Struggles and Strategies of Social Distancing & Isolation

As the COVID-19 pandemic grows, millions of people around the globe are becoming increasingly isolated from society and their community – socially and physically. Experts have found that social isolation can have a profoundly negative effect on people’s physical, and mental health.  The entire world is in a heightened state of confusion and uncertainty – every person is in need of NEW TOOLS to deal with the myriad of worries, emotions, and limitations

“We have evolved to be social creatures. For all the history of humanity, people have been in family structures, people have been in groups, we’re evolved to kind of crave and rely on that interaction with other human beings, short periods of isolation can cause increase anxiety or depression “within days”.”

Dhruv Khullar, a physician and researcher at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York

“People who are more socially connected show less inflammation, conversely people who are more isolated and lonely show increased chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation has been implicated in a variety of chronic diseases”

Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University.

A period of a few weeks in isolation should not lead to the inflammation and risk of cardiovascular trouble that Holt-Lunstad describes in a report. However, people could still see an impact on their health. Human beings, after all, are not designed to be solitary; we evolved to survive in tribes, and the need for interaction with other humans is primal.

New research suggests that loneliness and social isolation are as much a threat to your health as obesity. In fact, when we are lacking this social connection, it triggers survival alarm bells in our bodies much like a lack of food and water would do. It’s also bad for our mental health, increasing the likelihood of depression and other affective disorders. For many, the Coronavirus has been the reason for isolation in such a short period of time – creating an overwhelming state of loneliness.

During this difficult time, most of us are experiencing the feeling of loneliness and/or being isolated from our normal daily routines which include interaction with various people and places. There are ways to combat loneliness, such as:

• Pick Up The Phone. Reaching out to family and friends right now is very important to stay and feel connected to each other – a nice chat with a loved one can be both helpful and fulfilling.
• Facetime or Video Chat. If you have access to a phone with the technology or a computer with a webcam, you can have a video chat with a friend or a loved one. There are a few options: Facetime, Skype, Google Hangouts are a few options to consider.
• Foster an Animal in your Area. Having a pet keep you company eases anxiety and depression from isolation in general. Check with your local animal shelter to see what the options are to foster or adopt a pet.
• Take up a new hobby. Rediscover an old passion, such as art, music, writing—anything that will feed your soul. You can also share these interests with others online in groups. Facebook Groups and Nextdoor connects you with people with your interests or in your area with similar interests and develop new friendships, even if they are only online for now.
• Exercise. Nowadays you can find a ton of videos on YouTube that show exercise videos. Exercise is a great way to release natural endorphins and relieve feelings of anxiety. It can be done alone or with anyone you have been hunkering down with.
• REACH OUT: Now might be the PERFECT TIME TO RETRAIN YOUR BRAIN – Neural Linguistic Programming (NLP) is the TRANSFORMATIVE LANGUAGE used during a HYPNOSIS session to create EFFECTIVE change – supporting the BEST YOU – RESOURCEFUL, COMPETENT, CAPABLE YOU!

NLP is a connection between neurological processes (neuro-), language (linguistic) and behavioral patterns learned through experience (programming)

Sessions are conducted online using Zoom.
Contact us for more information – OR – schedule a free 15 minute meet & greet to discuss.