44 Ways to Stay Connected in a Socially ‘Honoring’ World. While we are still being asked to stay safer at home, here are some ways to keep your spirits up. An article I recently wrote.
5Zoom Fatigue: How to Politely Decline a Call During Quarantine. The usual boundaries that once dictated social etiquette around personal time have mostly dissolved. So how do you disconnect? On the flip side of feeling the pull to stay connected is the genuine need to disconnect. I mentioned in the last edition of 8 Good Things that I am crispy by the end of the day. A lot of it has to do with Zoom Fatigue and feel that we do need to set boundaries for our mental and emotional health. We do not have to attend every virtual social call or business for that matter. This article offers ways to decline invitations politely. A suggestion that I do is simply admit that I am overloading on Zoom calls and need the break. People understand and likely feel the same.
6 The Surprising Science of Happiness. As of May 24th, 18,744,626, people in forty-five languages have viewed this 2004 TEDTalk. Why? Because it is relevant. We all want to be happy, especially now, as we struggle to re-envision our lives in a COVID-19 world. Dan Gilbert, the author of “Stumbling on Happiness,” talks about how we typically think that we will be unhappy IF we do not get everything we want. That would be an erroneous thought, and science backs this up. The reason is that we synthesize happiness. Meaning we learn to like, even prefer what we end up with instead of what we do not. So, if you wanted a red Mercedes and ended up with a blue one, you would come to prefer having a blue Mercedes. This talk is funny and offers some surprising data on what does or does not make us happy, especially when we have no choice about a decision or outcome, kind of like now. I chose this talk because I thought it might offer some insights into reconciling how life will go in the coming weeks and months. I wanted to spend my birthday in Africa. Instead, I was in Los Angeles and had one of my favorite birthdays. If I synthesized a happy day, I am okay with that. It beats being depressed that I could not be somewhere else.
7 8 Ways to Go Out and Stay Safe During the Coronavirus Pandemic. This article makes a point that I have been thinking about lately, in light of states and other countries beginning to reopen. When the HIV/AIDS epidemic was at its height, we had to learn about safe sex because the reality of abstention was just not going to happen for most people. Somewhat similar today. Yes, we will be the safest at home. However, it is not realistic to think that we will never venture outside in the coming weeks and months. I have to go outside every day to walk for my mental sanity. So, similar to safe sex, we need to learn how to go safely into the world again. Think about the concept of ‘harm reduction,’ looking at risk along a continuum to find the best way to minimize it.