Foster Connections in Social Isolation

Hello from social isolation! Even though I am hanging out here with my husband who is now working from home, I don’t feel isolated. 

One reason is that I am connected to you! 

I am so thankful for the technology which allows me to connect via email, through my video conferencing and through Facebook. There can be downsides to all this online access, but there are some great positives too, especially as we all deal with social distancing and the loss of person-to-person connection. 

I feel so much gratitude for the internet for allowing me to connect with my three grown children who are isolating in other parts of the country.  I’ve been able to see my children with the same video conferencing I use for my client meetings.  I’ve also hosted an online “family reunion” with my extended family all across North America, arranged a virtual “Happy Hour” with local friends, had a online party to celebrate my son’s birthday yesterday, had a family movie night, and more. 

Human beings are wired for connection.  We NEED other people for our emotional well-being.  What can we do as we find ourselves in social isolation? Here are some ideas:

Contact another person by phone, text, messaging, email, Skype, FaceTime or Zoom.  Letting someone else know you are thinking of them can help lift them up too.  The face-to-face connection, even if it’s on line, is still a powerful connection.  

Connect a group of people using online video conferencing systems like Zoom, Google Hangouts or FaceTime. Zoom's free account allows you to host a group meeting for up to 40 minutes. zoom.us

Play an online game with a group of people. An easy and free one for all ages is scribbl. https://skribbl.io/

Watch a funny movie with a group of people online.  Install Netflix Party add-on in Google Chrome.  We watched a Monty Python movie last week with our kids.  Although we couldn’t hear each other, we watched in real-time and had a chat box going.  This was fun! netflixparty.com

If you live alone, consider fostering a pet from your local animal shelter.  Having a pet, even a temporary one, can help you feel less isolated. 

Read to connect with characters in a book.  Yes! Feeling a deep emotional connection with people in a book can help alleviate feelings of isolation.

What are you doing to foster connections during this time of isolation?  I’d love to hear and share your ideas.  People are getting very creative!

In the meantime, maintain your physical isolation but harness the power of technology to foster social connections.

A great way to help improve your health is choosing to create peace and calm while you are eating.  HOW you eat can be as important as WHAT you eat.  I have a great resource for you to implement TODAY to help you become empowered in your health.  Click on the image below to receive it.