It's easy to find yourself feeling a little down in these uncertain times. Quarantine has made it difficult to go out and meet others, and it's understandable if you're feeling lonely. But it's not all bad. People are constantly coming up with new ways to be together even when everyone is being forced apart. The importance of keeping in touch with your friends and family, especially in these times, can't be overstated. Their love and support is oftenthe differencebetween crushing depression and bearable loneliness.
That said, it's still important to keep in touch with other people for the sake of your mental health. Loneliness can cause depression, and that can lead to a slew of negative effects on your physical health, too. It doesn't matter how holistic your skincare routine is or how cute your makeup is. You need to take care of your mind and spirit to stay completely healthy, and getting emotional support is essential to that.
Keeping in Touch-Distantly
One of the main gripes about quarantine is the inability to spend time with others. Sure, you can always send them a quick message or chat via social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and their associated messaging services. These offer a wide array of options to express how you're feeling digitally. But when you feel like that's not enough and you want to do something more fun and involved with your loved ones, there are many options to explore. One is Discord, which offers more ways to interact using third-party extensions that you can install.
Staying in touch with people you're comfortable with is vital to maintaining your sanity while you're in quarantine. Just having people check in on you and see how you are can help you feel loved and appreciated. You don't have to have long, in-depth conversations. Just the feeling of hanging out and listening to music with your friends can be enough when you're feeling down.
Talking to Strangers
If you're the type of person who enjoys going out and meeting new people, then the pandemic may have been especially hard on you. But don't worry; there are plenty of options out there to meet new people without actually having to go out. If you're just looking to talk to random people and not looking for a specific community, any of the many chat services on the Internet will do. But if you want to talk about something specific, try Reddit.
There's a page for almost anything on Reddit. Even if you're interested in something niche such as mechanical keyboards, it's easy to find a community of like-minded people to geek out about the things you love online. Being able to enthuse about your interests with like-minded peopleisa great feeling and an easy way to make new friends. Don't be afraid to expand your circle. It's one of the best ways to grow as a person and take in new ideas that can benefit you and the way you see the world.
Something Special
Maybe you feel lonely in a romantic sense and want to find that special someone you can love and adore for the rest of your days. It can be hard to find someone you can connect with on that level even without a pandemic making things a dozen times harder. That said, there is a way to connect with people who share your interests and beliefs and who also look for a romantic connection: matchmaking services.
Services such as Tinder,OkCupid, and Bumble all have you create a profile that's a snapshot of who you are. You can show it to all the other people you might be interested in based on your preferences. To some, it might feel less personal, but the connections you can build on dating apps are just as genuine as one you might make over a cup of coffee.
Digital or not, finding romance still requires you and the other person to "click" on some level, though. Yes, rejection can be hard. But finding that special person you can just be the most authentic version of yourself with is one of the best feelings a person can ever have.
Be Yourself
The most important thing you need to remember when meeting new people online is to be yourself. It's easy to slip into a persona or lie about who you are with a keyboard and the whole Internet between you and other people. But genuine human connection requires honesty and authenticity. If you can find people who love you for who you are, then you can be with someone who will stick by you no matter where you met them.
Don't be discouraged if you don't find people you can jive with immediately. Making new connections takes time. You have to keep at it, and eventually, you'll meet a whole host of new people to get to know and build healthy relationships with that can last a lifetime. Just don't go too crazy, and have fun!
