In the past weeks our emotional climate has changed dramatically, our world has become an unfamiliar place, our daily routines and schedules have profoundly altered. Stress of the unknown from a health and economic perspective, are leaving most people feeling anxious and fearful about what the future holds.
Tension and emotions can run high for couples living in constant close quarters, working from home, and/or having kids at home. If you are single and living alone, the social distancing can leave you feeling lonelier than ever and more isolated. This COVID-19 experience is difficult for us all to navigate as we try to find our “new normal.”
While it seems that there are more questions than answers right now, one thing we do know is that we need each other more than ever to get through this challenging time. To make social distancing more bearable, rather than a major source of stress, we need to maintain social and emotional support, now more that ever.
So how do we navigate connection while having to physically distance ourselves from people as much as possible?
Remind yourself that physically distancing from others is not the same as social isolation. The more you can connect virtually with others right now, the easier it will be to process everything that is going on.
We know from research that one of the greatest predictors of health is connection with others. So, connect with people you love and make you feel good.
This likely won’t just happen throughout your day on its own, you are going to need to schedule time to connect, to be vulnerable and ask for what you want and the ways in which you want to connect.
This connection may be through texting throughout the day, posting funny memes, making a virtual coffee date, or a daily phone check in.
We are all in this together so let’s get creative and connect however we can, like starting a virtual book club, making dinner together virtually, doing virtual yoga together.
If you are finding you need extra support feel free to reach out to me, but if not, enjoy being creative in how you can connect with others during physical distancing!