Managing Social Isolation

Even though we are practicing social distance we can still stay connected.  Here are some tips for managing social isolation:

• Try to use the video chat features as often as you can. Seeing the faces of your colleagues and loved ones can do the mind and heart good. If you live alone, this can be very important for mental health. To help manage loneliness, try to be of help to at least one person each week. That can be just a text or phone call to check in, buying and sharing an extra bottle of water, bread or fruits and sharing them with someone who needs them (while maintaining safety). It can be shopping for a senior citizen or helping them with their banking. Doing good for others helps boost our mood and shift negative thinking.

• We have a curfew on and so our outside time is limited. If you are working from home, let’s be intentional about taking breaks for fresh air and sunshine. If you are going in to work, try to take at least 15 minutes from your work space for some outside time once it’s safe to do so. We can also bring some elements of nature inside. Scented Candles and videos of nature sounds like rainfall and birds can give us a small dose of nature.