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7 Tips for Staying Connected and Sane During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Modified on March 19, 2021 at 2:05 PM

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7 Tips for Staying Connected and Sane During the COVID-19 Pandemic

There’s no skirting around the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a huge toll on our collective mental and emotional health. In the interest of practicing social distancing and minimizing our exposure—as well that of others—to disease, we now go out less and spend less quality time with each other. Our routines of celebrating life’s big milestones, like a friend getting married or a family member welcoming a new child, have also been upended. And lastly, we may have stopped doing the things we enjoy for ourselves, like partaking in our favorite hobbies. Though we are definitely better protected from getting sick, we may be feeling lonely, isolated, depressed, or stuck in a rut. It’s also likely that all of us are feeling extra disconnected and out of touch with the people who are dearest to us. 

What are some things that you can do to strike a balance? It can be hard to maintain your health and also think about nourishing your emotional and mental health? Perhaps it’s time to take inspiration from these seven tips to help with staying connected during covid. 

Show Your Love by Sending Extra Thoughtful Care Packages

There may be no substitute for quality time with your loved ones, but you can still demonstrate thoughtfulness and affection by sending over care packages that they’ll appreciate. You can even curate and personalize these packages specifically for their recipients. 

For example, for the practical guys in your life, you can mail a stash of masks, a pair of men’s antimicrobial socks, and other items that they’ll find extra useful when they’re going about their day. For your best girl friends that you can’t meet up with for your usual movie night, send care packages of snacks that you can all enjoy together while you each tune into Netflix. For the time being, you’ll be able to express how much they mean to you, and they can enjoy something that reminds them of you. 

Limit Your Use of Social Media

It’s good to remain social and to stay in touch with the world during this pandemic via the use of technology. But ironically enough, popular social media sites may be the worst place to do this. The most obvious danger is fake news. Whether due to their biases or an overly-trusting nature, some people are particularly vulnerable to believing in and also spreading harmful fake news. Contesting fake news, as well as having heated political discussions on social media, may set you on edge and potentially compromise your relationships with others. 

To stay in control of your emotions and keep a rational mind when on social media, try to limit your use to only a few minutes a day. Engage your family and friends on your Instagram account rather than on Facebook if you can help it. If you cannot avoid social media, try to limit your feed to show you only content from a small and trusted group of people. Lastly, avoid getting into situations that are sure to drain you emotionally, like arguments with strangers or interactions with people that may express themselves better through one-on-one conversation. 

Focus on People That Give You Strength

If you enjoy working in close proximity to others, you may find it difficult to cope with feelings of anxiety and depression. This may hold true especially if you are in an area under lockdown. In these times, it’s usually best to make sure you surround yourself—albeit virtually—with the right people. 

Who are the right people? It really depends on you. A good rule of thumb is to not waste positive emotional energy on people who won’t return it, as this will be increasingly hard for you to recover. Focus on the friends and family you’re most comfortable with, and try to hit them up through your favorite apps when you have the time.

Have a Virtual Consultation with Your Therapist

While virtual meetups with friends and close family members are great, it may be important to be able to talk to someone who is specifically trained in how to help people in times of crisis. If you’re not feeling emotionally well, see if you can get in touch with a therapist or psychiatrist. They’ll be able to help you work through strategies to become more aware of your thoughts and manage your emotions in the healthiest possible manner. It can be really difficult to prioritize staying connected during covid, but you need to for your mental health.

Take Online Exercise Classes 

Exercise is important for maintaining good mental health as well as a robust immune system. Unfortunately, going out for a walk or a run outside may be out of the question, especially if you live in a densely populated area. 

While gyms and yoga studios throughout the world are still closed, many are offering virtual classes. These classes are the perfect way to get yourself moving within the confined spaces of your home. These classes can also be a great way to meet new friends, and that’s always good regardless of whether there’s a pandemic. Virtual classes are a great way to start staying connected during covid.

Practice Gratitude

Having an attitude of gratitude keeps us from dwelling on things we cannot control. It also helps us to stay positive, but grounded. Unfortunately, not everyone is naturally grateful.

Believe it or not, gratitude is something that has to be actively practiced. And it is almost certainly one of the most important survival skills one can have in an extended crisis. Taking a few minutes a day to actively—rather than mindlessly—practice gratitude won’t only help your mental health during the pandemic. It will also help keep you grounded and happy for the rest of your life.

