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Coronavirus and Social Isolation
Is a relative depressed?
Is money holding out or does the stock market swing create anxiety?
Do you know where to get subsidies?
Are family or neighbors nearby to lend support even from a distance?
Can the family get along under one roof with extra responsibility?
Are children needing to be home schooled and have a daily routine?
Are you able to home school your children and keep the household on a daily routine?
As we all face this pandemic, the possibility of a worldwide mental health crisis is making everyone vulnerable, many who were already at risk. How can we keep people engaged during this difficult time? We are already aware that our environment needs to be free from contamination, that family and friends need to be careful with social distancing and if you are sick, you must take the necessary precautions.
We need to understand from a mental health perspective that people are being forced to give up the purposeful roles and activities they created in life to be fulfilled such as jobs, family/social gatherings, dining out, movie theaters, gym visits, sports activities, volunteer work, graduations etc.
Many outside factors may be contributing to excessive stress, worries and anxiety:
Financial difficulties, closing of schools and shops, social distancing, milestones of life. How are you coping? How are you keeping from burning out?
It is extremely important to find your leisure identity so you can use distraction with satisfying alternatives. Certain individuals have a puritan work ethic meaning they must work before they play, which creates barriers in crisis. It’s important to keep stimulated and motivated, in order to keep depression at bay. Lets adopt healthy thinking in order to restore harmony in our lives.
Now is the time to think of leisure and new interests you might enjoy (and if you are not device savvy and cannot Face Time or play games interactively, you can take this time and learn a new skill. If you do not like these suggestions there are 14 or more categories of recreation listed below for you to adapt. Your goal is to derive intrinsic rewards from one or two of them. Experimenting on how to adapt these interests in the home could result in learning a new hobby or your family watching a show together as a ritual.) Please look at the list below and choose a few to try.
Having a support network is extremely important. If you need online counseling or help from a recreation advice specialist to generate ideas, let us know and we will provide it tailored to you (and your family). House Calls was designed to meet the needs of people who are socially isolated so don’t hesitate to take advantage of our expertise if you need it.
In the meantime here are the categories of recreation to prompt you to indulge:
Table games (Pie Face, Clue, Checkers, Monopoly, Mexican Dominoes, etc.
Fitness (weights, exercise videos, exercise equipment, etc.)
Dancing (interactive, family learning new styles, kids making up shows, etc.)
Music (entertaining family, watching or listening to concerts (Axis TV, YouTube, Echo etc.)
Art (drawing, paint by number, making holiday or birthday cards, collage, etc.)
Horticulture (create an indoor garden if possible or learn about the different trees, etc.)
Reading (all styles, different ways like Kindle, hardback, magazines, academic, etc.)
Sports (martial arts, indoor basketball, if indoor garage you can plan racquet ball, etc.)
Family Time (weekly Masked Singer show, etc.)
Drama (charades, mime, puppet show)
Travel (watch travel stations about different countries or plan your next trip together)
Hobbies (develop a new hobby, big family learn bridge, canasta, etc.)
Spiritual (time for prayer, church, synagogue stations)
Pets (if you have one enjoy and play time and if not maybe you want to look for one in the future online)
Volunteering (virtual volunteering is a huge need right now)
Non-traditional (re-arrange house, repairs, make-up experimenting, clean out closets, new hairstyle, Face Time support groups, or Face Time with friends).
