Dealing with Isolation and Loneliness

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Happy Sunday, scholars!


This week’s tip will focus on getting connected. If you’re like me, the daily grind is starting to wear thin. It seems like my entire day is filled with things I have to do and is a monotonous routine. To be frank – it’s a rut. One way to cope with this is to get connected to other people. But, being in a pandemic means there’s a few challenges to this, especially when the weather outside isn’t cooperative to outdoor gatherings. To help, here are some ideas you can use to safely connect with others and the world around you.

1) Go virtual!

Zoom and Skype have free options for setting up video calls with multiple people. I’ve used Zoom and Facetime more than Skype. Facetime is limited to Apple users and requires someone to call each participant. Zoom is easier. You can have a free session of up to 40 minutes with 100 participants. And, people can use their phone to voice-call or video-call in. They don’t need to be on a computer, have wifi, or use data to connect if it’s just a voice call.

2) Find something to do together

There are a ton of things you can do together in a virtual format these days. You can set up a time to just get together and talk, or you can plan an activity to do together. For instance, there are board games you can play together (see link in resources). You could also plan to cook something together. Find a recipe, send it out to your group, get the ingredients, and log in together at a particular time to try the recipe together. You could also watch a movie together virtually thanks to new features in Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu.

3) Try out a live virtual event

With everyone social distancing, there are a ton of live events available online for you to check out. For instance, comedian Iliza Shlesinger and her chef husband have a couple of Facebook Live sessions each week where they prepare a new dish. The VMFA has a live Jazz night every Thursday at 7pm on YouTube. If you prefer something a bit more spooky, check out the Facebook Live events by Haunts of Richmond. All free!!! For a fee, there are also some great educational lectures available on historical, literary, and social topics by Profs and Pints. And, if you can’t make the live presentations, most of these will allow you to access past events so that you can watch at a date/time of your choosing.

And, check out everything that RBC has to offer. Residence Life some great opportunities for getting connected. Check out their Instagram page for what’s going on each week!

Have a great week, Statesmen!

-Dr. M


Resources:

“5 Tips for Staying Connected While Social Distancing” – Temple University Health System
https://www.templehealth.org/about/blog/5-tips-staying-connected-while-social-distancing
“Staying Connected During the Coronavirus Pandemic” – UNC School of Medicine Graduate Education
https://www.med.unc.edu/oge/covid19/
“12 Board Games You Can Play with Friends from Afar” – Smithsonian Magazine
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/twelve-board-games-you-can-play-friends-afar-180974686/
“7 Ways to Watch Movies Together Online (It’s Easier Than You Think)” – Pure Wow
https://www.purewow.com/entertainment/watch-movies-together-online

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