
13. Connect, daily
There has never been a greater experience of global empathy and community. Tap into that and build on that. This will help boost your mental health immunity and resilience. Whether that means weekly Zoom meet-ups with friends and family or joining an online community of like-minded strangers, it’s important to connect with people at this time. That being, it’s also important to distinguish between conversations you find helpful and those that are detrimental to your mindset. We are social creatures, relationships are key to our mental health. Having to self-isolate or practise social distancing may be difficult.
There are obvious ways to digitally connect through WhatsApp, Skype, and Facebook. Or even an old-fashioned phone call! But it can be worth thinking about some more imaginative ways. How about organising a group of friends to all watch the same movie and then meet up digitally to discuss it? You can have a ‘Netflix Watch Party’ with your friends and talk just as you usually would. If you have a skill, perhaps you could set up a Facebook live session and teach people to knit or draw. If you, or someone you know, don’t like using social media, make an agreement to write a letter or email to each other once a week.