The health benefits of social media distancing

A month and a half ago, if we heard the term social distancing odds are heavily in favor of us not knowing what it meant. Since life happens and reality plays by its own rules, social distancing has become the norm for most of us.  In case you need a refresher, social distancing is defined as “a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures taken to prevent the spread of a contagious disease by maintaining a physical distance between people and reducing the number of times people come into close contact with each other.” In simpler words, avoiding physical contact and even proximity to ensure we remain healthy. Yet this concept is something that can also apply to our digital selves in this digital era. 

As we all get used to the new normal which isn’t very normal, we all respond in different ways and the name of the game is to remain healthy in both body and mind. Even before the pandemic, social media was already something that people talked about in how it affected them. Quite often, people would take a social media break and even I have done that from time to time, because although it is highly engaging, and entertaining, it can exert a hell of a lot of influence in people and not always bring out the best in them. 

As days grow into weeks and will likely become months while we sort out this health crisis, people will respond in different ways. Some will reach out, some will share humorous things and messages of hope, and others will pick fights over the most mundane things and focus on statistics that increase the worry or share news articles about the people who have died or have been incredibly affected. You can understand why people would go down any of those routes, though it is also important to remember that if we are being affected by what someone shares, we can mute, block, or unfollow them. This might seem harsh because part of our nature might say we need these are times where we need to stick together, but the fact remains that empathy should work both ways and quite often it is not practiced in equal manners. 

You see people standing on their soap boxes, writing kilometric posts, picking fights with anyone who posts something they don’t agree with and it’s something we can all understand if we put ourselves in someone's shoes… that’s how they vent or process the craziness we’re living. But just because we understand doesn’t mean we need to participate or watch the blow-by-blow. 

Hence the possibility that social media distancing is also something we will have to practice now and beyond this crisis. And we can define it as “monitoring and editing the media we’re exposed to in order to avoid content that may aggravate emotional stress to prevent the spread of emotional duress. This does not apply to information we need to know, such as guidelines to ensure our health and safety.” That second sentence has to be added because even though it’s obvious, it needs to be clarified and said explicitly. The content you should edit is the one that doesn’t contain official information that may be beneficial if we all adhere to it, i.e. stay home, practice social distancing, enforce rigorous hygiene habits, etc. The editing refers to picking a fight over a political debate, not reading about conspiracy theories that if proved wrong or right will not make a difference, and generally avoiding people who exercise their right to personal expression in toxic ways. 

It is also important to note, that this isn’t promoting cancel culture, which is basically ignoring anyone who disagrees with you and acting as if they don’t exist. That’s shallow, immature, and solves little to nothing. What is being suggested is to avoid toxicity, being mindful, try and have a positive impact and if someone has a different opinion, either engage in a friendly manner or avoid for the time being. There is a myriad of issues we can fight about… but let’s do it later. Right now seems to be a good time to either know or find out the best way to focus your time and energy and make sure it is to the benefit of you and anyone else in your household. 

Here’s to giving our best, finding our best, and mining any and all silver linings during these odd times. 

Peace, love, and maki rolls