It’s all you ever hear about. 

Everywhere we go, people are talking about it! 
Everything we do, we need to remember to sanitise! 
Every step we take, “keep that social distance!”

Why do the words ‘social distancing’ feel so strange? Maybe because the term ‘social’ connotes to some form or degree of human connection, yet here we are inserting ‘distance’ next to it – the complete opposite. Ironic, huh?

Now, we can’t do much about ‘social distancing’ and ‘sanitising’, but we can do something about the negative impact from everyone talking about it. So how do we steer conversations away from this serious-yet-way-over-discussed topic, towards a more positive outlook?

Let’s say you’re talking to a family member, friend, stranger or whoever really. We always start the conversation off with some version of ‘How are you?’, and their response would be somewhat related to the situation that COVID-19 has caused. There is obviously a high level of uncertainty and fear behind it, after all, the world is in a crisis and it’s affected the economy majorly. We are in no way diminishing the hardship suffered by those who are currently experiencing this virus. However, our beliefs lie in the instance that if we’re not in a position to offer a solution, the best thing we can do is to offer support. Give them a (figurative) shoulder to lean on, lend them a listening ear, and most importantly remind and acknowledge them of their strength in dealing with the situation. 

When people get caught up in a problematic situation, it is only human nature for us to get stuck in our own realities and forget to see the bigger picture for the future. To help someone get out of this unhealthy headspace, the ladies at Mesmos have come up with a few questions that you can ask your friends. This way, you can lead the conversation in a direction that provokes the person to stimulate their thinking juices!