How the campusSIMS Team Stays Positive While Staying Home

As more and more cities, states, and countries encourage and mandate stay-at-home orders or shelter-in-place advisories, it’s becoming more critical than ever to prioritize your health – both physical and mental. Though we certainly want to maintain strong immune systems and practice good habits like healthy eating and exercising, it’s important that we focus on our mental health as well. There is a strong mind-body connection and stress can often impact our physical health. However, by trying to practice self-care and other habits that allow us to tap into what we emotionally need, we can do our best to stay mentally healthy.

In an effort to help inspire ideas and show solidarity among others practicing social distancing, the campusSIMS is sharing what we’re doing to stay positive and prioritize our mental health during this time:

Alec, Account Manager

One of the most helpful parts for me has been connecting with friends that no longer live in the Boston area. We have been playing Settlers of Catan, but over the computer. For my physical and mental health, I have been trying to get at least 30 minutes of cardio on the stationary bike or out for a run. I’ve also been reading more too. Currently about half way through Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything, which I highly recommend.

Angela, Channel Marketing Manager

I’ve been trying to wind down every night by reading, usually under a warm blanket. I just bought a Kindle so I’ve been borrowing “digitally” from my local library (currently reading Salt: A World History). Taking some time away from my phone helps me not overly stress out from news headlines. Staying active is another way I reduce stress, and my local gym is doing a virtual challenge, so I get texts every day from my trainer with workouts I can do at home. From a social standpoint, my friends and I are also scheduling game nights and group FaceTimes so that we can virtually re-create what would normally be our in-person hang-outs.

Chris, Sales Manager

For me and my wife, we have been trying to take advantage of my wife no longer having to commute to work. This means we have about two extra hours together each day which we use to make dinner and do home workouts in the morning.

Colin, Co-Founder

I’ve been doing a whole laundry list of things: Walking, running, cooking, at-home yoga and reading.

Victoria, Lead Customer Advocate

I love makeup. I think I missed my calling to become a makeup artist. When ever I’ve been feeling “blah,” I pull out all my makeup, which I love to look at it, and decide what colors to put on. I put on music and start. Makeup is magic. Once I’m done, I feel great!

Safety, Studying, and Self-Care While Social Distancing

During these uncertain times, one thing is incredibly certain: your health and safety must be top priority. Communities are listening to health authorities and making the best decisions they can to protect the health of those who inhabit their community to prevent the spread of COVID-19 — and that includes your university. It’s important that you, as students and community members yourselves, also listen to the advice and recommendations of authorities to keep yourself safe. While we certainly are no such authority regarding COVID-19, we do want to provide support to our own campusSIMS community during this stressful time. By now, you’re likely practicing social distancing and have transitioned to online classes, so we’re offering a few suggestions on what you can do while you’re staying at home:

Know the facts and protect yourself

The United States’ Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) can provide the most up-to-date and accurate guidance for protecting yourself and preventing the contraction of COVID-19. The most important things to know seem to be: wash your hands (often), and stay home and avoid close contact with others, especially if you are sick. Even if you are not sick, you could still contract the virus and pass it along to others, so we all need to do our part in keeping our community safe.

Resist the temptation to overdo it on eating and drinking

We know that being at home and in close proximity to snacks and drinks may invite the urge to indulge, but everyone should still try to maintain healthy habits as best as they can. Having a balanced diet is a great way to maintain a healthy immune system and stave off illnesses. However, it’s okay to have those less-than-healthy items in moderation, especially if a little indulgence provides some cheer.

Get some sleep

Another important healthy habit to preserve during this time is sleep. Even though you might be operating on an adjusted schedule with online classes (or even cancelled classes), you shouldn’t necessarily spend that time staying up late. Restful sleep allows your body to recover, and again, is a great way to boost your immune system. Avoid too many late nights, and try to limit screen time to ensure you’re getting all the rest you need.

Delineate between study space and hangout space

You might be living in limited space as you engage in social distancing, but it’s still a good idea to try to designate space for studying and doing work that’s separate from where you hangout. A great example of this is to avoid using your bed for doing work. Resist the temptation to stay in bed in your PJs and do homework. If you can, set up at a desk, or find a way to convert shared space (couches, chairs) into a more productive area. This allows you to better focus on your work and not fall behind in your course load.

Maintain structure to your day

Without the traditional commute to and from your dorm room to class, you might feel like all of the hours are blending together. We recommend creating some more structure to your day outside of class time, especially if you’re stuck in a dorm room or in limited space. Consider blocking off chunks of time for different things: an hour for lunch, an hour for studying or class prep, a half hour for self-care, etc. In doing this, you’ll break up the monotony of living and operating within a small space, and still maintain some productivity.

Subscribe to news alerts

Staying up-to-date with what’s going on in the news is important during this time period. Make sure you’re subscribed to a trustworthy news source both locally and nationally, and that you are receiving all important university emails and announcements. They will be able to relay the information you need to know to stay safe. However, you should remember that it’s okay if you need a little “break” from the news and updates sometimes. With so much information – and so much of it scary – you might want to designate a specific time to check on updates so that it doesn’t constantly feel like impending doom all the time. Preserving an optimistic outlook is not only good for self-care — it’s actually good for your health.

Practice self-care

Like we said, things are a little scary right now. As much as you need to focus on your physical health, and protect the physical health of others, you should not neglect your mental health. Uncertainty can breed anxiety, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed and nervous. Try to practice some self-care habits. There is plenty you can do while at home that allows you to focus on yourself. Meditation is a really great way to do this, whether guided through apps or by simply setting aside time to focus on your breathing. Other things you can do include: reading a book, having a cup of tea, doing yoga or a workout at-home, watching your favorite movie or TV show, calling or FaceTiming with a friend or family member. Do what you can to focus on yourself mentally and physically right now.