Some Ontarians say the excitement of virtual life has worn thin as they reach week 7 or 8 of social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m over virtual hangouts and I want human interaction,” Vicky Fournier told Global News.
Fournier, who works in the restaurant business, said the “thought of seeing her friends and family … is almost too good to be true.”
The 32-year-old hasn’t even seen her father, who winters in Florida, for months, even though he came back to Toronto to stay with her older sister in the wake of the outbreak.
With the onset of COVID-19, and the ensuing isolating that was mandated by both the provincial and federal governments, many residents found themselves interacting — virtually — with coworkers, friends and family.
In the beginning, virtual hangouts were new and exciting.
“It was nice to not have to commute and wear sweatpants while working,” said Meghan Bronte.
Online companies such as Zoom and Houseparty offered people the chance to hold group chats – whether for work or for pleasure. Users can select fun backgrounds on Zoom or can play games with friends on Houseparty. But for some, the games got old fast.
“I just want to hug somebody,” said Roxanne DaSilva.
Jennille Seedial, a peer support worker at Toronto’s Stella’s Place, which provides mental health support to young adults between the ages of 16 and 29, told Global News that even she herself was “thriving” for the first two weeks of the pandemic and then she hit some dark days.
“I think things are changing very quickly for a lot of folks. You know, it is kind of fun at first, you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m working from home … This is gonna be awesome. I can work in my pajamas,” she said.
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“So many of us haven’t lived through pandemics or not being able to go outside, not being able to hug people or take the bus or go across the city or take a bike ride.”
While having satisfying human interaction, going to the gym or eating out may be out of the question, Seedial said there are a number of different things a person can do if they find themselves overwhelmed with emotions, including self-compassion and routine.
In regard to the former, people can take the time to slow down and really assess their situation, Seedial said, because everyone’s situation and coping mechanism will be “unique” to themselves, especially in the time of a pandemic.
That way, a person can look after themselves mentally, the way that they need it, whether that looks like putting the phone down for a day and journalling or simply making a list of things to get done that day.
“It doesn’t have to have 20 things every day,” Seedial said. “It’s how can I be authentic and true to myself and true to where I’m at.”
Alex Gosselin, manager of clinical and recovery services at Stella’s Place, said people should make sure to set realistic expectations of themselves and check in with themselves if they start to become overwhelmed by feeling as though they aren’t getting enough done or as though they aren’t doing enough in regard to others.
“How is my body feeling when I’m setting these goals for myself?” she said.
“You can take a moment to ground and breathe.”
Gosselin said while our culture values achievement heavily and that it does make us feel good, it is not the only way a person can regulate themselves and their emotions.
“A nourishing meal, a walk outside … a warm bath or a book, that type of thing” are just some of the things people can do, Gosselin said.
She also offered advice for those looking to help someone in their life who may not be doing very well.
“Being able to validate someone’s feelings and acknowledge that what they’re feeling makes perfect sense based on the situation,” she said, adding that they are not the only one feeling this way and if they can feel that, it can help to bring out “the common humanity in this experience.”
Helping others normalize what they’re feeling is a helpful tool, Gosselin said.
Stella’s Place offers a wide variety of services for young adults to ensure there is an option for those who may be suffering, including peer-to-peer support, individual counselling, employment, wellness and recovery program.
Seedial said the virtual transition for the organization was fairly easy, because Stella’s Place was already in a good position due to it having online platforms and options pre-pandemic.
Their secure mobile chat app BeanBagChat, introduced in 2018, which connects a user to a trained peer support workers has seen a 300 per cent rise in use over the previous six weeks.
The resilience of Ontarians
While Stella’s Place has seen some of the personal struggle, both Gosselin and Seedial raved about the “resilience” they’ve seen from young adults across Ontario in the face of such an unprecedented time in history.
“Young adults have been really vulnerable and, sharing a lot of what they’ve been going through,” said Seedial. “Not everyone has access to privacy right now. And some folks are living in households that don’t reflect the ways in which they want to be living, like relationship styles.
“How much resilience I’ve seen and how much folks are showing up for each other, and all these incredible projects and initiatives that I’ve seen operating around the city.”
Gosselin echoed Seedial’s sentiment.
“The strengths of our community and in navigating these difficult times, and reaching out, it’s really difficult to do that on a regular day, let alone when we’re feeling that increasing vulnerability,” she said. “So I know that our staff is so blown away by our participants.
“While they’re all struggling, we’re also really getting a real picture of just how much people are showing up for themselves and for each other.”
As of Tuesday morning, Ontario reported 18,310 coronavirus cases and 1,361 deaths.
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