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Most people don鈥檛 think about themselves in terms of connection. After all, you are yourself, right? You know who you are, what you like and dislike, what you鈥檙e passionate about. But what happens when you suddenly have way more time to think about yourself in-depth? Do you start to think about your mistakes and embarrassing moments? Do you relive positive memories only to feel disappointed with the present? Let鈥檚 review some strategies and resources for how to get in touch with ourselves on a deeper level and make it work in our favor.

Introvert or Extrovert?

• Maybe you already know, maybe you don鈥檛. Take this to find out and be sure to read the description at the end.
• So, what does this mean? Quizzes like this don鈥檛 tell you who you are, but they give you the opportunity to explore why you鈥檙e uncomfortable with or why you鈥檙e less likely to seek out when stressed.
• Get comfortable in your own skin! Not sure how? Explore some tips and .

Self-Esteem, Self-Worth, and Self-Respect

• It鈥檚 All the Same! Self-esteem defined 鈥� Confidence in one鈥檚 own worth or abilities; self-respect.
• How to Get There: It鈥檚 time to show yourself some , , and .
• How Does This Help with Isolation? We spend more time with ourselves than with anyone else. Improving our self-esteem, and not relying on others to feel good about ourselves, also leads to increased and .

Putting it All into Action

• Connect by Disconnecting: We can鈥檛 connect to ourselves if we鈥檙e always plugged in to distractions. Try a to focus during 鈥測ou time.鈥�
• Establish (& Maintain) a Routine: While this may sound like an overwhelming or daunting task, setting & keeping a routine makes your days smoother and less stressful. Start with a creating a and take it from there.

Things to Do

• Get moving with these free
• Ever wanted to play the guitar? has a free 3-month trial.
• Interested in learning a new language? Rosetta Stone is offering 3 months free to and has on sale at super low prices.
• Need more ideas? Look .

More Helpful Information

Staying in contact with friends and family that you don鈥檛 live with is hard enough when there鈥檚 not a global pandemic. Between classes, homework, work, and other responsibilities, keeping in contact with loved ones can fall on the back burner.

Today we鈥檒l explore some ways to stay connected with family and friends that are fun, easy, and not overly burdensome to anyone involved. Let鈥檚 start with the fun stuff!

Fun Times, Good Memories

It can be hard to create meaningful and lasting memories when you鈥檙e apart from loved ones. Thanks to the technology currently available to us, it鈥檚 a much easier task now than it was for past generations. Try some of these activities to get your circles together:

• Try for family movie night or a watch part with friends.
• Play an improve game like , , or .
• Or go for a like Charades, Pictionary, or Scattergories.
• Have a competition or .

Learn or Grow Together

Learning and personal growth don鈥檛 have to be boring, academic, solo endeavors. There are plenty of ways for you and your family or circle of friends to become better together. Think about:

• A of the Week鈥攚atch together and process together afterwards.
• A discussion about a while having breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
• Listen to an educational AND entertaining together鈥攊t鈥檚 like a watch party for your ears.
• Revive the art of written correspondence鈥攕end old school letters to those you love. You can print postage from home by signing up for a free

Talk About What Matters

Maybe you鈥檝e been putting off important coronavirus talks with your kids or parents. Maybe you want to finally tell your friend how they upset you that one time and it鈥檚 still bugging you. Maybe it鈥檚 time to seek out online individual, couples, or family therapy. Whatever it is, there鈥檚 no time like the present, when everyone is literally a captive audience, to get some things resolved. Where to start:

• Are you concerned about friends or family that aren鈥檛 taking social distancing seriously? Here鈥檚 how to about it. Hint: it鈥檚 not by picking a fight.
• Nervous about talking to the children in your life about COVID-19? Whether you鈥檙e afraid of frightening them or just aren鈥檛 sure what to say, can walk you through the basics.
• Trying to live with your roommate without hating them? Let this help you avoid pitfalls and bad times.

Remember, there is no playbook for this. We are all learning what works for us and what doesn鈥檛 as we live through this experience. to yourself and to those you love and are close to.

 

Staying connected to your community can be especially difficult when you can鈥檛 get out into your community. Search social media for community groups and pages and get connected. Not sure where to start? Let鈥檚 explore the options that are out there.

