While social distancing has made many people feel lonely, other people are finding new ways to stay connected with one another. Plenty of individuals have struggled with finding time to socialize. The era of social distancing has caused a lot of people to reevaluate typical social situations.
There are individuals who still feel lonely when they are surrounded by other people, even if they’re in a big group chat. In the past, these people who work remotely have often brought their laptops to restaurants to work. These people may not have interacted with anyone at the restaurant while they were there.
People can use different strategies and get at least some of the same results.
There are two main ways to cope with social distancing
Staying Busy
People are already less likely to feel isolated if they’re busy enough. Even before the social distancing era, a lot of hardworking individuals didn’t spend a lot of time with friends. People often spend all of their time working steadily and consistently when they’re at the office or wherever they’re employed. Their coworkers might be around, but they still might not spend much time talking to them.
Social distancing has been difficult for a lot of individuals because they have more spare time than they did before and finding a use for it can be challenging. The people who are able to do so will usually find social distancing much easier.
Individuals who aren’t working can still keep busy. Some people are deciding to start learning some new abilities and skills during this time. People who are in school and people who have been through school are already used to studying alone. Staying at home and learning should feel natural to many individuals, which can help them when they’re social distancing.
It’s common for people to discuss activities and academic subjects online, which can help the people at home feel like they’re part of a community again. They’ll all be less stressed in the process, preventing some issues with social distancing.
Processing Stress
Social distancing can be stressful, even for people who don’t necessarily have severe problems with loneliness. Those people could still eventually start feeling much lonelier with time. If they’re able to manage their stress as quickly as they can, they might be able to practice social distancing more easily.
For example, people who exercise alone will still cope with these circumstances more successfully than the people who don’t exercise, or who exercise very rarely. People who avoid exercise will often experience higher levels of stress in general. They’ll find it particularly difficult to get through some of the more difficult parts of their lives.
Of course, people who are used to exercising in a group can still do so today. There are online exercise classes now. People will feel more likely they’re part of a group as they’re exercising at home. Since they’re being active during those sessions, the experience may also feel more real to them.
Talking to someone over the phone or when using video chat software can certainly be helpful and valuable. People who stand up and walk during the phone call might find it more engaging. An online exercise class can be particularly engaging for the same reason.
People’s minds are active when they’re talking to someone, when they’re physically active, and when they’re seeing someone or something on a video. When people are able to perform all three actions at the same time, it’s even easier for them to feel like they’re keeping their minds occupied.
What are some ways that you’ve been able to cope with social distancing?
