If you need new ideas for strengthening your own sense of connectedness, try some of these creative ways the Healthy You team has joined up with others during the pandemic:
If you can hang out in person …
How we’re staying
CONNECTED There’s no doubt that social distancing has taken a toll on our collective mental health. Being physically separated from other people can lead not only to loneliness, but also to stress, anxiety and depression in both adults and children. In late 2020, the American Psychological Association published the results of a poll of 1,800 psychologists:
74% said they were seeing more patients for anxiety, and 60% said they were seeing more patients for depression compared to before the pandemic. While those numbers are certainly noteworthy, there is some empowering news for those feeling the ill effects of prolonged quarantining: Researchers have found
that how connected you feel is determined internally more than it’s influenced by whether you are in the physical presence of other people. So while there’s no denying the emotional boost you get from a hug, many of the clever ways we’ve found to foster connectedness over the last year really can be as
“I walk with my friend/ neighbor once or twice a week. We grab coffee in the neighborhood, wear masks and catch up.”
“We have socially distanced bonfires.”
“We have drinks on the porch. Neighbors walk by and it sometimes turns into a little outside happy hour.”
“We’ve rediscovered local parks for hiking, biking and skateboarding. Even my 24-year-old is skateboarding with his younger siblings all the time now, so there’s more family bonding than ever!”
good for our mental health as being “together.”
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