You are (not) alone. No matter how lonely you think you are, there is someone who wants to be with you. No matter how afraid you are, someone wants to help you.
Perhaps you’re all by yourself in a dorm that only has you or just one other person. Perhaps you are at your family home, and you can’t connect to anyone there. Perhaps being together and not going outside has made family time more strained. Perhaps you realized that your parents or whoever you’re with are not in a state where it is easy to get along with or are having communication problems. Perhaps being with someone else, whether they are family, friends, or dormmates, made you realize that absence makes the heart grow fonder while many people in an isolated, limited space are similar to how a pressure cooker works. Either way, you may want relief from your social situation.
People in small spaces are more likely to get agitated than those who have a lot of room for themselves. Because you can’t walk away, it is harder for bad feelings to fade out. Even if there are no big problems in your family, you can have yelling from the lack of privacy, the fear from the unprecedented pandemic and murky waters ahead, and just feeling trapped. There are two big solutions to this. One is to give other people more space or to be more mindful of others and try actively to grow good grace between the others in your living space. A combination of the two is needed, as everyone needs some alone time, and yet your problems won’t be resolved if you never talk to the other person.
So, to get closer, it is recommended that you come from a place of patience and understanding. They may feel stressed from interrupted schedules and finances along with not knowing where to go from here. They may be worrying about paying for your schooling or whether you will do poorly in college because you are doing all your classes at home, as well as what the economy is going to be like when you graduate and if they can even afford your schooling if their industry is now shakey.
Now, the other solution: Go out and volunteer.
This doesn’t have to be going outside, but you can still do certain things just from your room (or study room in your dorm building). iCouldBe is a student mentorship program that has online activities and conversation starters that you do one hour a week for the school year. This will help a lot of kids since you yourself may feel harder to be focused on school and schoolwork while at home and never going outside, so kids who are distance learners and need assistance with resources, tutoring, and perhaps an extra friend can really benefit.
If you’re more concerned about the elderly, then there are remote volunteer opportunities. Alone is such an example, being an organization that provides companionship to the elderly. Just being a telephone volunteer where you call and check-in at least two hours a week.
There is also Crisis Text Line, where you are given free training with how to answer texts from people who reach out, with the times most needed being 7 pm to 3 am (though other times are available.
Finally, there is talking to your neighbors. Perhaps you can watch over a kid from an apartment in your hallway while the parents work essential jobs, or just promise to watch it from a window and call 911 for any potential burglars. Perhaps you can purchase groceries for a physically frail and vulnerable person (with gloves and a mask).
You should also be aware of people who use such times to their advantage. Since it is harder to go outside and get help, there are people who use such a time to have more control over others. If this is the case for someone you know, then do the responsible thing and contact authorities. Such people will most likely not change their hearts if briefly lectured by someone else. https://sanctuaryforfamilies.org/safety-planning-covid19/
Here are some more links, some of them specifically for New Yorkers:
NYC 24-Hour Hotline for Domestic Violence Survivors: 800-621-HOPE (4673)
Queens Family Justice Center: 718-575-4545 (available weekdays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
Safe Horizon one-on-one online chat system: www.safehorizon.org/safechat (weekdays 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.)
Safe Horizon 24-Hour Hotline for all crimes, including support for family members of homicide victims: 866-689-HELP (4357)
Safe Horizon 24-Hour Hotline for Rape and Sexual Assault: 212-227-3000
You can also call 311, but in an emergency, please call 911
Thank you all. Have a great day