Strengthen your connection to self by developing self-knowledge (understanding who you are) and self-compassion (recognizing your value and worth), which are critical for being comfortable with yourself.
Make time for solitude to quiet external and internal noise, focus on yourself, and just ‘be,’ which helps manage stress, center yourself, and enables deeper connections with others.
Utilize meditation as a powerful tool to strengthen your connection with yourself, aiding in self-knowledge and self-compassion.
Engage in loving-kindness (Metta) meditations to cultivate self-compassion and rebuild your connection with yourself.
Recognize loneliness as a universal risk and prioritize relationships, which will necessitate reorganizing your life to center around fostering strong connections.
Use challenging times as an opportunity to re-examine how you live and your priorities, considering if focusing on the quality of relationships could lead to more fulfillment.
Make a conscious effort to prioritize social connections, such as regularly having lunch with friends, accepting social plans even when inconvenient, and making time for mentoring, as this can be incredibly rewarding.
Dedicate 5-10 minutes daily to reach out to someone you love, ideally via video conference to see their face and hear their voice, or by phone call or text, to check on them and let them know you’re thinking of them.
Improve the quality of interactions by reducing multitasking and distractions (e.g., refreshing social media, checking email) during conversations, as even five minutes of focused interaction is more impactful than 30 minutes of distracted conversation.
When on calls with multiple people, explicitly suggest making a pact to focus solely on each other for the duration of the conversation (e.g., 10-15 minutes) to improve interaction quality and mutual motivation.
Improve communication and connection by practicing active listening, which involves reflecting back what people are saying, making them feel heard and validated.
Serve other people as a powerful way to combat loneliness; it builds immediate positive connections and reminds you of your own value and worth to the world.
Simple acts of service, like reaching out to a struggling neighbor or friend, or dropping off food to a colleague, can be incredibly powerful in strengthening human connection.
Ensure you spend time with good friends who truly know you, as they can act as ‘mirrors’ to remind you of your inherent value and help clarify who you are when you forget.
Engage in small, positive interactions with strangers, such as a simple smile or greeting, as these can significantly boost your mood and make you feel less lonely.
Strive to be emotionally present with your children, not just physically, as they often remind us of the importance of being fully engaged and focused on the quality of time spent together.
Find centeredness through practices like meditation (even for five minutes), sitting outside to breathe and feel the wind, or taking five minutes to reflect on three things you’re grateful for.
Be gentle and compassionate with yourself and others, recognizing that current extraordinary stresses (like a pandemic) are unprecedented and not something people are trained for.
Recognize that current struggles (like loneliness and stress during a pandemic) are a shared experience, which can provide comfort and reduce feelings of isolation.
Advocate for and work towards structuring workplaces, schools, government, and public policy around the importance of human connection to build a more people-centered society.
Consider offering meditation training in your workplace to help ground and strengthen employees, especially those who are highly driven and at risk of burnout.
Consider purchasing the book ‘10% Happier’ as an ebook ($1.99) or audiobook ($6.99) while it’s on sale (through Monday, April 20th), especially if you need information about meditation during stressful times.