A wise white-haired man remarked that what we are going through now is better termed as physical distancing, and not social distancing. Profound, absolutely true, and it can help with how we frame actions and thoughts as we go through this.
First up, no one's gonna snap their fingers on May 4th to make everything fine. This is gonna go on for a while - lockdown or reduced outings or whatever. In some form, this is gonna go on for a bit more. Or at least, it should.
During this time of anxiety and stress, let's talk about one thing we do not have to actually go through - social distancing.
Instead of giving you vague advice, let me tell you what I've been up to, as that can qualify as the bare minimum.
- I caught up (obviously virtually) with my India Mixed Masters frisbee team on Sunday afternoon. We were due to represent India and travel to Australia in September but obviously that's been cancelled. While we are all bummed about it, a couple of my awesome team-mates have started to get us to hang out more and just connect. We hope to be team-mates next year, hopefully, and sharing our stories during this time is helping us come together.
- My wife and I do Zoom calls with our usual gang that we inevitably catch up with all the time before all this went down. So, now, we get our drink on virtually. And it is a win-win coz my bed is a lot closer now than it is when we head to a bar.
- I call my parents more often (!!!)
And these are just a few examples, off the top of my head. The point is, we can make the time if we want to. So, if you are feeling alone or anxious or bored, how about you keep up with the physical distancing but reduce the social distancing!
Seems like the smart thing to do.