With the weather turning warmer and spring ready to be sprung, no doubt we will all become a little more stir-crazy than we were during the winter weeks of self-isolation.
Thankfully, self-isolation doesn’t mean you have to sit in your house behind lock and key, unable to enjoy the nice weather. There are tons of things you can do outside that will not expose yourself, your family, or your neighbours to the potential dangers of the COVID-19 virus.
One of my own biggest personal concerns about the need to self-isolate is how it’s going to affect those who are at risk for depression - or who already suffer from depression – most especially in those who live alone or are a single parent to small children. I know from personal experience how long-term isolation affects my mental health, but some studies are showing that isolation affects your brain even further than “simply” suffering from depression – and not only in adults, but in children as well.
How Isolation Can Have a Negative Impact on Your Physical and Mental Health
According to a study conducted by professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University, Julianne Holt-Lunstad, PhD, isolation heightens the risk of one’s physical health just as much as smoking 15 cigarettes per day and can be twice as harmful to one’s physical and mental health as obesity.[1] "There is robust evidence that social isolation and loneliness significantly increase risk for premature mortality, and the magnitude of the risk exceeds that of many leading health indicators," Holt-Lunstad says.
Hawkley, co-author of Lonliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors for Mortality, points to evidence linking social isolation with adverse health consequences including depression, poor sleep quality, impaired executive function, accelerated cognitive decline, poor cardiovascular function and impaired immunity at every stage of life.
On the flip side, being indoors for the majority of your days can also impact your physical health. In fact, experiencing the outdoors can actually help the immune system – which is something I’m sure we are all looking to do at this point in history. In addition to the absorption of Vitamin D that we all know humans require for a healthy mind and body, being outside can also:
Be good for vision: research shows that children who spend more time outdoors than indoors are less likely to develop near-nearsightedness
Mitigate pain: studies suggest surgery patients who spent a large amount of time outdoors reported less stress and marginally less pain, allowing them to decrease their amount of pain medication
Boost your immune system: the air outside is filled with phytoncides – an airborne chemical produced by plants – which has been shown to increase white blood cells which in turn protect your body from infection and illness.
Offer “free aromatherapy": research shows that natural scents like roses, freshly cut grass, and pine make you feel calmer and more relaxed.
Helps with SAD (seasonal affective disorder) – something I am sure we are all suffering from at this point.[2]
Being outside can have so many benefits to your mind, body and soul, but as we are in the midst of a global crisis, we are all being urged to self-isolate in an attempt to slow down the transmission of this highly contagious virus. But it doesn’t mean we have to stay indoors! It just means we have to be careful who we come into contact with and to practice “physical distancing” (ie: avoiding crowded places, no physical contact with people outside of our home, limiting contact with the high-risk population and keeping a distance of at least 2 arm’s length from others).
All that said, I know that a large part of being outside, for both myself and my child, means interacting with people; friends and neighbours. As an only child, my son struggles with playing outside alone and generally only plays outside when there are other kids to play with.
But this is where families are given an opportunity to re-connect and re-group. And it also doesn’t mean we can’t talk to our neighbours at all or that kids can’t play together at all. But how can we do so without risking our health?
13 Things You Can Do Outdoors While in Isolation
TAKE A DRIVE TO THE BOG OR HIKING TRAIL
I always loved going to the bog near my home when I was a kid, but my son isn’t the type to stop and smell the flowers, so I have never taken him as I am sure he would have found it too “boring.” But now that he’s been stuck in the house for the last 2 weeks, I think the bog would be something of interest to him and he would certainly enjoy simply being out in the sunshine. Hiking, traveling the bog path, or simply walking through a forest would not only allow people to experience nature, but it gives families an opportunity to reconnect, to chat, and maybe, in the case of the bog, be an educational experience for the children.
GO FOR A BIKE RIDE
We live in a new complex and so it’s only this year that we will be able to travel along the newly laid paths around our community and discover some areas that we hadn’t known existed before. I’m also a “destination” person – I can’t simply go for a bike ride with nowhere to go – I need a destination, something to see or experience. So find somewhere close to you, like a cool pond or interesting structure - for example, my husband and my son recently discovered a round house – yes! A round house - that I wouldn’t mind biking to gawk at.
