With the coronavirus pandemic making its way around the world, many countries, provinces, and cities throughout Canada have initiated “stay-at-home” or “shelter-in-place” orders for non-essential workers. Many people may wonder why they cannot go out and should stay home.
The thing with coronavirus is it is spread through human contact – primarily from breathing in air. So, if you are around infected people, you could also get infected. In many cases, people do not even know that they are infected since symptoms do not present themselves right away.
By staying home and away from others, it stops the spread of the virus. Eventually, if everyone does their part, the virus will gradually die out and the number of new cases reported daily will start to decline, as we have seen in South Korea.
This “flattening of the curve” as some people have called it, simply means we are slowing the progression of the virus and preventing its spread so it will die out.
Everyone still needs to take precautions even after restrictions are lifted and things gradually return to normal. The virus could return at any point in the future, but by then, hopefully, there will be a vaccination.
Tips to Avoid the Coronavirus “Stuck At Home” Blues
In the meantime, to pass the time away at home, here are some great tips to keep you busy and active:
1. Put jigsaw puzzles together. If you like puzzles, jigsaws can keep you occupied for hours as you put them together. You can order puzzles online and have them delivered to your home.
2. Learn how to cook. Many people do not know how to cook and prepare meals themselves. This is a great time to learn how to read a recipe and follow it to make meals at home.
3. Spring clean your home. Now is a great time to clean out closets, go through boxes, dust, and deep clean your home. Don’t forget to change your furnace air filter too!
4. Binge-watch your favorite program. Catch up on all those missed episodes of your favorite program.
5. Recommit to your New Year’s Resolution to exercise more. Exercise is a great way to alleviate stress, tension, and worry and help strengthen the immune system. You can jog around the block, walk up and down stairs, do sit-ups, crunches, and more. Just remember if you go outside to keep your distance from others.
6. Try a new hobby, arts, or crafts project. If you have been wanting to learn how to paint, sew, or learn how to play an instrument, now is a great time to get started.
7. Teach your kids how to cook, clean, or do other life skills. With your kids home from school, you have more one-on-one bonding time with them that can be put to good use teaching them new life skills.
If you are experiencing social anxiety withdrawal, boredom, or just need someone to talk to, help is available with distance counselling sessions by contacting Toronto individual and couples counsellor, Ellen Starr at 416-488-3102 today!
