Importance of Staying Connected During Social Distancing

The Importance of Staying Connected During Social Distancing

The past year has been a challenge for everyone, with many dealing with feelings of isolation on a timeline that just keeps getting extended. Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, though, it’s important that you’re maintaining some semblance of a social life, while sticking to your local area’s rules and regulations around appropriate pandemic activity, of course.

Let’s take a look at reasons why staying connected during social distancing is so important, even essential, during times like this, with tips to follow on how to make those connections safely and in a meaningful way.

Isolation Impacts You

If you’re unable to spend time with your friends on top of being met with the inability to develop new friendships, that isolation can lead to loneliness and a whole host of additional problems down the line. The scientific evidence is clear. Humans are social creatures, and loneliness and social isolation has been linked to both physical and mental health problems.

When you’re already tasked with trying to manage your life in an uncertain world, it’s that much more important to make friends, cultivate those friendships, and distract yourself from the negatives, even temporarily. Time with friends, even virtually, is more than fun. It gives your life balance.

You’re Less Productive

It seems counterintuitive that you’d be less productive if you were lacking opportunities to socialize, but emotions like loneliness cause a wide range of problems for people, including in the workplace. Recent surveys looking at those effects show that workers suffering from loneliness and social isolation are taking more sick days, displaying less efficiency, and producing a lower quality of work than before social distancing was a mandate. 

Companies are even looking for more ways for their employees to connect with one another to, hopefully, result in feelings of ownership over shared goals at the workplace. Whether you’re up for virtual team-building activities and more face-to-face with your colleagues may not be what you’re looking for, although it could certainly reduce your loneliness. 

More generally, staying connected while social distancing will then benefit your work life, as well, in addition to your social life. 

It Feels Good to Belong

Finding a friend with similar interests as you is an exciting thing, allowing you to connect with another person on a deeper level. For those who find themselves struggling making conversation, common interests give them a built-in remedy. You already have something to talk about, as you became friends in the first place thanks to that common interest. 

It feels good to hit it off with someone in a meaningful way, and feel free of judgement as you talk about the things that you find interesting and important to you and your friend. It’s when you’re missing out on those connections that you start seeing the negative effects of social isolation on your self-esteem, and a disconnect with your own interests.

Staying connected while social distancing is about more than spending time doing and talking about things you enjoy. It’s about feeling connected to your own hobbies, values and interests. 

Staying Connected During Social Distancing: How to Make it Happen

Now that you know the effects of isolation in this very strange time and the importance of staying connected during social distancing, how do you cultivate those friendships and make new, meaningful connections? 

And what does socializing while social distancing even look like?

You’ve likely seen some advice for maintaining friendships during the pandemic. Perhaps you’ve even tried some of those tips to “see” your friends while social distancing, hanging out on virtual chats, keeping up your social media presence, or calling and texting friends and acquaintances to check in and take your minds off the rest. You could even bring back the pen-pal relationship if you’re feeling ambitious.

Those are all great ways to maintain existing friendships, and remind your friends that you’re only a call, text, virtual hangout away.

What About Making New Connections?

If you’re looking for new friends, though, it could feel impossible right now if you didn’t already know you could make it easier on yourself with an app like Friender. In an environment like this one, it still may not make sense to you to work toward new friendships if you’re not able to hang out with them right away. But those same tools for socializing safely work for new friendships, too. You’re just spending more time getting to know each other, which can happen using those virtual tools.

And all of those reasons you just read about detailing how important it is to remain socially connected during social distancing apply whether you’re maintaining old friendships or making new ones. You still benefit from those positive effects of making connections, and feelings of belonging when you find a friend that really gets you.

Download the app today!