What can we be grateful for? Despite the seriousness of the pandemic, there are probably things for which you can be grateful. The continued health of most of your friends and family, the high COVID-19 recovery rates, and the availability of technology that helps us with staying connected during covid, even though we’re apart, are just a few of the things most of us can appreciate.

Change Up Your Entertainment

Your options for social interaction are not as limited as you might think. There are a lot of virtual entertainment options that are extremely gratifying to partake in and allow for socialization. While heading to large social gatherings and doing certain kinds of activities may be out of the question, there may be an online counterpart for something you’re interested in. 

If you don’t already play online video games with other people, maybe it’s time to try it out. If you know how to play a musical instrument, you can hone your skills by watching online tutorials or by starting a virtual band. You can do book and movie reviews with groups of like-minded people. You can even have virtual dinner parties if you want to. The possibilities are endless and are only growing by the minute. 

If you need less screen time, head outdoors and check out these tips on how to have a covid-safe summer.

The COVID-19 pandemic may not just be the biggest public health crisis of our times. It will almost certainly be a cause for the most widespread outbreak of anxiety and other mental health issues as well. Thankfully, we’re better equipped than previous generations to handle such a serious pandemic. Hopefully, these tips will help you find the mental strength to get through this difficult time and know how to start staying connected during covid. Just remember—we will get through this! 

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Posted By The Fashionable Housewife
on March 19, 2021 at 2:04 PM
Filed Under: Health & Fitness, Home Life
Tagged With: care packages, covid, covid-19, Health, health tips, Healthy

About The Fashionable Housewife

Sarah-Jean Ballard is the Editor in Chief of The Fashionable Housewife blog and Founder of Fashionable Media. Married to a sexy Molecular Biologist, housewife, mom to 5, homeschooler, Certified Personal Nutritionist and entrepreneur who's mission is to help moms just like you look and feel GREAT! Other interests include dancing, yoga, positive intactivism, natural birth and breastfeeding support, babywearing, paleo & gluten-free cooking, and promoting an overall healthy lifestyle to all.

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The Fashionable Housewife is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for blogs and websites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We also participate in various other affiliate programs, and we sometimes get a commission on purchases made through our links. There is no extra cost to you! For more info, please see our Disclosure & Privacy Policy.

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Sarah-Jean Ballard

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You do not find a happy life. You make it. 

That’s the biggest lesson that grief has taught me. If I just wait around to be happy again, I’ll die sad. 

You don’t get through grief and come out the other side. That’s not how it works. You learn how to grow around it like a tree grows around a rock that’s in the way. You don’t wait for the rock to move. Cause it’s not gonna. 

Choose happy. And then make it happen. 

#choosehappy #joyinthejourney #griefjourney #healingfromtrauma
8 billion smiles in the world, but his is my favor 8 billion smiles in the world, but his is my favorite. 

Happy Valentine’s Day, @daeinexplains 🥰

The last 20 years with you have been my favorite years on this earth. ❤️ 

If I did anything right in my life, it was when I decided to give my heart to you.  You are my best friend, my soul mate, my better half, my rock, my everything. 

I love you.

#couplegoals #marriedlife #motherhoodthroughinstagram #weddingday #marriagegoals #yourestilltheone
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This little guy always asks to help when he sees me cleaning the house, washing the floors, doing laundry, or emptying the dishwasher. That’s what I love about Montessori parenting - it allows kids to do  big jobs and in turn makes them eager to help! 

He was over the moon when we gave him the @lovevery floor mop that actually works! He uses it daily now. The mopping pad is machine washable and you can refill the fluid container on it. I usually just do water and a drop of essential oils because he loves it when everything smells clean! 😜 

Definitely recommend! If you want to grab this mop for your little helper, it’s in the Storyteller Play Kit from Lovevery for 3 year olds. 

LlNK is in my bio to get FREE shipping! 💃🏼

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Stop trying to fit your square self in a round hol Stop trying to fit your square self in a round hole. 

Sometimes we outgrown relationships. Sometimes we realize someone else isn’t a good influence on our lives. Sometimes we realize we aren’t a good influence for someone else. Sometimes we need to let things go that aren’t good for us in order to grow. And that’s ok. 

