How to be SOCIAL While Physically Distant

Humans need social interaction. You’ve probably heard that social support is correlated with longevity, right? Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, we all need to be social.

Here are 5 ways you can be SOCIAL while physically distant:

1️⃣ Track your daily connections

Every morning, update your list of the 5 (or more!) people with whom you want/need to connect. Throughout the day make sure you text, email, call or video conference each of them.
The most important people in your life will feel valued and you will feel satisfied. (I promise.)

image Unsplash @4dgraphic

2️⃣ Go for a walk

Walking is good for us. We benefit from the exercise, fresh air, sunlight, and it’s social!
Of course, ensure you stay at last 6ft away from other pedestrians. But don’t hesitate to look them in the eye and say “Hello” !
When you walk past a friend’s house, call your friend from the sidewalk. (I tried this and it was great fun! When other pedestrians saw what we were doing, they also smiled and waved.)

image Unsplash @volkanolmez

3️⃣ Initiate video phone calls

When connecting with friends, remember that tone of voice and body language are important elements of communication. Wouldn’t it be great to see your friend’s smile?

In the hierarchy of media to connect with friends:

video call > phone call > email or text

There are a plethora of video calling apps available. You can track their relative popularity with this cool app-ranking website. Check out the proportion of high-ranking video conferencing (and social media) apps in this updated list!

Zoom is very popular for corporate meetings and beyond. Basic membership is free.
Facetime is free, relatively easy to use, and pre-loaded on Apple iphones and ipads.
Google Hangouts is free if you have an @gmail.com or an @googlemail.com email address, unlike Google Hangouts Meet.
Skype is free and works well if you already have it on your phone. There is some indication that Microsoft may be sunsetting various forms of Skype.
Who will you video call today?

image Unsplash @4dgraphic

4️⃣ Host an online party

This is slightly different versus the basic video phone call highlighted above:

Invite >2 other people
Create a theme. It could be a tea party, a cocktail party, a costume party, a workout party!
Use any of the apps listed above, or try Houseparty (here’s a helpful article)

Andrea on a video call with other podcasters around the world!
(This is us on a yoga break, led by Dr. Nadine Kelly, Yogi MD)

5️⃣ And of course, SOCIAL media!

Social media can be a great source of information, entertainment and connection. A few pointers:

Be especially diligent about your motivations for commenting or sharing, and consider how it will affect others. Now more than ever, we need to be sensitive, inclusive and positive, not negative, judgemental or self-aggrandizing. (This week on Twitter I saw a celebrity’s video post of her son bringing her drinks in their stunning backyard. The Twitter backlash was wicked. And frankly she should know better!)
Consider your sources. (Enough said.)
Try batching your social media time. Turn off notifications and put all your social media apps into one folder on your phone. Then check social media at pre-specified times, maybe twice a day. (I started doing this with email and social media based on the research I did for my new online course [see below]. It works!)

Yes, this is a screen shot of my phone.
This week I increased the number
of social media apps in this folder
from 4 to 7!

Does Your EMAIL Stress You Out?

Even in the best of times, many people say their email inbox gives them anxiety. Unfortunately for many of us, email is not the productivity tool it is intended to be.

I have good news! I just created our first Talk About Talk online mini-course, “5 QUICK EMAIL HACKS to Take Control of your Inbox.” I promise this course will help reduce your anxiety and improve your productivity!

This course includes:

a WORKBOOK to help you follow along
VIDEO instructions that you can pause anytime
a printable SUMMARY DOCUMENT

This online course is free for all Talk About Talk email blog subscribers, including YOU! ?Just click here and go for it!

Let me know how it goes, ok?

Please invite your friends and colleagues to also take this course by sending them this email, which you can fully customize.

THANK YOU for forwarding this course to your connections.
I appreciate it!

Andrea’s Attempts at BIOHACKING

Have you tried any of the “Biohacking Tips to Boost your Immunity“ recommended by biohacker Oksana Andreiuk in last week’s podcast ?

Oksana’s biohacks have been on my mind ever since I interviewed her. Over the past week, I tried two of her biohacks:

**First, I did a real H.I.I.T. workout for the very first time!**

Typically I workout six days a week, including some intense cardio. But this HIIT workout was a real killer! Lots of burpees and more. I highly recommend that you seek out an online HIIT workout and going for it! Here’s a link to where I found my HIIT class (GRIT #29 cardio), and a photo of me with my workout friends on a Zoom call immediately after the workout…

Second, I started taking cold showers.

Previously I had one cold shower when the hot water wasn’t working, and I swore I would never do it again. But the research on how cold showers stimulate our BAT (brown adipose tissue) is so compelling that I had to give it a try. One word: BRUTAL. ? I used to ❤️my hot showers. So now I get into a luke-warm shower and slowly make it colder. Two things that keep me going? 1️⃣the research, and 2️⃣it gets easier every time!

image Unsplash @takemeout

Thanks again to Oksana for sharing her biohacks with us. Oksana and I hope to do another episode in a few months, next time focusing on HOW SLEEP AFFECTS OUR COMMUNICATION. Cool topic, right?

Andrea & Oksana