It may or may not come as a surprise to you, but there is a risk of becoming socially overwhelmed and overstimulated right now.
COVID-19 is here, and it’s changing the way we move in our lives. Recently, many cities, counties, and states have gone toward shelter-at-home orders, and our face-to-face social interaction, which might have already been limited over the past month or so, has become even more restricted. In our efforts to find ways to keep from being completely isolated, many of us run the risk of going too far in the other direction. Technology gives us the tools we need to stay connected to each other and to the world. While connection is a must for human beings, too much social connection and information can leave us just as frazzled and emotionally hungover as a 3:30am night out on the town.
In our efforts to stay connected in this time of social isolation, it can be easy to say “yes” to every Zoom call, tempting to Skype with every person you know on any given day, and joining all the Facebook Groups might seem enticing. You may also be called to help others stay connected, so perhaps you’re starting groups, going Live, and creating Zoom classes. You may, if you are fortunate enough to be able to work from home, find that your clients need you more now than they did 3 weeks ago, and you have to take phone and teleconference calls or be in meetings that you didn’t need to deal with before.
It can get to be a lot.
You won’t catch me saying that I’m glad we’re going through a world-wide pandemic right now. I’m not. But I will say this: We have a unique opportunity, right now, to do two things — learn how to creatively work, teach, learn and help others without being in the same room AND learn how to sit quietly again, connect with our closest family members, find our connection to spirituality if that’s important to us, and spend time resting, being in nature, and creating. Now is as much a time for learning to meditate on your own and get comfortable in your skin as it is for connecting with your besties on Zoom or Hangouts.
Balance is the key.
Walk away from your computer, Friend. It will still be there in 15 minutes. Really. Give yourself a gift, and:
Go for a walk around the block;
Pet your fur friend;
Draw, doodle, paint;
Gaze out the window;
Get on a bike and go for a ride;
Dance alone;
Write a note to someone you love;
Close your eyes for a few minutes;
Sit. Breathe. Rest.
Then Connect again.
*This post was originally published by Tara E Moorman at https://ondhealingandcoaching.com/avoiding-social-overstimulation-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/
Photo credit: Gerd Altmann
