Surviving Physical Distancing: Guest Post by Anusha Shrivastava

We are all hurting in different ways since the fallout from the global pandemic has us cooped up in our homes, frantically working from home (if we are able), and practicing Physical Distancing.

I’m sharing a few tips that have helped my family navigate the past few weeks and would love to hear what’s worked for you.

Create and stick to a daily routine. Structuring the day helps retain a sense of normalcy in what is clearly an unusual time. Build time for work, exercise, and “play.” If you need help keeping up with your physical fitness routine, you can do virtual personal training sessions on Konversai.

Family meals. Our family’s rule has always been to eat at least one meal together, every single day, unless someone is traveling. Now, we can have all three meals together, if we schedule our day with this goal in mind. It’s the time we set aside to talk to each other, minus devices in our hands. If you live by yourself, you can schedule virtual meals with family or friends at times that work best for everyone involved.

Connecting with five people a day. Check in with family and friends because not everyone is as fortunate as you. Some are stuck in apartments, unable to step out. Talking to a person is like reaching out to hold hands at a time when we cannot be physically close. If you are feeling isolated and need someone to talk to, Konversai has users who are donating their time to talk or listen to anyone for 30 minutes about anything that might be on their mind.

Involve those you are with in an activity. Cook a meal together. Sort out albums. Clean out closets. Tick off items on that to-do list you never get to when you are rushing for work or school. If you are on your own, you can do virtual activities with family or friends, be it dance classes, movie nights (Netflix Party is great for this), or book clubs.

Think of something positive before going to bed. There’s enough negativity around us, so count your blessings at the end of each day. There’s plenty of uncertainty and even more scary headlines. Still, if we could pick a few good things happening around us and focus on those, we’d help not only ourselves but everyone with whom we interact.

What activities have worked well for you? Let us know in the comments below.

The longer we stay cut off, the harder it’ll be for all of us. Let’s reach out and see how many we can help. Start small: help yourself, your family, and your friends. If you need help staying connected with others or keeping up with your own personal activities, you can check out Konversai. Konversai is an online global Knowledge marketplace connecting knowledge providers and knowledge seekers on any topic of interest through live video conversations. Knowledge providers can charge as much as they want for their sessions. If they don’t need the money, they can offer sessions for free or donate their earnings to a charity of their choice. Through May 19, 2020, Konversai will not be charging any transactional fees for using the platform. Meanwhile, knowledge seekers can enjoy a personalized session with an actual human being on exactly what they’re looking to learn on a particular topic. Konversai allows both group sessions and one-on-one sessions. All users are encouraged to be both knowledge providers and knowledge seekers on any and as many topics as they wish. Konversai’s mission is to democratize knowledge, put the human connection back into technology, and make the world better by enabling meaningful and authentic conversations that can enrich and improve people’s lives. Don’t miss out—join Konversai today!

Anusha Shrivastava is the Director of Career Development and Alumni Relations at the Department of Statistics at Columbia University. A business reporter for over two decades across three countries, she got her second masters degree from Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism in 2002. She served as President of South Asian Journalists Association for three terms. You can connect with her on Konversai.

Edited by Pavita Singh

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