The world has changed quite a bit in the past few months. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way a lot of us live, and for some of us, it can be a risk to just enter public spaces. With cases spiking as we get closer to wintertime, many older citizens have begun to be wearier of leaving their homes, unsure of how to properly protect themselves. While there’s no way to completely guarantee your health without quarantining, there are still plenty of things you can do to successfully live your life during these trying times. Here are a few tips to help you age safely in a COVID-19 world.

Understand Your Own Risks

We all age differently, which means we all have our own unique risks to take into consideration in events such as these. Maybe you’re in your mid-60s and are running marathons, or perhaps you’re in your 70s and struggle to walk. Since all of our situations are unique, we all have our own risks to think about. If you suffer from pre-existing conditions, it may be best for you to avoid as much contact as possible, getting someone to help you with things such as grocery shopping. If you’re perfectly healthy outside of your older age, you’ll likely be able to do things outside of your house as long as you follow social distancing guidelines. Ultimately, staying home is the best way to protect yourself.

Think About Your Mental Health

If you are stuck in your home, it’s important you take care of your mental health in addition to your physical health.  We’re all feeling a lot of varying emotions during this time regardless of how old we are and taking care of them is vital. It’s important to understand if you’re feeling anxious about the pandemic or depressed because you’re stuck in your home, and how to approach those feelings properly in order to maintain the other aspects of your health. Be sure to talk to the loved ones in your life and let them know how you’re feeling. Sometimes just talking about our mental health can make a large impact.

Use Common Health Precautions

We’re all living through this pandemic together and it’s essential we each do our parts in order to keep one another safe. Be sure you wash your hands frequently, especially after touching things out in public such as doorknobs or tables. Wear a mask when you go out so you can lower the odds of passing the virus over to someone else if you have it and avoid areas with large crowds of people who aren’t wearing masks. Lastly, be sure to properly clean the inside of your home, cleaning all surfaces that the virus could potentially rest on.