Stop trying to sit at a table you are no longer welcome at. Just be yourself, focus on God, love your family and friends, and the right people will gravitate to you. ✌🏻 

#raisingsaints #momlife #motherhoodunplugged #selflovejourney #growingpains #selfcaresunday
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The “Steffi” in green are the perfect boots for ushering in spring weather with their delicious vintage leather and worn-in look right out of the box. I love the chunky lug soles and inside zippers to get them on and off easily. 

These are the boots you’ll want to wear again and again. And again. 

Use my coupon code BALLARD20 to get 20% off your order! Find them on www.enjoiya.com

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Guess it’s ok to be a crazy chicken lady and have a homestead now! 🤣

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You do not find a happy life. You make it. 

That’s the biggest lesson that grief has taught me. If I just wait around to be happy again, I’ll die sad. 

You don’t get through grief and come out the other side. That’s not how it works. You learn how to grow around it like a tree grows around a rock that’s in the way. You don’t wait for the rock to move. Cause it’s not gonna. 

Choose happy. And then make it happen. 

#choosehappy #joyinthejourney #griefjourney #healingfromtrauma
8 billion smiles in the world, but his is my favor 8 billion smiles in the world, but his is my favorite. 

Happy Valentine’s Day, @daeinexplains 🥰

The last 20 years with you have been my favorite years on this earth. ❤️ 

If I did anything right in my life, it was when I decided to give my heart to you.  You are my best friend, my soul mate, my better half, my rock, my everything. 

I love you.

#couplegoals #marriedlife #motherhoodthroughinstagram #weddingday #marriagegoals #yourestilltheone
Kids love helping if you just let them!💁🏼‍ Kids love helping if you just let them!💁🏼‍♀️

This little guy always asks to help when he sees me cleaning the house, washing the floors, doing laundry, or emptying the dishwasher. That’s what I love about Montessori parenting - it allows kids to do  big jobs and in turn makes them eager to help! 

He was over the moon when we gave him the @lovevery floor mop that actually works! He uses it daily now. The mopping pad is machine washable and you can refill the fluid container on it. I usually just do water and a drop of essential oils because he loves it when everything smells clean! 😜 

Definitely recommend! If you want to grab this mop for your little helper, it’s in the Storyteller Play Kit from Lovevery for 3 year olds. 

LlNK is in my bio to get FREE shipping! 💃🏼

#lovevery #loveverytoddler #loveverypartner #montessoriathome #montessoriplayroom #montessoritoddler
Stop trying to fit your square self in a round hol Stop trying to fit your square self in a round hole. 

Sometimes we outgrown relationships. Sometimes we realize someone else isn’t a good influence on our lives. Sometimes we realize we aren’t a good influence for someone else. Sometimes we need to let things go that aren’t good for us in order to grow. And that’s ok. 

Stop trying to sit at a table you are no longer welcome at. Just be yourself, focus on God, love your family and friends, and the right people will gravitate to you. ✌🏻 

#raisingsaints #momlife #motherhoodunplugged #selflovejourney #growingpains #selfcaresunday
When your toaster breaks from a power surge you ta When your toaster breaks from a power surge you take that as a sign that it’s time to upgrade! 🤪

It wasn’t hard to pick a new 4 slice toaster. As soon as I saw this one from @haden_usa I added it to my cart. I bought it from @lordandtaylor because it had the fastest shipping and I didn’t want to wait! 

No fancy electronics, screens, or extra features we don’t need. Just simple, straight forward functions and perfect results everytime. Plus it matches all my @cafeappliances too! 😂👍🏻

What do you think of this 4 slice toaster?! 

#toasters #kitchenappliances #kitchendesign #kitchendecor #whitekitchen #farmhousekitchen #farmhousestyle #whiteappliances
I’m obsessed with these leather booties from @en I’m obsessed with these leather booties from @enjoiya! 💃🏼 

The “Steffi” in green are the perfect boots for ushering in spring weather with their delicious vintage leather and worn-in look right out of the box. I love the chunky lug soles and inside zippers to get them on and off easily. 

These are the boots you’ll want to wear again and again. And again. 

Use my coupon code BALLARD20 to get 20% off your order! Find them on www.enjoiya.com

#leatherbooties #enjoiya #italianshoes #realmomstyle #momstyle #momstyletips
All the poop shoveling doesn’t seem so bad with All the poop shoveling doesn’t seem so bad with the prices of eggs right now! 🤪 🐔 🥚 

Guess it’s ok to be a crazy chicken lady and have a homestead now! 🤣

#momlife #crazychickenlady #homesteadlife
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