovered that the performer was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, that person would want to self-monitor.
However, if someone had VIP passes to meet the performer after the show, that person would need to self-quarantine as there was close contact with a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus.
Quarantining means staying home and away from the general population as much as possible for a 14-day period. If the home is shared, designating one room or area for quarantine is suggested.
Self-Isolation
Although quarantine may sound more serious, self-isolation is actually the most rigid and significant step in this process.
https://www.execulink.ca/https://www.execulink.ca/blog/were-here-for-you-during-covid-19/” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>COVID-19 is required to prompt self-isolation and requires more safety precautions. Self-isolation may occur at home or in medical care. It includes the steps of self-quarantine but may also require medical personnel to take extra measures, such as wearing more protective gear, when treating diagnosed patients, necessitate the patient to wear of a face mask and gloves when leaving their designated in-home isolation area or travelling to and from medical appointments to decrease the risk of transmission, and severely limiting contact with those sharing the same home.
So…What Can I Do?
Whether you’re social distancing, self-monitoring, self-quarantining, or self-isolating, there is plenty to do in the time we’d usually be working or going to school!
Read A Book
Hear us out. How many of us say that we want to read more, or have a book on our nightstand that’s more for show than actual reading? Now is the perfect time to delve into a story.
Penguin Books UK shares its list of 100 Must Read Classics as told by its readers while The Guardian offers more modern suggestions in its 100 Best Books of the 21st Century list.
This can be done during social distancing, self-monitoring, self-quarantine, and self-isolation.
Movie Night
There’s probably a movie that’s been sitting in our To Watch List forever that we keep scrolling by, thinking “next time.” Make some popcorn, snuggle up under a cozy blanket, and press play! The New York Times has plenty of suggestions to get you started with its 50 Best Movies recommendation.
This can be done during social distancing, self-monitoring, self-quarantine, and self-isolation.
TV Time
We know how good quality time in front of the TV can be. It’s time to let the guilt of binge-watching go and allow ourselves to enjoy all that TV has to offer us! Whether we’re using streaming services like Netflix or customizable and personalized TV services like our Link TV, there are endless film and show opportunities to explore.
Did we mention that many of our channels are offering free previews to help our communities stay entertained and educated during this unique time? Link TV users currently have free access to National Geographic, Showcase, the Cooking Channel, the Food Network, Nickelodeon, Treehouse, Disney, and many more until April 30, 2020 and CP24 and CTV News Network until April 17, 2020!
This can be done during social distancing, self-monitoring, self-quarantine, and self-isolation.
Get Your Sports Fix
Even though our favourite sports channels are on hiatus, it doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy watching our favourite games! There are so many pivotal games that have happened in previous years, so why not brush up on our sports history and reacquaint ourselves with our favourite moments in sports?
Check out TSN’s broadcast schedule or Sportsnet’s broadcast schedule to tune in to historic sports games, top moments, bloopers, and more!
This can be done during social distancing, self-monitoring, self-quarantine, and self-isolation.
Visit A Museum
We don’t mean actually going to visit a museum, of course, but thanks to Google Arts & Culture, you can visit hundreds of museums around the world for free from the comfort of your home!
Take a virtual tour of New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, le Chateau de Versailles in France, Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, and countless others around the globe.
This can be done during social distancing, self-monitoring, self-quarantine, and self-isolation.
Tour A Zoo
It’s the next best thing to actually getting to see the world’s animals up close and personal!
Check out the Florida Aquarium’s “SEASPAN” daily Facebook Live, broadcasting at 10 AM EST, or the Cincinnati Zoo’s “Home Safari,” airing at 3 PM EST daily on Facebook Live.
This can be done during social distancing, self-monitoring, self-quarantine, and self-isolation.
Home Improvement
We’ve all got ideas for our home space, but we so rarely have the time to see these come to fruition. The coming weeks offer an opportunity to address some of the home projects we’ve been neglecting and feel a sense of productivity and pride in the outcome.
The DIY Network has plenty of suggestions to help us get started and Pinterest is sure to ignite that home improvement passion!
This can be done during social distancing and self-monitoring. If you are self-quarantining or self-isolating, it may be best to wait to tackle home improvement projects.
Learn An Instrument
Turn that decorative guitar into a functional one! Shift that ukulele that was given as a novelty gift into a practical present! With endless instructional videos and websites available to teach us how to master the instrument of our choosing, there’s no better time than now.
Joytunes has put together a blog highlighting 16 Resources for Learning an Instrument on Your Own to help the musical journey along.
This can be done during social distancing, self-monitoring, self-quarantine, and self-isolation.
Get Outside
That’s right. Just because we need to distance ourselves socially doesn’t mean we need to distance ourselves from Mother Nature. We can still enjoy a walk, a bike ride, or a hike, as long as we’re not travelling in large groups and maintaining a safe distance between us and others.
AllTrails has a database of more than 100k hiking trails to choose from and allows search by city, park, or trail name!
This can be done during social distancing and self-monitoring. If you are self-quarantining or self-isolating, please do not leave your home.
Break A Sweat
Groan. We know, we know. Exercising is the last thing you might want to think about right now. But we’ve got a lot of time on our hands to try that new workout plan and get our heartrates up, and regular exercise is directly correlated with an improved immune system!
We like Tone It Up, a free YouTube fitness channel offering a variety of workout styles for women, Blogilates, a free Pilates-focussed platform with videos, plans, and challenges, and Yoga with Adriene, a free YouTube channel that offers videos for all levels of yoga practitioners.
This can be done indoors and outdoors during social distancing and self-monitoring. If you are self-quarantining or self-isolating, please do not leave your home and practice only indoor exercise.
Keep the Learning Going
Even if the kids are excited about a break from school, there are many exciting, educational activities that can be done from the comfort and safety of home.
Nat Geo for Kids, Seussville, FunBrain, and Highlights Kids offer learning opportunities that are so much fun, the kids will forget they’re learning!
This can be done during social distancing, self-monitoring, self-quarantine, and self-isolation.
Nap, Journal, Be Kind
That’s right. Sleep a little more, reflect a little more, and cut ourselves a little slack. This is a time when we need to come together as a community without actually coming together physically, and that starts with being kind to ourselves, our neighbours, and our families. It’s time to rest, reflect, and do our best.
This can be done during social distancing, self-monitoring, self-quarantine, and self-isolation.
We hope that in the coming weeks, this list will help you maneuver the extra time you may have while stimulating your brain, your body, and your relationships with those around you in a safe, conscientious way.
While many of these activities can be done without technology, many of them require a strong Internet connection. If you think your modem may need updating or are interested in our Unlimited Internet Packages, call us at 1 (866) 706-2050 today.
