Social Isolating Advice from an Astronaut

Who better to give you advice on social isolating than someone who spent almost a year on the International Space Station?

From March 2015 until March 2016 retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly was up in space. How much more isolating can you get than that?

So with all that time alone, he has some very good tips for the rest of us.

First and foremost he says to be in the mindset that this is your life now.

For Kelly he knew he was going to be up in space for quite some time, so he just resigned himself to the fact that he lived on the ISS and he had no expectation of that changing anytime soon.

He said accepting your new reality is important for pushing through.

He also says having a schedule is key, especially setting yourself a consistent bedtime.

Scheduling time for hobbies, reading, getting outside and binge-watching are also a good idea according to Kelly so you don't just feel like you're working all the time while in the house.

And he stressed the getting outside for sure.

As for the emotional side to socially isolating? Kelly advises keeping a journal.

Having a place to put down your emotions each day is much better than keeping it all in. And documenting the good along with the bad can certainly help with perspective.

Reminders of your happy moments when going through a sad phase could definitely be effective in boosting your mood back up.

And if you're looking for a good read while isolating at home, check out Kelly's book Endurance for more tips.