So, a lot of us are struggling right now. We’ve been isolating ourselves and being physically distant for a while. To be honest, for introverts like me, it was heaven… at first. I was like, “Yes, I’ve been training for this my whole life!”
But for a lot of people, it was a pretty drastic change, and it came with a new set of problems. When you’ve been social distancing and isolating for a while, you tend to fall into your old patterns, because you don’t see yourself doing it. I actually started to become a little depressed, because I wasn’t getting out to see people, I wasn’t able to hold my grandchild, and so many aspects of my life were affected by this pandemic.
Even though we’ve all gone through some really hard things lately, I want to help people understand that just because we have to be physically distant doesn’t mean we have to be socially distant. There are a lot of things you can do to still be social, and tools you can use to safely get out there and interact with people socially, and that’s good for your mental health and your emotional health.
Over the next few weeks on my blog, I’ll be sharing my experiences from these last couple of months. I’ll talk about the ways I’ve been able to stay socially close (but physically distant), keep my businesses going, and really, take care of myself. Here are a few of the ways I’ve been doing that.
Staying Connected
So obviously there’s the phone, and we can certainly call any of our family and friends and talk with them. Is it as fun as getting to see them? Not always, but it’s still a way to connect and hear their voices, and that can be so good for the soul.
You can also do video or Facetime, so that you can see the people you’re talking to. Yes, it’s still hard to not have a physical connection, but you have that emotional connection. You can see them and get a feel for what they’re going through, and they can get a feel for what you’re going through, too. While it’s not the same thing as spending time in-person, it’s better than just talking on the phone.
Despite what’s going on, we still have to conduct business, too. One of the great ways I’ve been doing that is with video conference apps like Zoom. Conference calls on the phone are still an option, and even though it can get a little crazy with a lot of people on the line, everyone seems to figure it out.
I’ve had such great luck with my Zoom calls that I kind of don’t want some of my in-person meetings and discussions to go back to “normal.” I mean, talking over Zoom saves me travel, expenses, gas, food, and all kinds of other things. It’s been an adjustment, but I could really get used to this!
Getting Outside
Now that things are opening up again, you can spend time out in the open at parks, hiking, biking, and boating, all things we love to do in the summer. I’m telling you – go out there, do those things. Why stay isolated? For me, I found that when I started pushing myself to get out, things became easier, my mindset shifted to a better place, and life just got better.
Another way to get out is to go to some of the restaurants that are starting open up, especially ones with outdoor seating. I love getting lunch outside with my friends, family, and colleagues I’m close with. We do lunches indoors, too, and that’s fine as long as we’re not touching and being physically close. I’ve also really liked supporting local restaurants by ordering food to go, which has worked out great so far!
What’s to Come
Over the next few weeks, I’m going to be sharing more about how you can still live your life, safely, during this pandemic.
I can’t wait to talk to you about:
- How you can be physically distant without being socially distant
- Running my businesses during a pandemic
- Living single during these times and how isolating it can be
- Why I don’t necessarily want everything to go back to “normal”
I want you to know that you don’t have to be stuck, isolated, or lonely. There are ways you can still get out there and be social, you just have to keep your physical distance. We’ll all get through this together.