As the pandemic continues to affect every aspect of our lives, more people are looking for ways to stay connected with others, especially family and friends. Losing face-to-face contact with loved ones can be extremely stressful for many, and for some, even unbearable. With many stay-at-home orders still in effect across the nation, maintaining these connections is becoming difficult. Below we will discuss why putting in the effort to nurture relationships during this time is more important than ever.
According to the Mental Health Foundation, there are five tips that are crucial to nurturing healthy relationships. Firstly, it’s essential to give adequate time to connect with family and friends. Also, be present when interacting with loved ones. You don’t want to miss out on quality time by being distracted by your phone and other things. Listen when others are speaking and try not to talk over people and only prioritize your own thoughts. Next, let yourself be listened to. Do not bottle up your emotions; open up to your loved ones and allow them to try to understand you. Lastly, recognize unhealthy relationships. As we move more towards distancing, festering on unhealthy relationships can deepen and intensify loneliness and sadness.
Even though the methods are changing, we have to stay connected with others. Many people use social media and video conferencing apps like Skype, Zoom, and FaceTime to talk with their family and friends during lockdown and quarantine. This way, even though you cannot be in the same room, you can still see them and hear their voice in real-time. Many people are also participating in random acts of kindness for their family and friends. Sending gifts with online shopping has dramatically increased over this past year. There are many apps and internet sites that allow you to create virtual cards including pictures and videos to send to the people in your life.
One highly advisable suggestion is to create some certainties for yourself and others. By implementing connecting with your loved ones into your daily or weekly routine, it gives everyone involved something to look forward to so that the days do not blend and create an even more dreary environment than what is already being experienced. Set up weekly or daily e-meetings and even make it an event such as virtual happy hour with cousins or tea-time with Mom.`Lastly, continue to talk and listen with your family and friends. This pandemic is something none of us have experienced before, and with many people being laid off and kids switching to virtual learning, several overwhelming thoughts consume people on a daily basis. Establish check-in times at the end of the day or whenever works best for you and your family to get everyone’s thoughts out and talk through issues they might be dealing with.