Social Distancing Doesn ’t Have to Keep You Socially Distant

Social distancing, limiting our physical interactions with others, is one of the most important ways we can keep ourselves and others safe during the pandemic. Most of us find the inability to hang out with friends and family a hardship. That’s natural. People are by nature “pack animals” who are wired to interact with others.  I read recently that the average person makes 12 physical social interactions a day. “Social” doesn’t mean only our interactions with friends and family. It includes talking to a bank teller or the mail carrier as well as time spent on the job or with people we care about. It’s not surprising that the total varies by age. The very young and very old have fewer. The teen years through retirement age are higher. But whatever the age, having contact with other human beings is what makes us and keeps us, well, human. Social distancing at this point in time is a necessary evil. The coronavirus (COVID 19) spreads through contact between people. A person who is infected but not symptomatic can unknowingly infect as many as 12 other people per day just by going about life as usual. If infected, each of those people can infect 12 more and so on and so on. Think about it: One infected person can start a chain reaction that touches hundreds of people. That’s why social distancing is essential for now.  Staying Connected When Physically Distant Social Distancing doesn’t have to mean being socially distant. There are other ways besides meetings ...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Family Friends coronavirus COVID-19 Quality Time social distancing socializing staying in touch Source Type: blogs