As of Monday, March 16, UFV and many other universities are recognizing the COVID-19 outbreak as a serious public health issue. Globally, people have taken to self-isolation and social distancing as a way to lessen the spread of the disease. Many, including myself and my family, have found this a necessary precaution; however, many also find this self-isolation to be a very lonely process. I’ve found a few ways to combat the loneliness I often find myself in after even a few days of not interacting with people.
If you’re feeling lost without social interaction and live alone, I highly recommend calling a friend or family member and chatting with them for a while. Even just keeping up consistent messaging conversations via text or group chat if you’re talking with multiple people can keep you from feeling fully isolated. Why not choose a movie or show on Netflix and do a comedic commentary track between the two of you. It gets your mind off of current events, and you can stop procrastinating on watching Shaun of the Dead. If you prefer to see your conversation buddy, apps that support video calling will be a lifesaver.
If you don’t live alone, try engaging your housemates in conversation. Board games, multiplayer video games, and puzzles are ways to get you working together or competing against one another. Puzzles in particular offer a low-stakes co-operative environment to allow you and your friends or family to join together and work toward a common goal. Put on something in the background (I recommend stand-up comedy), or have conversations and watch the beautiful piece of art take shape.
If all else fails, the internet is a thing. Many people globally are starting to feel the effects of social isolation and have taken to livestreaming as a way to get social interaction. John Green put out a video on March 17 entitled “together.” where he talks about how he has been dealing with social distancing. He mentions that his brother, Hank Green, has been streaming Stardew Valley, a farm simulation game, on Twitch, which John and his children have enjoyed watching. John also mentions that he and his wife will be hosting regular live streams both on the Vlogbrothers YouTube channel, as well as The Art Assignment channel where they “drink only a little wine and make only a little art.”
We must try and make it through this tough time. We must take the necessary actions in order to prevent and combat what is likely the first global pandemic many of us are seeing in our lifetime to reach this level of widespread panic . This may take the form of staying physically distant from one another, but that does not mean that we are alone in this.
Image: Nicholas Ashenhurst-Toews
