SOCIALLY CONNECTING WHILE PHYSICALLY DISTANCING SOCIALLY CONNECTING WHILE PHYSICALLY DISTANCING

PHYSICAL DISTANCING VS SOCIAL When you DISTANCING understand that We are all familiar with the new term “social distancing” as a way to keep ourselves and our community safe during the COVID-19 being connected to pandemic. But, is it social distancing that we are really trying to others is one of life’s encourage, or is it physical distancing? From the Innovative LIFE Options perspective, we understand how important relationships greatest joys, you are and we believe social connection is what we need to realize that life’s encourage during this pandemic; alongside physical distancing. best comes when WHAT IS PHYSICAL DISTANCING? you initiate and It turns out we are not alone in the belief that we got off on the invest in solid wrong foot when coming up with the term social distancing. We are now seeing a push to change our wording and start using the relationships.” — phrase physical distancing. The government of Canada has even John C. Maxwell changed their resources to promote the new term, physical distancing. WHAT DOES PHYSICAL DISTANCING MEAN? PRACTICING PHYSICAL This means making changes in your everyday DISTANCING routines in order to minimize close contact with others, including: avoiding crowded places and non-essential gatherings greet with a wave avoiding common greetings, such as handshakes instead of a limiting contact with people at higher risk (e.g. older adults and handshake, a kiss or a those in poor health) hug keeping a distance of at least 2 arms lengths (approximately 2 stay home as much as metres) from others, as much as possible possible, including for meals and If possible, entertainment use food delivery services or online shopping shop or take public exercise at home or outside transportation during work from home off-peak hours

conduct virtual Remember to: meetings host virtual wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds playdates for your avoid touching your face kids cough or sneeze into the bend of your arm use technology to keep avoid touching surfaces people touch often in touch with friends and family For more information on physical distancing please visit https://www.canada.ca/en/public- health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/social- distancing.html SOCIAL CONNECTION Great! Now that we all agree that physical distance, not social distance is what we need, let’s talk about social connection.

Did you know those who live their lives in isolation, with few to no relationships, are more susceptible to significant health risks? On the other hand, relationships build self-esteem, they improve mental and emotional health and help you live a fuller life.

Having relationships contribute to long, healthy, and happy lives. Therefore, social connections are what we need to be encouraging right now.

How do we promote social connection and community engagement when we can’t leave our homes? This resource has been created to give you some ideas of how to encourage building relationships and staying connected. STAYING ENGAGED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY Just because we are practicing physical distancing, doesn’t mean we can’t find ways to engage in community. People can feel a sense of togetherness just by sharing in an interest or common theme. Helping others or asking for help reminds us we are not in this alone. Staying engaged builds community and helps us all grow stronger.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? Sign up for Help Next Door Manitoba: Help Next Door Manitoba is a network of helpers coming together as a community. Sign up to be a helper or receive help here: https://helpnextdoormb.ca/ Organize a neighbourhood pod. Pods are neighbours who actively choose to stay involved in each other’s lives. Visit the link below to learn how you can set up your own neighbourhood pod. How to Start a Neighbourhood Pod: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17iMBTzaM4tPsUym- wyiEqOcOAiHVKiXN3XSjJ26TBKM/edit#heading=h.gdpwagieen0s Be a part of the care mongering movement. Drop off a card, supplies or a treat to a neighbour or a struggling caregiver. Create your own team or support network. Reach out to neighbours, family and friends and invite them to join your network. If you are struggling, assign roles and ask for help. Work on your front yard, be seen and let others know you see them too. Set up a table of supplies in your front yard to share with neighbours. Put up your Christmas lights and encourage your community to do the same. Go for a walk around your neighbourhood. Don’t forget to say hi to others! Wave at your neighbours when you see them. The practice of physical distancing can sometimes give the impression of pushing people away. Try to be more intentional in letting others know you see them, you miss them and you are glad they are here. Virtually start up a club or resume an existing club that stopped meeting. Set up a Zoom video call with your book club, cooking class, prayer group or card group… If you aren’t already, try joining different social media options. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Linked In; these are all virtual ways you can connect with communities of interest and geographic communities, without leaving your own home.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? CONTINUED Join your local community Facebook page or a community of interest Facebook page. Join the conversation Go live! Live stream yourself on Facebook. While streaming, go for a walk and invite friends to virtually join you or record yourself teaching a new skill for others to learn. We all have gifts to share and now is a great time to virtually share them with others. Join the Window Gallery movement and paint your front window – In Winnipeg you can find their Facebook page and a map of homes participating, under the name Winnipeg Window Gallery. Encourage your community to participate in a window theme like teddy bears or kids art. Go for a drive, make a game of it! Visit a different community and check out their window galleries. Print out a scavenger hunt or BINGO cards for the drive. https://www.momsminivan.com/scavenger.html https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/road-trips/articles/road-trip-bingo Support your local economy. Order take out, shop online, shop local. Start an online recipe swap or ideas of fun things for kids or adults to do while at home. Check out blogs that interest you; this could be a travel blog, cooking, art, religion, architecture, theatre, sports, food, the options are endless! Find ways to join the conversations. Ask others to participate in a weekly challenge. Choose a theme and get others to send in photos, i.e. flowers. Create a compilation video of submissions and share. Check in on your friends and neighbours. Give them a call and see how they are doing and if they need anything. Do they have enough food and supplies? Make an extra meal and drop it off.

