This weekend was gorgeous, after a week of gloomy rain. Houses opened their windows, newly planted gardens started to bloom, and kids roamed the streets on their bikes and skateboards. The exact type of weekend that makes it hard not to see friends and family. But why not see them? After all, Dr. Hinshaw said groups of 50 can now gather outdoors.
For many, 50 feels like a huge number after self-isolating with only immediate family members for weeks. With the opportunity to socialize comes excitement but also anxiety on how to do so safely. For example, how do you get kids to play while making sure they don’t hug, don’t share food, and remember to wash their hands often?
A friend of mine, who is an absolute extrovert, said yesterday she needs human contact to recharge, especially after 2 months of being home, schooling her 4 children. She otherwise feels empty. How does one, however, get past the apprehension that every social encounter increases your risk of infection?
In a way, we’ve been battling a physical and mental quarantine; therefore, this isn’t just about leaving our home, but about gradually tearing down the mental walls we’ve put up to stay safe and sane.
My suggestions are simple:
Accept that your anxieties are normal and common. Many of us are unsure how to navigate this new normal, and all we can do is take it a day at a time.
Stop fear feeding: as hard as this may be, avoid social media feeds and opinions by non-experts. It’s easy to find support for any anxieties you may have - good or bad - on the internet. But I urge you to avoid non-experts who feed on human fears with keyboard warrior nonsense news.
Socialize Safely: this involves knowing your boundaries and communicating them with the “safe” cohort or family you’ve opted to meet with in-person. Setting up guidelines now will set the foundation for the months to come. Moreover, be respectful of your friends and their needs as they address their anxieties about hanging out, even outdoors around a fire pit.
We are fortunate in Drumheller to have wide open spaces, making safer social distancing easier. Yet the worries will persist as the pandemic remains part of every day discourse. Alberta has flattened the curve and the Town of Drumheller has done well keeping us safe. I’m sure many feel the measures taken were perhaps extreme, but I’m of the opinion that being over-prepared is always better than under-prepared. After all, this pandemic is far from over and to think otherwise would be foolish.
Yet, we know that social encounters in open spaces with trustworthy friends, while practicing good hygiene, is low risk. What are your plans for the summer months? What are your social rules for hang-outs?
Dear COVID-19 is a weekly column supplied by
Drs. Rithesh and Veronique Ram