Staying Healthy While Socially-Distancing

With the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring a pandemic in the wake of a global outbreak of the COVID-19, many countries have put in place social distancing measures designed to flatten the curve of the epidemic, reducing the strain on our healthcare system and saving lives.

However, social-distancing does have certain drawbacks. We are, after all, a social species and multiple studies have shown that reducing an individual’s ability to connect with others leads to increased anxiety, stress, and potential depression.

Since social-distancing is vital to help mitigate the impact of the current COVID-19 crisis and save lives, in this article, we’ll be looking at ways you can stay healthy while socially-distancing.

Why Do We Need to Socially-Distance?

We’ve already written about the importance of social-distancing and the life-saving effect reducing the sudden increase in COVID-19 cases can have. However, to sum up, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends social-distancing for all ages to help slow down the spread of COVID-19 and protect vulnerable individuals.

The CDC recommends that people stay at least 6 feet apart from others as maintaining social-distancing helps reduce your chances of catching the infection. 

This, in turn, stops the number of COVID-19 cases suddenly spiking, as we’ve seen in Italy, and overwhelming the healthcare infrastructure, leading to more deaths.

Social-Distancing Not Social-Isolation

Sudden changes in routine and a lack of contact with others can have a deleterious effect on your mental and physical health. This is especially true of older people, those who are already physically or mentally ill or are otherwise vulnerable.

There are, however, ways that you can combat the negative effects of social-distancing and we’ve put together some tips on how you can stay happy and healthy while still helping to fight the outbreak.

Set Yourself a Routine

Most of already have a daily routine and its sudden disruption can cause our stress levels to flair. If you’ve been asked to work from home because of social-distancing, try to maintain your routine.

Get up as you normally would for work, eat at the same time, dress for work as you normally would and generally treat the day as a normal workday. 

Since you’ll probably have a little extra time on your hands, add physical exercise, mindfulness, and relaxation exercises to your day. All of these have been proven to help combat stress and anxiety.

Stay Connected Digitally

Thankfully, we live in a time where staying connected is easier than ever. There are a huge range of video and voice messaging apps available for you to keep in touch with your friends and family.

You can also use digital socializing to check in on vulnerable friends and family and make sure they are staying connected during these difficult times. 

There is also the option to organize group meetings online, such as a virtual cocktail hour, and even use that time to play games or run pub quizzes for your friends. Using new forms of socialization is key to staying healthy during social-distancing

Get Creative

One of the benefits of social-distancing is that you might have some more spare time on your hands, it can be easy to let that time slip through your hands while you scroll through the Netflix menu. 

Instead, try something new. Learn a new skill or even a language. Did you know that Northwest offers free English lessons to Spanish speaking students and even their families?

Multiple studies have shown that the act of learning or creation can help to offset the negative aspects of being socially isolated.

Take a Break from the News

The cyclical nature of the current 24-hour news cycle means that the current COVID-19 crisis is dominating news cycles and it can be hard to get away from it and relax for even a moment.

Give yourself permission to turn off the TV, log out of social media, and ignore the news for a while. If you are looking for updates on COVID-19, the best place to get your news if from the WHO or the CDC.

Both organizations have regularly updated advice and information on the outbreak and there are links to their websites below:

World Health Organization

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Qualifying For Your Future

Gaining a qualification from our Criminal Justice School puts you in an excellent position to access a variety of employment opportunities as you look for one that suits your skills and interests. At Northwest Career College, our Criminal Justice instructors include licensed, practicing attorneys and degree instructors able to teach, not only the law but also to guide our students in the many ways a criminal justice graduate integrates into a Las Vegas legal profession.

As part of our Criminal Justice Program, you’ll visit courts, jails, meditation centers and more to experience first-hand the law in action which will make your criminal justice training applicable to the Las Vegas legal system. Northwest offers a flexible blended program with all criminal justice classes Las Vegas law classes taught on campus by an attorney and general education courses offered online. Our experienced instructors are on-campus to review and support your learning experience at all times. 

Call us at (702) 403-1592 to speak to one of our enrollment team about joining our Criminal Justice Program today!