Jiselle Santos/ The Cougar
COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, is highly contagious and the U.S. has the most confirmed cases worldwide.
The U.S. has roughly 230,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and as of Wednesday, Harris County has nearly 850 cases.
I cannot stress this enough: stay isolated from as many people as possible. Self-quarantine is the easiest way to keep others safe.
Stay inside, wash your hands and take this seriously so we’re not stuck in quarantine for the next six months.
Seriously, do not go outside unless somebody’s dying (if you don’t have to).
While self-imposed isolation is the easiest way to keep communities safe, it can get tedious. To prevent cabin fever, you must find ways to keep yourself busy during the day and talk to other people.
What makes self-quarantine so scary is the lack of a definite end date. Long periods of isolation can seriously damage the mind. It is numbing and physically taxing. Isolation can lead to boredom, anxiety and irregular sleep patterns.
To combat this one should strive for structure. Having a routine will help you get back into the swing of things when the coronavirus goes away. You don’t have to write the next great American novel but having a dedicated time to do school work can help. Having a routine will keep your mind active and will also help ease the transition back to normal.
Alternatively, you can use FaceTime or other apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or Zoom to talk with friends and family. If that is not possible, find as many distractions as possible. I recommend drawing, working out or getting ahead in school work.
The Campus Recreation and Wellness Center is hosting remote workouts until (at least) April 3 on Instagram Live and Facebook, which is nice if you want to get totally toned. If you’d rather tap into your artistic side, Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube have several tips, challenges and tutorials to keep the creative juices flowing.
Times are scary, and the coronavirus will leave a great impact on the world, but for now, it is best to physically stay away from others and develop a routine to keep boredom at bay.
For more of The Cougar’s coronavirus coverage, click here.
Santiago Gaughan is not a coronavirus expert. Email him at [email protected].
