How to Be Social While Social Distancing During the Coronavirus Pandemic
https://thewirecutter.com/blog/coronavirus-socializing-online/
I've been working from home since 1997 (almost 13 years now) and experience has taught me that lack of social contact impacts badly on my mental health. At this point I'm not indicated for self-isolation and the UK government didn't even mention social distancing until 12 hours ago, but as of two days ago I started canceling everything - reluctantly, but with confidence that it was the right thing to do.
Having experienced involuntary social isolation from my own circumstances of being self-employed and moving to another country where I didn't have any friends (twice!), I feel real trepidation now at the thought of not being able to go out or spend time with people outside of my household. I've lived through that before - also when I was a new parent with a young baby - and being around others is not something I forego readily.
To help lessen my dread of being stuck at home I started looking for games to play online with friends and stumbled across the article above, which provides some inspiration for socializing using technology. Even though I've known for years that online interactions are no substitute for seeing people in person, at least there are plenty of options available for connecting easily to others in real time.
- Jennifer
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