Mental Health Mondays: Connecting While Distancing
We are not mental health professionals. If you are feeling overwhelmed with emotions like anxiety or depression, or they are impacting your daily life, please reach out to professionals who can help you. If you need immediate help, use the National Suicide Hotline, 1-800-273-8255, which offers online chats as well. Jewish Community Services also offer help for people experiencing emotional crises.
We aim to provide some tips and guides to help those who are self-isolating, and to connect with our JMM community. These ideas might not work for everyone, but we hope that by starting the conversation about mental health, we can inspire you to take a moment to breathe and reflect on what you need today to feel good.
~Talia Makowsky, JMM Visitor Services Coordinator
You can check out our past Mental Health Mondays posts here.
Here in Maryland, we have reached a full month under a Stay-At-Home order from our governor, and many of us have been self-isolating for longer. Staying isolated is difficult. For folks who are used to going out and about, this situation is a shock to our way of life. For some, this experience is unfortunately familiar, as certain conditions force people to stay home or keep them from participating in certain activities.
No matter who you are, isolation is a dangerous condition that can cause lower immunity and higher rates of cardiovascular problems. Whether the loneliness causes poorer sleep, unhealthy habits, or higher rates of stress, these effects have a profound impact on our health. In order to stave off the loneliness that comes with isolation, we want to suggest some ways to connect with others, be it friends, family, or the larger community. By reaching you, not only will it improve your mood and emotional state, but your overall physical health. And when you connect with someone, you’re helping them too!
Of course, there are some simple tried-and-true ways to reach out to others. Picking up the phone for a conversation is an easy option, even if it’s just for a few minutes. To get double the health benefits, go for a walk while you talk on the phone. That’s a favorite multitask of our Development and Marketing Manager, Rachel Kassman. Jewish Volunteer Connection even has volunteering opportunities to call those who are isolated, included Meals on Wheels clients and Atrium Village senior living residents. You can also text people, if phone calls are too intimidating, or send them an email. For an old-fashioned way of connecting, send letters to your loved ones. (And buying stamps right now is a great way to support the US Postal Service). Just remember to wash your hands after handling any letters or packages delivered.
These aren’t the only ways to connect with loved ones. People have been finding and using all sorts of technology, new and old, to find ways to spend time with their families. If you want to video-chat someone, you can use Zoom, Google Hangouts, or many other video calling services available. Just make sure to check the limitations of the accounts. For example, Zoom for free only allows you to talk to two people for an unlimited time. If you have 3 or more, the call will end after 40 minutes. You can always upgrade to a paid account, or find an alternative service, if you want to talk to a group of people for longer.
While using video chatting, you can also play games or watch movies with friends. If you want to host movie night, you can do that a few different ways. Zoom allows you to share your screen, so that everyone can watch Netflix or Amazon Prime videos together. Other apps built specifically for synchronized casting are also useful, like Netflix Party and Kast. Explore these options and see what works best for you and your attendees.
If you want to play games with friends, you can do so online for free, with sites like Playing Cards and Board Game Arena. If you’re willing to spend a little bit of money, I highly recommend the Jackbox Party Packs. These party games can be bought and downloaded on computers or game consoles, and they’re a hilarious way to play with friends. As long as someone has the game, everyone else can join in using their mobile devices. And if you’re unsure of how to set up the games remotely, Jackbox has even written a whole guide of how to play with people far away.
So, make some plans to watch a scary movie, play Fibbage, or light Shabbat candles together. We could all use some smiles right now.