Social distancing disrupts the normal structure of our lives. A constant stream of worrying news from the outside world can make it more challenging. With these circumstances, it is easy to pour ourselves a drink, comfort food, or movies and have their way with us for a few days. To help you avoid these pitfalls and maintain a healthy lifestyle during social distancing is implemented, here’s what you can do:

1. Eat Well, Sleep Well, and Exercise

Social distancing recommendations from health authorities need to be respected. Even if we can’t do our normal routines, there are still some important things need to do. During these stressful times, self-care is vital. Make an effort to get enough sleep, nutrition, and exercise. To lessen your boredom, maintain a hobby, or have leisure activities. This may involve some creativity given the circumstances, but an overall healthy lifestyle is a foundation to cope up with all the challenges in life.

2. Stay Social

Social distancing doesn’t have to mean being disconnected. You can stay in touch with your family and friends virtually. There are lots of social media platforms where you can talk with them.

3. Manage Media Consumption

It is important to stay informed about current situations and health recommendations. However, too much consumption of pandemic coverage could become counterproductive might harm your mental health. To avoid becoming misinformation, it is recommended to focus on trusted sources. Limit as well the time you spend on social media or news. If possible, you can have at least 2 hours each day where you can check your social media.

4. Make Plans and Set Goals

Set out a simple goal that you’d like to accomplish and set a basic schedule for doing it. Be specific with what you want and make an effort to accomplish it.

5. Know Your Behavior Patterns

Every person has their own unique set of unhelpful behavior patterns that they sometimes act out during the time of stress. Some people might escape into a video game and others might reach for a glass of wine. You need to be honest with yourself. As what behaviors you always wanted to avoid and which one you have a propensity toward. Since the behavior of a person comes in patterns, some of these behaviors might be staying up late at night or going out more even before a pandemic. Tune into these so you can identify and address them in good time.

6. Build Accountability

Setting up some accountability in other areas of your life also works. If you’re planning to spend the next few weeks studying a new language, post it on social media. For other goals, it might be more helpful to enlist the people close to you. You can also ask the people close to you to keep an eye on your behavior and to come down on you when you fall out of line. Just knowing someone else is watching can go a long way to keeping you on track especially during these times where we need each other.