Check in With Your Faith Community

Does your place of worship have a website? Does it need help from the community right now? Does your greater faith community have regular community events that may have moved online? Play detective and see what鈥檚 out there. Here are some examples to get you started:

• Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City
• Islamic Society of 麻豆传媒映画出品
• Catholic Diocese of 麻豆传媒映画出品
• Community Christian Church

Be a Helper

There are several ways to stay engaged with and help your community (from home) during this chaotic time. Community organizations may need volunteers or donations. People who are unemployed due to stay-at-home orders may need help connecting with assistance. Below are some ideas:

• Give a a forever home
• Find local people in need via
• or for healthcare professionals. No problem.
• Out-of-work , , or ? Share these links with others or use them yourself.

Join a New Community

Do you have a hobby or topic that you鈥檙e passionate about? Are you absolutely in love with your major? Is there something you used to do every third Wednesday of the month? Just need a group of non-judgmental people to use as a sounding board? It鈥檚 easier than ever now to find your virtual tribe.

• Need to get things off your chest or out of your head in a safe and supportive community? Try downloading the Vent app for or .
• Love to read but don鈥檛 have anyone to talk books with? An might be right for you.
• Are you a trivia buff? Miss showing off your knowledge of the random & obscure? Try online sites like or , or download an .
• Join an or .

Being part of a community is not always determined by geography and location. It鈥檚 determined by collective interaction between people who share interests, beliefs, passions, and even identifying characteristics. Whatever group you (want to) belong to, having a sense of belonging is the third most important humans have, after basic needs (like food and water) and safety.

Whether you love to travel the world, have never left your hometown/state, or anything in between, there鈥檚 a great big, beautiful world out there. Our ability to experience the world outside of our immediate surroundings is greater than ever, so get out there and EXPLORE!

See What the US Has to Offer

Get a group of friends (or family members) together and take a virtual tour of some of the nation鈥檚 greatest attractions, both natural and manmade. Check the internet to see if there are any printable activities that go along with the tour and compare your experiences.

• The National Park Service describes the : 鈥淗igh ancient sea ledges, deep rocky canyons, flowering cactus, and desert wildlife 鈥� treasures above the ground in the Chihuahuan Desert [New Mexico]. Hidden beneath the surface are more than 119 caves鈥攆ormed when sulfuric acid dissolved limestone leaving behind caverns of all sizes.鈥�
• Visit NYC and tour , the fifth largest, but most famous, park in New York.
• Relax with the beautiful, flowing movements of sea life at the in Baltimore, Maryland.
• Love museums? Explore the or the in Washington, DC.

Be a (Virtual) Globetrotter

Record your worldly travels by creating your own (unofficial) at home. Print it or keep it electronically. Travel solo or bring a friend along. Take turns choosing locations to broaden your options. Suggestions:

• See one of the Seven Wonders of the World by visiting the in Egypt. No sunscreen needed.
• Explore priceless works of art in Paris at the and the .
• Feel like royalty wandering around in London.
• Walk the or see it in an amazing

Walk on the Wild Side

Have the past two days been a little 鈥減eople heavy鈥� for you? Do you miss trips to the zoo or wildlife park? Luckily, you can get your 鈥渁ww鈥� fix online in a number of places!

• Visit any of these zoos online: , , , or .
• Do you have a greater interest in marine animals? Check out the , the , or the .
• Or, is there a particular type of animal you love, like , , , or .

Whichever approach you choose, you鈥檙e sure to feel less isolated and confined after experiencing more than your immediate surroundings. Even getting out in your yard or walking around the neighborhood (which are great for getting out of the house) may seem monotonous and redundant after a while. Even a few minutes of a virtual tour can provide hours of cabin fever relief.

This week we鈥檝e gotten in touch with ourselves, our closest circles, the communities around us, and other parts of the country and world. We crammed a lot into the past 4 days. As intensive as this seems, hopefully all of the exploration has given you ideas, strategies, and activities for coping with feelings of isolation during these strange times. Try to do at least a couple of the activities you learned about here (or your own!) every week. Schedule a regularly occurring event you can always count on and look forward to. Like we said before: there is no playbook for what we鈥檙e all going through, the best we can do is support each other and try new things.

From us at Care Team, thank you!