GET THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR HOME SPRING-READY
As the snow starts to melt, I know I have some Christmas decorations I need to take down, and I have my small garden that I would like to clean up in preparation for the annuals to begin their re-birth. Garbage will need to be picked up that was blown around the neighbourhood and buried underneath the snow, the garage will need to be re-organized and cleaned, and the backyard prepped for spring. As the snow melts, the streets, lawns and driveways look dirtier, so getting all these places neat and tidy can give you some physical exercise and re-energize your mind, as well!
STAR GAZE
Last night, we read that the space station would be flying above us and we would have the opportunity to see it. We watched the clock and at 8:10, we set up the telescope and waited until 8:12 when we saw what looked like a very fast moving star glide across the sky. It took about 3 or 4 minutes to glide out of view upon which time we continued to look at the stars through the telescope and when a plane flew overhead, we checked that out, too! It was cold and dark, so we didn’t stay out long but we stayed long enough for it to boost our spirits and my son was so excited that he got to experience something like that (which we probably wouldn’t have had time to do before because of hockey, work, social engagements and so forth).
FLY A KITE
I don’t know about you guys, but it’s been years since I have flown a kite and I am not sure my son has ever done it, to be honest. We have three unwrapped kites currently sitting in our basement that we have never had time to open. The best part about this is, even if your children don’t live at home with you or your family is far away, you can do this on your own. Imagine the wind in your hair as you run with your kite trailing behind as it takes flight, the sensation of looking into a clear, blue sky after months of overcast and feeling the sun on your face. Where did I put those kites?!
CHECK OUT SOME HOUSES
When I was a kid, my dad would often take us for a drive just to look at big houses and I will say, if I come across a street filled with giant houses, I have done the same with my son. There’s a street east of Orleans, towards Cumberland, called King Arthur. After attending Light At Night at the Heritage Museum, I cut into the community and we crawled along looking at the ridiculously (and unnecessarily) large houses. My son was just as excited as I used to get when I was a kid and I told him about Rockcliff Park with all the Embassy houses. I promised him I would take him there one day. If it’s warm enough, roll down your windows and stick your heads out (well, not you Mr. Driver) and gaze at the unique homes we have right in the heart of our city.
TAKE SOME OF YOUR INDOOR ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE
Grab some board games, some art tools (like paint and canvas), pack a lunch or some snacks and scour your neighbourhood looking for a nice (and dry) area with grass and sun to play a board game, paint a picture and have some lunch! But please – LEAVE THE TABLETS AT HOME.
BE A FILM-MAKER FOR A DAY
My son (and shamefully, I) have a slight obsession with this app called TikTok. It’s filled with 15 to 60 second videos made by regular people – some of them are quite funny, there are loads of animals videos, and some inspirational ones. I took a video a little while ago of my son doing some stick handling and after watching it over and over a few dozen times, I decided to upload it to TikTok. It only got about 145 views, but my son loved the idea of having videos of himself (though I make sure not to put his face in the videos) online for the world to see. We have since done a few more videos: one of them is of our new puppy using my son’s back as a ramp to get off the couch – it’s so far received over 5,000 views and 110 “likes” – which just tickles my son’s ego.
But you don’t have to make funny or stupid short videos to post online, you can just get your camera and take some videos of your kids playing, or of nature itself, and create a mini-video to look back on later.
Or you could take it one step further and get your kids to write out a script, practice it, and then film it. There are a lot of super easy editing programs out there you can use to make it look and feel like a real movie. And it could even serve as an educational tool for younger kids to practice their reading and writing and for the older kids to use their imagination (something they’re probably not used to using much since the invention of electronics). Actually – I think we may do that one today!
TAKE LEARNING OUTSIDE
Speaking of education, since kids are going to be out of school for some time (for how long, we still don’t know), find some ideas online for some educational lessons your kids can do outside. Use nature as your blackboard. Teach them the things they would have been learning in school while using nature to do it!
