In a recent blogpost, I mentioned the unprecedented atmosphere that we are now facing with COVID-19. Social isolation is a major issue and can really be harmful to both physical and mental health. Since almost everyone I know has been self-isolating, it has been very difficult to make sure that we catch up and are aligned but a benefit of this has been the effort that I’ve seen colleagues and friends go to, in order to see and maintain a relationship with friends and family.

In the last week, I’ve had daily Zoom calls with colleagues on the latest status and developments in my projects. I’ve also had some great catch up calls with friends that I’ve not spoken to recently.

Due to the current lockdown and request for the elderly to stay home, I contacted my elderly relatives to ask if they need anything/ support during this time. I was really pleasantly suprised to see that neighbours and friends had already taken on this role and I was told: “My phone has never rung so much with offers of help”.

Whilst there are a lot of stories of isolation, the stories of supporting colleagues and teams has been heartwarming.

What can you do to reduce the social isolation?

Here are some hints for what you can to reduce the social isolation in your network:

• Set up regular calls with not just team members but also friends/family members. This can be made fun by inviting more people
• Give yourself the task to contact someone that you’ve not spoken to in the last month/quarter
• Focus on your health/ wellbeing. Try to make sure that you go outside and get fresh air every day
• If you’re allowed outside, exercise! It can be a great way to break up your working day

Are you feeling isolated as a result of working from home? What do you do to reduce the social isolation?