AUTHOR
FIONA KRIARIS
Fiona Kriaris is a health and fitness professional with YMCA Victoria. She
is pioneering mindfulness and meditation at the YMCA, to bring a more
holistic approach to health and fitness. A graduate of the UCLA Mindful
Awareness Research Centre in Los Angeles, Fiona’s studies in this field
extend internationally, and she brings global leading trends to a local
environment with compassion and integrity.
STAYING CONNECTED
With social isolation being one of the top three self-reported concerns for young
people during COVID-19, Fiona provides three ways to improve social connection
when we are physically distant.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been
labelled a global pandemic and
described as an ‘unprecedented’ time in
history. Young people of Victoria aged
12-29 years old have shared their voice
through the Australian Youth Affairs
Coalition’s recent survey, highlighting
what is important to them and in the
forefront of their lives during COVID-19.
The top three self-reported concerns
from our young people are: loss of
social interaction, employment and
income support, and access to
education. With the loss of social
interaction reporting significantly higher
in relation to the other responses, let’s
explore how we can approach
COVID-19 with physical distancing
while staying socially connected.
Social connection is when you generally
feel close to other people, and is that
sense of belonging to a group and/or a
community. It’s often overlooked as a
“nice to have” rather than an essential
part of wellbeing, simply because it
doesn’t directly present itself as
negatively impacting our physical health.
However, numerous research studies
expose the profound impact that social
connectedness has on wellbeing. When
combining 148 research studies,
collectively bringing together over
300,000 participants, data reveals that a
lack of social connection was found to be
a greater detriment to health than obesity,
smoking, or high blood pressure.
Social distancing doesn’t result in total
isolation; instead it can be utilised to
learn how to connect in a different way.
Here are three ways to improve social
connection when we are physically
distant.
1 Commit to Connect
It requires effort to connect with
yourself or other people. This means
putting time aside, even just 10 minutes
a day, to have a virtual catch-up or
phone conversation with a friend or
family. This can assist in increasing
your mood and while also helping
someone else feel better too. Not only
will this enhance your relationships
during COVID-19 but it also
strengthens them for when restrictions
are removed.
2 Quality over Quantity
Distractions are an easy trap to fall into,
it has become so habitual that
sometimes we don’t even know we are
being distracted. It’s important that
when we are making a commitment to
connect with yourself or other people,
that you do so by being fully present.
Remove any multitasking and actively
listen when connecting with others,
while also sharing genuine conversation
about your own life. A conversation that
is equal while being open, caring and
honest becomes a more
meaningful connection.
3 Sitting in
Solitude
There is misconception
that social connection
is only about being
social with other
people. However, one
way to enhance social
wellbeing is to
commit to connect
to yourself in
solitude. This time
alone in silence can be a meditation,
where you start off with just a few
minutes a day, then slowly increase the
duration over time. By making it part of
your daily life you begin to notice how
this stillness can help you feel more
grounded, relaxed and composed.
Meditation is an evidence-based tool,
and when practiced regularly, cannot
only improve your relationship with
yourself, but also enhances your
relationships with other people, and
your connection to the world.
It is without a doubt that COVID-19 has
presented many challenges that can be
difficult to navigate. However, by
making a commitment to connect with
ourselves and other people in
meaningful ways, it can also be an
opportune time to enhance human
flourishing and resilience.
FEATURE ARTICLE WINTER 2020
YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE 3