I’ve been reading some blog posts from others and over the past two months, for obvious reasons, there has been an increase in anxiety. At the present time, anxiety can thrive because most people are practicing some form of social distancing. It might be worse for the ones who are alone, as they find themselves in a strange isolation, unlike any other. One problem with isolation is that it separates us from the group. There is a lot that can be said about herd mentality, but the simple truth is most of us are social beings. We like to be around others, in varying degrees of quantity influenced by our personality.

In prison, one of the forms of punishment is solitary confinement. The guards lock up the prisoner, away from everyone else. Why would anyone dread being locked away from others so much? I can say after living through this lockdown, isolated from everyone, I am getting only a taste of what it would be like. The prisoners have it far worse because they do not have access to what we do. Can you imagine what living through this would be like without the internet? Without phones to call and text each other? Technology gets a bad reputation for distancing us from each other, and quite frankly there is a great amount of truth in that. But who would have known how it would grant us access to one another in a time like this? I certainly didn’t see this coming.

Many employees are working from home and learning how to conduct meetings online. Some are already accustomed to doing this, but the rest are learning new ways to communicate. People are connecting to different regions throughout the world in a way they never thought possible. Apps are being created to unite groups of people in new ways. There are so many platforms we can use to guard ourselves from isolation.

The responsibility ultimately lies on us to prevent ourselves from being totally isolated. We must reach out to each other and connect; just not physically. I believe in the power of words. They have power to make or break us. As such, they can be used to build up what anxiety has been trying to tear down. Thoughtfulness is another tool we can use to stay connected. I know it is old fashioned, but whenever I get a card or letter from someone, it means so much to me. Not the card itself, but the fact that they took the time to go buy a card and selected a message that felt appropriate. It shows that the person cared, enough to do something about it.

There are so many ways to reach out and love someone, not in a creepy way though! Find a way today to let someone know you care.