Staying Together Despite the Distance

So the current situation has us all stuck in our homes, bored out of our minds, but worried at the same time. 2020 hasn't been great so far, has it? The worst part of it all is that we, as social creatures, unfortunately cannot engage in the very social activities that give us so much joy, with our friends and family. There is a distance there, both literally and figuratively. However, this doesn't  mean that we have to allow this to consume our spirits. There are ways to make this situation work! 

Loneliness is something that a lot of us are feeling right now, myself included. I work at UTA Libraries as an Events Specialist, and I'm also a graduate student in Aerospace Engineering. I miss seeing my lovely coworkers and their vibrant, smiling faces every day, and interacting with UTA students who come to the Library to engage with us in events and activities! I miss getting together with my classmates for late-night study groups after work, and racing each other to finish math problems on the whiteboards in our study rooms. But even then, I've found that if you are willing to put a bit of effort, you can avoid allowing these feelings of loneliness to affect you and your mental health. 

Being stuck at home makes it increasingly clear, day after day, why taking care of your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Haven't you had days where physically, you felt fine, but because something got your mood down, you couldn't find the energy to get things done? Your mental health needs a lot of care and attention. Here are some tips I've learned along the way to care for yourself during this unique time:

Do not allow the physical distance to be the determining factor for how you socialize with your friends and coworkers. We have the wonder of innovation, we have technology. Use it to close the gap between you and your friends! Have meetings on various online platforms, like social media sites or through Skype, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, IMO, whatever it is - use what you have and call people. Speak to your friends and colleagues! Miss studying together? Recreate that closeness by getting your study partners to be on a group video call so you can continue to have those thought-provoking discussions about the course material. 

Organize virtual activities you can do together! Watch a movie together while on a call. Use Facebook's "watchparty" feature to watch videos with your friends. Play a game together online! There are various multiplayer games available and virtual versions of common board-games or card games you can play together. 

It's important to have fun and allow yourself a break when you feel overwhelmed. You never realize just how much you miss your friends until you start that video call and realize how much easier it is to just speak to each other. If you can't call, text each other. 

Text each other about the little things in life. Text them the worst puns and jokes you can think of. Found a funny meme? Send it to each other! Even the most mundane thing can seem ten times funnier when you share it with a friend.

Keep each other updated on your lives! Utilize what you have to restore your social connections! 

Sometimes, staying isolated feels overwhelming because you are not engaging yourself in something that is interesting to you, and not doing anything interesting in turn causes you to continue feeling overwhelmed. It's an endless cycle. I almost got caught up in it! Snap out of it as soon as you realize it, and do something, anything, that interests you and makes you take action. (Sidenote, I'm talking about things outside of your normal duties like work or schoolwork.) 

Go read a book you've been putting off for a while!

Have a karaoke night by yourself!

Learn some new skill or language.

Remember that software that intrigued you and you just didn't have the time to learn? Go learn it! 

Grow an indoor plant. 

Work on a 1000-piece puzzle (as I've conveniently started and low-key given up on).

Build something, create new things, visualize ideas that you've had for a long time.

Don't have any ideas? Start there. WHAT new ideas can you come up with? Give your brain the space to think and develop creative things. 

Once you get yourself indulged in your own creative little world, the isolation won't feel as bad anymore. 

Sometimes you may be hesitant to check up on your friend because you're not sure if you are bothering them. Don't allow that to keep you from reaching out to the people you care about. Could you imagine how life would be if everyone decided to let the other person make the first move to contact or check up on them? We'd all grow apart! Don't let that happen. 

Be the first person to go out and message all your friends, current and old, and ask how they're doing. Chances are, they'll appreciate that you thought of them at a time like this. Rebuild connections and care for your friends and family, make sure they're okay. 

No matter what happens, continue to stay positive through it all, for the sake of your mental health. It's all too easy to give in to worried thoughts that could consume your mind. While a healthy amount of worry does cause us to take the necessary measures to keep us and our loved ones safe, keep that worry in check. Remember, we're all in this together and we're all going to come out of this isolation stronger, wiser, and ready more than ever to reconnect! We're making baby steps towards that every single day. 

Until that time comes, reassure yourself and your loved ones, look forward and plan for the future, and take care of yourself as best you can! 

As I mentioned before, I work at UTA Libraries as an Events Specialist, along with my coworker Alessia Cavazos who is also an Events Specialist, and our supervisor/Librarian Milaun Murry. Together we plan and execute a lot of fun and engaging events within UTA Libraries, but due to the current

circumstances, we are unable to host in-person events. As former students ourselves, we understand the importance of opportunities for students to interact with each other and build new friendships, and to learn new things. 

So, we're trying our best to bring our events to you virtually! We've set up a Facebook group where we regularly post videos and host live-viewings of these videos where we teach you how to cook, craft, build, and so much more! If you're interested in joining us for these events, just join by clicking the link below: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/709305623180434/

If you do not have a Facebook account, our virtual event videos are also available on the UTA Libraries' YouTube channel! 

We look forward to seeing you join us for some of our events coming up, everyone! Stay healthy, stay positive, and stay connected!