As a trans woman who started transitioning at 28, I’ve spent most of my life social distancing to some extent. Here are some tips in case they help anyone:
1) Do something that keeps you present in your body. Go for a hike alone, or meditate or do yoga at home. It’s easy to disassociate when you’re on the couch and disassociation feels really bad after a while.
2) Dress yourself up in something that makes you feel good every couple days. Put on a tie, or your favorite grey sweat pants, or a fancy dress, or draw on a dramatic smoky eye. Even if nobody is going to see you, when you look nice it should be for yourself, not for the world.
3) Lose yourself in another world. The healthiest version of this is probably hiking, but a good book or an open-world video game can be a vital escape. Do something where you’re the protagonist - or at least in the protagonist’s head. Set limits on TV bingeing.
4) Make your space cozy. Get some plants and some candles. String up those Christmas lights in your living room. Buy some art on Etsy or make your own!
5) Be active if you’re on social media. Talk to people you care about instead of dunking on pundits you’ve never met. Ignore the news as much as you can - if you’re already socially isolating, the death toll in Italy is not important to you, sad as it is.
6) Be kind to yourself. Your goal isn’t to thrive right now. This is a really hard and scary time, and it’s ok to feel bad right now. You’re just trying to survive until you can live your life to its fullest again.
It took me decades to leave my house as myself, and because of that every day free feels glorious. This will not take nearly as long, but when this is over, we’ll all feel that feeling.
