Physical Distancing and being social
- Chanda Ross
- Apr 5, 2020
- 2 min read
Hello out there! đ
We are well past the initial two weeks of distancing. How is everyone faring? The term Social for distancing is inaccurate as we, fortunately, this day and age can still be social. Yes! Itâs technology ...all of the social media platforms not to mention the older fashion phone call, FaceTime or heck even snail mail. And being social is vital to humans! We need interaction. We are designed for it. A good read is âHealthy at 100â. These researchers found some of the longest lived peoples had healthy, supportive social environments in common. Itâs the physical distancing that is called for now. Family units can be closer than six feet but otherwise itâs 6 feet or greater for health and safety.
If you are like me, a part of you wonders if this is the beginning of a new way of living. I mean why wouldnât we think such thoughts? Our âofficialsâ on the matter (of COVID-19) keep discovering, the information gets vast and actually is varying (was the virus 3 days alive on metal surfaces or 7? No wait itâs 13 on plastic and...you catch my drift), and recommendations seem ever changing (wearing a mask helps, no it doesnât, or wait maybe it does). bottom line, it is still being learned about while affecting many very devastatingly. What is felt to be true is physical distance helps. To the point of being very disruptive for many peopleâs ability to make a living, scary but true... and happening now! These are issues that can be discussed at length and are deserving of it but we wonât go deeply into it this blog. Suffice it to state Social support will become Even more important and what does that look like with physical distancing? Before this virus hit I was actually kind of anti social media... feeling like itâs more of a drain than helpful. And thereâs evidence to show this, watch the documentary âLikeâ. But, in effort to stay more connected Iâm on social media more than Iâve ever been and am even a little grateful.
Of course, there still needs to be a balance. Like using different platforms such as Zoom to live meet! We are getting creative! My teens plan a meet to watch a movie with friends and eat popcorn. I might plan a scrabble night with my parents or sip a glass of wine with friends while we chat... all together And yet honoring physical distancing. The balance I mean then is striving for more live interactions verses just sitting and eyeballing fb feed or Instagram for countless hours. And, it almost goes without saying that getting outside-ability is a true blessing! My children and I do more outside together than before the forced slow down of life. Iâm sure we arenât the only ones discovering this. A timeless Truth - life is about finding the Balance. Hereâs to each of you finding balance! A little more cooking together (actually teaching my teenagers recipes and we all cook together in the kitchen more!), a few more in house dance parties, board games and puzzles, more time in the yard planting, weeding, kick ball, badminton etc. Yay!!
More on this topic of Balance to come...
Great post