Social connection improves physical health and psychological well-being. It is thought to support our immune system and help us recover more quickly from disease and may even lengthen our life. People who stay connected suffer less from anxiety and depression and are less likely to feel lonely.

At the time of writing this post, the United Kingdom and much of the world is in lock-down and enforced isolation due to Covid-19 so it is more important than ever that we resource ourselves with ways to stay connected, especially as a lack of social connection is a greater health concern than obesity, smoking and hypertension.

Eat a varied diet, yes, get outside if you can and exercise but more importantly, stay connected.

Plenty of studies have found correlations between higher social media use and poorer mental health, including depression, anxiety, feelings of loneliness and isolation, lower self-esteem, and even suicidality.

At this time therefore it is more important than ever to cultivate balance.

Try to have real conversations with people you know and not those you friended on Instagram or Facebook. There are plenty of platforms that enable video connection such as Messenger, Instagram and What’s App. There are also many online platforms that allow you to connect to more than one person at a time such as Skype, Zoom, Google and so on.

I might be preaching to the choir, but take this time to think about the people that are most important to you, but also the activities that are most important. You can use video conferencing to play a game with your family (if you all have the same game in your house such as Monopoly or Uno). You could draw the same Still Life and compare. You could bake the same cake and enjoy it over a cup of tea. You could meditate together and discuss your experience, read a book together, practice yoga or dance to the same piece of music!

Use your imagination, ask family and friends to help over the phone if you can but whatever you do, stay connected!