“Any one of us can pick up a phone and call to see how people are doing and what they might need. Not only will helping others potentially help them, but it can help us to still feel connected as well.” — Julianne Holt- Lunstad, Brigham Young University MAINTAINING STRONG RELATIONSHIPS AT HOME Tensions can rise as we deal with cabin fever and the growing responsibilities and adaptations in our homes. Finding balance between spending time together and finding time for yourself is important. We are supplying a list of ideas of things to do as a family or roommates, and things to try on your own.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? INDEPENDENTLY

Drawing, painting or an art project Read a book Write your own book! Don’t know where to start, there are many sites like this https://www.createmybooks.com/CA/en/write-a-book that guide you through the process and even show you how to turn your book into an e-book to share with others. Do a puzzle. You can either access your own collection of puzzles at home or check out https://jigsawpuzzles.io/ for a variety of online puzzle options. Learn a new skill online-check out https://www.Skillshare.com for hundreds of options in online classes. Pick a room and clean out a space that’s been in need of some love and purging. Try out yoga or meditation online. There are lots of great yoga videos on YouTube. Guided yoga practice: https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene Guided meditation practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pLUleLdwY4 Exercise! Just because the gym has closed, doesn’t mean you can’t access a huge variety of training videos online. Here is a link to 50 online exercise videos you can do at home https://makeyourbodywork.com/how-to-exercise-at-home/ Learn how to Dance. Dancing alone together offers all sorts of online dance classes https://www.dancingalonetogether.org/classes. Start a journal or a blog. You can make your own blog using sites like wix.com, wordpress.com or weebly.com. They are easy to set up and free! Put together a scrapbook, make a hard copy or have fun using digital tools online. You can try: Scrapgirls, My Memories, SweetShoppe Designs, Smilebox or Free Pretty Things for You.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? FAMILY AND ROOMMATES Playing a board game or card game Doing a puzzle Cooking a meal or baking Family movie night Group art project Go through old family photos together Create a scrapbook Have a dinner party (with those who you live with)! Give yourselves a reason to get dressed up and enjoy a nice meal together. Make invitations, plan a menu, set the table. Planning fun family events can help bring new purpose to your day and something to look forward to.

Our Friends at Continuity Care came up with a great list to avoid boredom, you can access this resource here: http://continuitycare.ca/event/avoid-boredom/

“Home is a shelter from storms-all sorts of storms.” William J. Bennett STAYING CONNECTED TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY OUTSIDE YOUR HOME Technology offers us the opportunity to see our friends and family, play games, socialize, build new skills, learn new information and build connections without ever leaving our home. The options for virtual connections seem endless these days, but here are a few options that can help you reach out to those you are missing.

VIDEO CALLING AND SOCIAL NETWORKING APPS Facetime: Compatible with iOS technologies such as iPhone or iPad or apple computers. Allows for one to one video communication. Can only support a two person conversation. Skype: Cross platform, meaning it can be used on different types of computers, phones and different software. Skype can be used on your computer, on iPhone or Android devices. Skype allows for audio communication between more than one person, but if you want video conferencing with more than one person, you will need to pay for the service. Zoom: This cross platform option allows for both audio and video communication for free. You can have your own account or be invited into a conversation/meeting without committing to your own account. Only the host needs to have an account. Free conversations can last up to 40 minutes. If you would like to host longer meetings you will need to pay for the service. WhatsApp: This is a cross platform text and voice messaging app (application). It allows for sending texts, documents, photos and videos. You can also use WhatsApp to do video calling with up to four people. This app is completely free to use and also allows for free international calling. Google Duo: Is another cross platform option for video calling. Google Duo works on Android and iOS smartphones, tablets, computers, and Smart Displays. You can send a video message if no one is answering and you can video chat with up to 12 people. You do need a phone number to use Duo and you can use Duo to make voice calls as well, not just video. Google Hangouts: Google Hangouts are a little different than Duo. Duo is only able to make video calls, where Hangouts can also be used for sending text messages. Google Duo is a specially designed mobile phone app, where as Hangouts can be synced across different devices using a Single Google account.

VIDEO CALLING AND SOCIAL NETWORKING APPS CONTINUED Facebook Messenger: Messenger is not just for Facebook users anymore. You can download the Messenger app on your iOS, Android or Microsoft device without having to sign up for a Facebook account. This completely free app offers text messaging, audio calling as well as video chats and most recently Messenger has added in a group video option, you can have up to 50 people in a group conversation. House Party: House Party is a social networking cross platform app. This app allows you to hold video conference parties with friends. The draw on this app is that you can play online games with up to 7 friends; a couple of the more popular games are “Chips and Guac and “Heads up”. This app does have the potential for strangers to join your party though, so if that is a concern for you, you can either choose the lock setting that allows you to lock your party room, so strangers can’t enter, or don’t use this app if this makes you nervous.

