With the current spread of coronavirus, it is important that we are all safe and knowledgeable about the methods to stay healthy. An example to staying healthy includes a strategy called social distancing. Simply put, you want to distance yourself from social situations to prevent the spread of the virus. While social distancing may seem like a simple task, many people, including myself, are struggling because our love language is quality time. Even though the worldwide focus is on physical health, we must not abandon our mental health in the process. If lack of time with your love ones is beginning to weigh down on you, here are three tips to stay sane.
- Set up a FaceTime or videochat hangout
-
While face-to-face interaction is vital for quality time, video chatting is the best tool for affection during social distancing. FaceTime and other video chatting apps are an effective way to stay in touch with friends, while still feeling a part of a social circle. In times like these, make the calls exciting and personal. Set up group FaceTime wine nights with your girlfriends, ask your mom to have an e-dinner with you, or watch a movie with your significant other while maintaining that safe social distance.
- Create structure where it is lost.
-
It is not difficult to begin focusing on the loneliness of social distancing, which will usually result in doing absolutely nothing. Like myself, people whose love language is quality time literally thrive off of social situations. Without this aspect of being social, life begins to feel bleak or pointless. The most important thing is that we keep moving, even if your campus has closed or you will not be working at your job for a couple of weeks. Creating a formal or informal, daily to-do list gives you the opportunity to set your mind to a task instead of fixating on the overwhelming loneliness of social distancing.
- Use the free time to develop yourself – even more.
-
Constant alone time is anxiety-inducing for someone who needs quality time to feel loved. These levels of panic are inevitably raised with the reality of living during a pandemic. Try to turn these feelings of panic into reflective energy by looking within yourself. Free time is a great way to find comfort in being alone, to discover new interests and hobbies, and to finally get to those projects you have been pushing to the side. An unlikely silver lining in our current emotional turmoil is that staying home and staying healthy could become extremely therapeutic. The key to using your free time is remaining positive and not letting the fear and discomfort of alone keeping you from utilizing your free time.