CLEAN OUT AND WASH YOUR CAR
I don’t know about you, but cleaning my car is NOT an activity I partake in during the winter. And since my job involves running from place to place, from Monday to Friday I basically live in my car so I’m sure you can imagine the state of it (don’t worry – it’s not that bad but could use a good dusting). Get out all the garbage, bring in all your discarded sweaters, wipe down all surfaces, and give it a good vacuum. Top it off with a nice exterior scrub. And you’ll probably see your neighbours doing the same.
TALK TO YOUR NEIGHBOURS
You don’t need to ignore your neighbours during this whole thing, either. You can still talk to them! Just remember the key rules to physical isolation: stay about 3 feet away, cough or sneeze into your sleeve, and don’t touch them or anything they’ve touched. My golden rule will be to talk to my neighbours from my driveway while they stay in theirs (or over the fence from my back deck), or if I’m out for a walk, staying at the end of their driveway. It’s OK to practice social interaction, but just be sure you’re being safe.
OUTDOOR HOCKEY
My son is a hockey fanatic! He lives, breathes, and sleeps hockey. As mentioned, however, he’s an only child and shooting at the net over and over again can get a little boring – he likes being able to get competition from the kids around him in the neighbourhood. And since kids usually wear their hockey gloves (even while playing outside) they’re safe from physical touch (as long as no body checks are involved), then make them wear their hockey helmets. It won’t totally protect from coughs or sneezes, but as long as they’re staying a few feet from each other (which is generally the case since one is usually goalie and the other is usually shooting), you’re OK. Even if you don’t know whether or not the child has been exposed to the virus, taking these precautions will severely decrease the likelihood of your child becoming a carrier (since most kids carry this specific virus and, luckily, don’t get sick). Prior to allowing your children to play however, ensure your child understands the importance of no physical contact (and you can be a Karen like me and reiterate what you told your kid to the kid who has come to play). That said, some kids are more responsible than others when it comes to following important rules such as these – and some get too carried away while playing sports to remember the rules - so use your parental judgement.
MAKE BIRD FEEDERS
This is something I know many kids love, but I also love doing it as well, so you don’t need kids to do this – anyone can do it! You can do it the simple way, as you did in school with a milk carton or cardboard box, or you can build one from wood, or use whatever you fancy to create a nice little place for your little feathered friends to sit, have a snack, and deliver some soothing melodies.
There are so many more things you can do outdoors – alone, with the kids, or a loved one – that will help kick up your spirits, make you feel less isolated, and increase your health all while ensuring you’re not either transmitting the virus to someone else or catching it yourself. If you are looking for even more ideas, check out this list where I drew some of my inspiration for this article.
The bottom line here is that just because we’re being asked (strongly asked) to practice self-isolation, it doesn’t mean we need to stay behind closed doors. We can still experience life, we can still experience the greatness of the outdoors and the emergence of sunnier, warmer weather – we just need to be smart about it. Any activity you do indoors can be taken outdoors, it just involves a little bit more preparation. But trust me – if this is something we are going to have to do for the next couple of weeks, or months, then we need to stop sitting around and waiting for the all-clear.
Get outside and enjoy life. After all – the whole purpose of us practicing self- isolation is to ensure that, once this virus has passed, we are still alive and well enough to do just that!
One thing my mother (who is always trying to find the silver lining) said to me was this: Although what is happening now is horrible, most especially in other parts of the world, it's going to serve as a reason for us all to slow down, to re-connect, and get back to basics. And I absolutely agree.
FOOTNOTES/CITATIONS
[1]Holt-Lunstad, Julianne, et al. “Loneliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors for Mortality: A Meta-Analytic Review - Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Timothy B. Smith, Mark Baker, Tyler Harris, David Stephenson, 2015.” SAGE Journals, Association for Psychological Science, 11 Mar. 2015, journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1745691614568352. [2]Science Daily: Science News. It's official -- spending time outside is good for you. University of East Anglia. July 6, 2018
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