17/06/2020
Keep Your Social Distance but Do Not LOCKDOWN all your Social Networks
Man is a social animal and any interruption to the social equilibrium may have negative effects on mental health.This generation has been extremely lucky because of social media.One cannot imagine a life of Lockdown without social media.
Social distancing and isolation has been a challenge to most people but keeping connected to friends and loved ones during Covid-19. lockdown has made life easier by reducing loneliness. In developed countries where socialising with people from outside your family is not that easy, let alone knowing who your neighbours are, finding social networks to act as support groups has been challenging for most people. This has been particularly hard for the elderly people who live alone and children. This could potentially lead to high stress levels and mental health challenges. Many efforts have however been made by individuals, employers and in some cases governments to keep people connected during lockdown though with creation of social ‘bubbles’ groups and social network/connection apps which appear to be the favourite for the younger generation. Apps I did not even know even existed before such as Disciple,Unily,Nice job,Waze ,dating apps such as zooks ,elite,match and many more are there to help young and old alike easily connect with their communities.
Before Lockdown most of us were so busy with our careers hardly finding time to connect with family and friends.I am reminded of friends who only remember to connect with you when they need something from you, like a wedding contribution , a job for themselves or their relatives or a business deal, despite having spent several years without looking you up or reaching out.I call such friends ‘Users’.
I am also a victim of occasional disconnecting from social networks when they become overwhelming. Recently I learnt a hard lesson about keeping connected with my friends and family during hard times .This was after l painfully getting to know that a close friend and former OB (OldBoy/alumini from my former school) Peter Kayondo had died (May He Rest in Peace).Peter was the Head of IT in the Ministry of defence in Kampala Uganda.We had kept in touch over the years since completing our secondary school education however in the past one year I had been slightly out of touch. It is upon his passing on that I learnt he had been hospitalised with cancer that eventually led to his death.
This made me realise that I had lost touch with my social networks. Becoming so caught up in other issues of life I had forgotten to reach out to my friend in a long term and had forever lost the opportunity to say farewell to him and let him know how much he meant to me.It is also then that I realised I had no social group I could connect with to grieve over Peter.I had previously also socially withdrawn from my Old School association after becoming disappointed with some of my Old Boys that had disrupted the management of the old students association and so I was not in touch with many of my Obs.
It is shortly after these events that a facebook friend that I did not even know was my OB (The same friend had informed me of Peters passing) connected me to a watsup group of my former school mates and here I rediscovered people I had been with at school and whom I had long lost touch with.. Suddenly the reconnection with my friends,the reminiscing about Old times and our time with Peter that this helped me grieve and finally find some solace.I had found people who shared a common memory about my late friend.
Since then I have been become an active participant in my social netwokrs that keep me connected to people that add value to my life in one way of the other some of them have extremelyively discussions that have helped many relieve stress during lockdown .I have also initiated a group Friend Of Friends that keep my friends in Uganda and Diaspora connected,discussing issues related to employment,business,investments and any related topics.Many of these friends I have met on social media through other groups I am active in .These social groups provide opportunity to get to know members of the community,network about employment,business ,fundraising opportunities and many other discussions.
Employees working from home or that have been displaced from their jobs have also found great comfort in staying connected to their peers through social networks.Through social networks , social barriers created by society are easily broken with young and old ,educated and not educated all interacting more freely than they would face to face.
On the downside,at times the discussions on these social media groups become overwhelming so occasionally it becomes important to retreat away from ‘the social media noise’ by switching of the phones/laptops or deactivating data to reconnect with one’s inner self.
Use lock down to check on your long-lost friends and make new friends. Social Distancing does not have to mean social networks distancing .Pick that phone or Tab and watsup,telegram,instagram,tweet or waze a friend or colleague.Put a smile on their face during lockdown.family,
Anne Kazungu
HR and Organizational Development Consultant
page:Anne Kazungu
