Covid-19: How to Stay Productive and Safe

No one could anticipate the effect that Covid-19 would have on everyone’s lives. The numbers seem to be rising everyday and the date that quarantine keeps getting pushed back further and further. The number of cases began to rise on March 14th with 662 cases. Throughout the month of March cases rose to 25,305. That is a 24,643 increase in the number of cases in 17 days. The number of cases has risen and lowered throughout the month of April but ultimately ended in 29,674. That is still a 4,369 increase from the month of march. Even Though the United States has been in quarantine since the month of March, the number of cases is still on the rise. Currently, there are 1,297,826 cases in the United States. The number of people who have recovered is 176,110, and the number of deaths is 77,043 people. To keep updated on live statistics, current news, testing, prevention, and symptoms you can visit this site: www.google.com.  

This is an unprecedented time in the world, most countries have been ordered by their government to quarantine themselves in their homes. In the effort to stop the spread of covid-19, people have been asked to stay in their homes and only leave for essential trips. This means that a majority of people are working from home, students are taking classes from home, parents are teaching their kids from home, and people are trying to to make this stay-at-home order as normal as possible. It is easy to fall into a slump, watching television all day, not showering, ‘forgetting’ to workout, and eating every snack you bought in the pantry. These all sound tempting however, after a few days of this you may not feel like the happiest, healthiest person. It is okay to have a lazy day every once in a while but sticking to a schedule can help you keep track of your time and help stabilize your life when time feels like it does not exist anymore. Here are five tips to keep you sane during the lockdown. It is important to make yourself a schedule, but keep it flexible! Know what works for yourself, if you’re a morning person schedule all of your important work duties in the morning. Do not overload yourself with tasks, spread them out throughout the day, it is okay to take a break! Schedule breaks for yourself to work out, do leisure activities, learn a new skill, the possibilities are endless. Make sure that your tasks are being taken care of, make a to-do list in the morning when you wake up and make sure everything is checked off by the end of the day.  To learn more tips about staying productive in quarantine you can visit these websites: www.wmar2news.com and www.forbes.com. 

The most important tip is to make sure your mental and emotional well-being is taken care of.  Humans are social beings, even the most introverted people desire connection with other people. Being in quarantine for so long can have profound effects on the human brain. According to the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre this can increase anxiety, depression and the feeling of hopelessness. To combat these feelings you have to be able to identify them. Symptoms of distress may include: changes in sleep and eating patterns, worrying about your health, and increased use of drugs and alcohol. If you feel yourself experiencing any of these symptoms there are things that you can do yourself or you may benefit from talking to a professional. Some things that you can do for yourself are as mentioned before, create a set schedule for yourself, take care of your body nutritionally and physically, stay connected with friends and family, and try in any way to help others. Being in quarantine can take a toll on your mental health, make sure to keep up connections with friends and family to make sure everyone is doing well. Michael Friedman, associate professor at Columbia School of Social Work in New York says, “Stay in contact with people — virtually — engage in activities that give you pleasure and a sense of meaning, and do what you can to help others, which is a remarkable antidote to depression”. The most important thing to do is just try to take things one day at a time and know that this will end one day and we can try to get our normal lives back on track. For more information on mental health you can visit this website: www.cnbc.com.