For more details on these options as well as other video calling options, check out this blog post. https://www.twincities.com/2020/04/01/the-coronavirus-has-made-video-chat- services-popular-here-are-the-best-ones/

“Home is where love resides, memories are created, friends always belong, and laughter never ends.”— Unknown KEEP IT SIMPLE

Write a letter to a friend or family member and send it by snail mail. Phone up a friend, even if it doesn’t have video display. Sometimes just hearing someone’s voice is enough. Create a text group and connect regularly with the group.

ONLINE GAMES YOU CAN PLAY WITH FRIENDS Shared puzzles: https://jigsawpuzzles.io/ Jackbox Games: https://www.jackboxgames.com/about/ Scattergories: https://scattergoriesonline.net/ Uno: https://www.letsplayuno.com/ BINGO: https://www.bingomaker.com/web-app/ Mario Kart Tour: You can download this app and play with up to 7 of your friends. House Party Games: This social networking app has numerous games built into it to make playing games with friends online easier and a whole lot of fun. This app can be downloaded from Google Play or the App Store. Playing Cards: Playingcards.io is a website where you can play a variety of card games from kid’s classics to adult games like Cards Against Humanity. http://playingcards.io/ Tabletopia: This website offers hundreds of free online board games. https://tabletopia.com/ Pogo: This website offers over 100 games such as ISK, Yahtzee, Monopoly, Chess, and Bejeweled. https://earlyaccess.pogo.com/ Pictionary and Charades: If you don’t want to download any games on your phone or computer, you can try setting up a video conference call with friends. We have listed many options under Video Calling and Social Networking Apps. Pictionary and Charades are two great options of games that don’t have many physical pieces necessary to play the game. GROUP HANG

Compare your favourite Music Albums: For the music fans out there you can use never ending chart rendering to make a collage and compare your favourite chart toppers on this website https://www.neverendingchartrendering.org/ Sing Together: Do you sing in a choir or just in the shower? Do you have friends who like to sing? This may not be for everyone, but for those who love to sing, come together in song! Share music with friends and plan a choir party! Don’t have friends who will sing with you? Try out this virtual choir party option https://www.timeout.com/news/you-can-now-sing- along-with-strangers-in-these-virtual-choirs-032420 Plan a group colouring party with a theme: Virtually colour together while you chat about a shared interest. This colouring book https://inclusion.com/product/coloring-book- make-a-difference/ was created by Inclusion Press and is called “Make a Difference Support Valued Experiences”. You can also google adult colouring pages and send out your favourite themed pictures to friends to print off in their own home. Knitting, Crotchet or Art: Invite friends to chat while you virtually knit, crotchet or work on an art project together. Have coffee or a drink together: Have a virtual coffee date with friends. Taking the time away from your family or roommates to connect with others is important. Connecting with others doesn’t need to be a big planned event, sharing your day over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine can offer some cabin fever relief. Create a private Facebook group: Use private Facebook groups to connect, share pictures, posts, ideas and feelings. Invite your family and/or friends to join. MANAGING STRESS AND ANXIETY DURING A PANDEMIC We acknowledge that living through a pandemic can be extremely stressful. Some people may cope with this stress better than others. If you or someone you live with is struggling with mental health during these challenging times, there are a number of resources to help you cope and take care of yourself.

SELF-CARE RESOURCES Canadian Mental Health Association: If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, you can access a number of resources through the Canadian Mental Health Association here: https://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/mhcc-covid-19-resources

The province of Manitoba has launched an online option for dealing with anxiety during the pandemic which includes phone based counselling and online cognitive behaviour therapy options.

Mental Health Virtual Therapy Program: Caring for your mental health is important during the COVID-19 pandemic. AbilitiCBT is a new digital therapy program from Morneau Shepell, available to all Manitobans experiencing low to mid symptoms of anxiety due to the pandemic. You can access this virtual therapy here: https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/bewell/virtualtherapy.html Managing your Stress: Talking about what might happen and what actions can be taken may help families cope with the effects of the pandemic. Learn more about how to manage your stress here: https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/bewell/managestress.html Helping Others: Are you concerned about others in your life and how they are coping with their stress? Learn strategies to help youth, seniors, older relatives, friends and neighbours manage their stress and cope with the COVID-19 pandemic here: https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/bewell/helpingothers.html Self-Care: Continuity Care has also put together a self-care resource with links to many great options to help you through challenging times. You can find this resource on their website here: http://continuitycare.ca/event/self-care-resources/

“A healthy outside starts from the inside.”— Robert Urich OUR COMMUNITY CHALLENGE FOR YOU!

Innovative LIFE Options understands the importance of feeling connected and belonging, so we want to hear from you! Share pictures of yourself doing activities, showing how you are staying active and creative! Share a recipe that you made, games you have played or crafts/projects you have created and we will share them on our website, Facebook and Twitter. We need to keep sharing and staying connected during this time of physical distancing. If you have something you would like to share with us to post online send us an email to [email protected].

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning how to dance in the rain." - Vivian Greene

www.innovativelifeoptions.ca