Victoria has been in Stage 3 lockdown since 30th March. The premier’s key directive to “stay at home” has been repeated in press releases, news articles, social media, and you might even notice that Telstra has added a sneaky #StayHome hashtag to the top of your phone screen.
We’ve followed this instruction well, to the point that Australia is gaining international praise for successfully flattening the curve.
But it’s lonely at home.
You’re either with family or on your own. It’s the safest place to be in terms of COVID-19; however, not having social interactions can impact both your physical and mental wellbeing. Even for people in peak condition, research shows that loneliness and social isolation can be associated with a range of health issues, as explained in this article by VicHealth.
But it’s not all bad news.
There are strategies you can put into place to feel more connected, despite the physical distances between us.
Connect with your family and friends virtually
Phone calls are helpful but chatting over video gives us a more satisfying sense of contact. We can see each other’s faces and expressions, feel the spark of happiness watching them smile or laugh, and show them things we’ve been working on. Projects, meals we’ve cooked, the flowers in the garden—video calls create a stronger feeling of connection and shared experience.
If you find that socialising helps your mood, consider setting a daily coffee date with a friend or family member. It might only be a 20-minute video call, but you can share a drink and a chat, and come away with a sense of social nourishment.
Keep your regular plans—just adapt them
When lockdown first came into effect, we cleared our social calendars and hunkered down. But instead of cancelling events, consider hosting them online instead. Book clubs, happy hour drinks, game nights, or dinner dates, all can be adapted to a videocall. You can also create new events to hold virtually, such as cooking the same recipe together over videocall or having a Bad Movie Night (where you watch the same movie) on videochat and laugh at it together.
You might have to change elements of your plans, but you’d be surprised how well certain social events can be adapted to virtual connection.
If your calendar still shows up a little bare, consider joining a virtual group in an field that interests you, such as a choir.
Take breaks from the news
Although it’s important to stay up to date on the virus and its impacts on the community, constantly engaging in this news can have a negative impact on our mental state. This can be listening to the news on the radio, watching on television, reading news sites, or scrolling through news shares on social media.
Long exposure to bad news can cause us unnecessary stress, so remember to unplug from it and focus on other things.
Stay active and get into nature
Physical activity is an easy way to boost your mental and physical health. You might have had to stop going to the gym or playing team sports, or being at home might simply mean that you’re missing out on incidental exercise—walking to the train station, from the car park to your office, or around your facility.
Exercise helps our mind and body in a number of ways, including better sleep, more energy, improving our immune system, stress relief, and giving us a sense of accomplishment. Indoor activity can involve streaming classes from the gym, following workouts online, or more freestyle movement like dancing while wearing headphones.
For at-home workouts available for free, check out this list of online exercise classes in Australia.
Outdoor activity will depend on where you live. Going for a walk, even just 10 minutes around the block can clear your head and get your circulation moving. If you live near a park or reserve (and it’s open to public), consider connecting with nature with a walk or bike ride.
Research shows that spending time in nature can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression—but if you can’t get outside, Harvard Medical School share that it’s possible to stimulate a similar effect by listening to natural sounds such as birds chirping or water lapping.
Revisit old photos or memories
Now is the perfect time to organise old photo collections, back up your videos, or order some prints online and hang them up around your house. Revisiting memories with friends and families might seem like a sad thing to do when you’re isolated at home but recollecting good times can help you to feel closer to loved ones.
When you uncover certain highlights, send them to the others in the photo so you can reminisce together. It can help you feel more secure, reminding yourself that you have emotional support in your relationships.
Escape into a fictional world
The real world is pretty heavy right now, so engaging in fiction is a great way to escape. Stories that encourage us to genuinely care about the characters can be used to ward off feelings of social isolation.
This fascinating article on Scientific American suggests that fictional characters in books and television can act as social surrogates or parasocial relationships. This relates to the one-sided, pseudo-relationships we develop with people or characters when we join in their stories. In the way that friendship evolves with spending time together, so do these parasocial relationships as you become familiar with the lives, personalities, and experiences of characters as though they were a friend.
Isolation is the perfect time to experience that sense of belonging and connection through fiction, as the linked article states, “people spontaneously seek out social surrogates when real interactions are unavailable.”
Fiction can also provide a great distraction from current news and events.
Have a distress tolerance plan
Stress can get the better of all of us. Plan ahead by working out a strategy for those times when you feel yourself becoming distressed—and when you recognise that you’re feeling anxious, or stressed, or upset, don’t hesitate to put that plan into action.
This can involve re-watching your favourite show or movie, baking cookies, going for a walk, calling a friend or relative, colouring in, cuddling your pet, or taking a nap. Whatever you need to do to break your distress cycle and calm down.
Support Services
If you’re struggling with stress and anxiety and would like additional support, please consider the following services:
Lifeline for crisis support.
Beyond Blue for online phone and mental health support.
Mindspot for free online and telephone support for people experiencing anxiety, worry, depression, or low mood.
It can be emotionally gruelling being stuck at home, either with family or on our own. It’s important to look after our wellbeing and focus on activities that reduce feelings of loneliness or isolation. If you find yourself becoming stressed, depressed or anxious, do your best to reach out to a loved one or support service for help.
The Business Resilience program is designed to assist Victorian small businesses affected by COVID-19. Support includes free access to online workshops and resources.
Business Resilience Workshops
Eligible participants can attend free virtual workshops on topics pertinent to the impacts of COVID-19 on small business. This includes strategy and resilience, finance and technology, customers and marketing, human resources, and mental health and wellbeing. Visit our Business Resilience Workshops page for upcoming topics and booking links.
The Business Resilience program is delivered by Melbourne Innovation Centre and the Digital Solutions program.
