By: Lucy Connery, Associate Director, The Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo For the kids experiencing boredom, the parents going crazy, and the older adults feeling isolated (and everyone that feels a mix of all three), you are not alone. Here are some suggestions on activities to do under quara...

By: Lucy Connery, Associate Director, The Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo

For the kids experiencing boredom, the parents going crazy, and the older adults feeling isolated (and everyone that feels a mix of all three), you are not alone. Here are some suggestions on activities to do under quarantine/social distancing, and some resources that might help you get through this tough time:

-Reading books (for fun!)

-Organize your to-watch list on every app

-Co-stream movies with friends at your individual homes

-Organize your closet and donate old clothes

-Try keeping a quarantine diary – people who didn’t live through this will definitely be curious

-Do a tutorial on a new skill – sewing, teaching your dog to roll over, etc

– Keep your brain working: search for apps like Epic! (kids books and videos); Quizlet (flashcards & study tools); Khan Academy (for learning anything)

–Self care. Take one of those showers where you really take care of yourself (clean behind your ears, actually scrub your feet, etc.). Do a face mask! Have you ever carved out 20 minutes for mindfulness? It can be meditation, reflection, journaling, drawing – anything that helps you relax and have a quiet mind.

Resources:

www.withadair.com/live for FREE mindfulness workshops online

www.CreatingHealthyCommunities.org has plenty of videos and information on health

Quarantine vs. Isolation vs. Social Distancing

There is, of course, a lot of confusion, fear, and restlessness during this ever-changing time of the 

coronavirus crisis. Here is some helpful information that might help clarify things:

 Quarantine is used to separate/restrict the movement of healthy people who may have been exposed to coronavirus to see if they become ill. This can help limit spread of potential disease.

Isolation is used to separate ill people who already have a communicable disease from those who do not have it. Similar to hospitals separating TB patients from others.

Social Distancing is a set of actions that help to slow down or stop the spread of a communicable disease (online classes, event cancellations, etc.). KEEP IN MIND that when we say social distancing, we often mean physical distancing. Stay away from groups of people if you don’t know their exposures, but keep in touch with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to keep your social supports close during this difficult time.

Face Masks

Misconception Alert: wearing face masks does not fully protect you from contracting coronavirus; this use of personal protective equipment is best-used for individuals who already have the illness and want to avoid spreading it to others. Face masks alone do not protect healthy people completely because if an individual gets respiratory droplet residue on their hands, arms, or clothes, it does not prevent the droplets from entering the body through the eyes, nose or mouth.

For more resources or health/wellness information, please contact the Wellness Institute of Greater 

Buffalo at BeActive@City-Buffalo.org or call (716) 851-4052.