Tag: emotional connections

Reflections on pandemic birthdays and other celebrations

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Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time

Jean Paul Richter

A notification popped up on my phone this morning to remind me to send a birthday message to a friend. And it also reminds me that I have missed the opportunity to celebrate so many birthdays for family and friends face to face during these past many months. How do we acknowledge these special moments and stay connected to those we care about as we enter yet again another wave of Covid?

During these times of disruption, it is worth thinking about reaching out and connecting with everyone important in our lives not just on special occasions like birthdays and other milestones but as often as we are able to while we collectively continue to try to manage to live with this virus. How easy it is to drift along and isolate ourselves without realizing that we are actually doing so.

There is so much that we have missed out on that has been beyond our control. It’s also been challenging to avoid the political pandering and the angry vitriol that has been spreading as fast the as the delta variant in our community. But we do have the ability to maintain and keep our important emotional connections active and well.

If there is someone in your life who has a birthday or other milestone event coming up, take the time to find some unique and different way to celebrate.

Now is the time to seek out silver linings for ourselves and those around us. In spite of the fourth wave and all the rest of the chaos.

Wishes for all the birthdays coming your way!

Stay healthy and safe!

Staying Emotionally Connected while practicing Social Distancing

The biggest tip of all to promote healthy emotions as we age is to find a way to help others. It is much more difficult to be depressed or dreary if you are working to make someone else’s life better.

Daniel J. Levitin

The closure of our local libraries due to COVID-19 preventative measures came just after I picked up a copy of Daniel J. Levitin’s 2020 book, “Successful Aging: A neuroscientist explores the power and potential of our lives.”

Amidst the many amazing pieces of information I am absorbing from this dense and fascinating read, are the many ways in which hundreds of neurotransmitters and neurohormones interact in complex ways and influence our psychological and physiological well being.

The critical impact that our social connections can have on our neurological and emotional well being was clear in his writing.

At the same time, I have been trying to figure out the ins and outs of what social distancing entails, the basics of where I can go, what I can do and who I should see. I have also been obsessively monitoring the local, national, and international world news on the coronavirus and its deadly spread across the globe.

Each time I leave my computer, I then wash my hands and am now applying salve as I am developing a rash from excessive hand washing.

With all that is going on in the world, it has been challenging to keep a positive frame of mind and emotional balance.

Following more reflection on how to safely connect with others, I have been using technology as much as possible to reach out to family and friends to see how they are faring in these difficult times.

It has made me realize that I should make these efforts routine in my life and there has in fact, been a positive emotional impact after connecting with those I care about. Reaching out to those in our families, and our social networks, does in fact, contribute to emotional well being. Doing it more frequently, especially when life returns to some sense of normalcy, will be important for us all.

Connect with those you care about in safe and positive ways. Wash your hands, practice social distancing, and stay healthy and safe.