How to Deal with Social Distancing
I’ve had to deal with extreme isolation before before when a family member was very sick. It’s not quite the same thing as a pandemic, but I’ve still got some tips for how we can stay safe and still stay sane, so I’m coming back to this very-rarely-used-tumblr with them.
Keep in touch with people. Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean you can’t socialize with them. If you usually need in-person socializing, I strongly recommend using facetime or a skype group chat - it’s still not quite the same, but it’s more similar than texting or messaging. Texting, messaging, etc is also good in addition/instead of that, if that works better for you!
Do fun activities. There are a lot of games you can play online - a group of friends of mine and I often play +cards against humanity on Saturday nights (totally free), and I’ve spent countless hours on Steam with some friends (Don’t Starve Together, Terraria, and Borderlands 2 are all a lot of fun - Civ can also be great if you’re patient).
Comfort matters. If you can afford it - and I know a lot of people can’t! - don’t feel guilty about spending a little extra on something that will make you happy - maybe that’s a comfort food, or a game, or a six pack of your favorite beer. Whatever. If it’ll help your mental health and not break the bank, that matters.
Avoid the 24-hour news cycle. My personal rule for news consumption is this: if something isn’t giving me helpful new information, it shouldn’t be increasing my anxiety - my being too overwhelmed and upset to function doesn’t help anyone. My friends and I have a channel dedicated to the pandemic on our discord so people can avoid it if they need a breather.










