Navigating Friendships During A Pandemic
Orlando Therapist: Friendships During a Pandemic
We’ve all been dealing with the pandemic for the past two years and today, we’re dealing with the changes that have come with a global pandemic and learning how to best adapt.
Some people have gone through drastic changes where they’ve lost their jobs, moved to a different state, or grieved a loved one. While others learned a new hobby, started working from home, or discovered how enjoyable it is to spend more time outdoors.
One area we can all agree on that has seen a major shift in our lives is friendships. We’ve spent about two years trying to keep in touch through a phone screen, celebrated birthdays via zoom, or waved to each other through a car parade! Now as the world starts to open up again and mandates are lifted, we’re challenged with accepting what this new “normal” looks like when making new friends or maintaining our old friendships.
As an Orlando Therapist, I have been hearing clients express how challenging it has been to keep friendships during the pandemic. As well as asking what the future of friendships looks like today. In this blog post, I share some of the challenges of balancing the need for socializing with the need to stay safe.
Why it’s Difficult to Make and Maintain Friendships During the Pandemic
The pandemic has created many obstacles to cultivating and maintaining friendships. Obviously, social distancing is making it difficult for people to come together. While some folks have gotten more comfortable with the health risks involved in socializing, many others are not willing to put their family or loved ones at risk. Many of my anxious clients have been struggling with balancing their needs for social interaction with the potential guilt they would feel if they got a loved one sick. It’s a very complicated issue and it doesn’t have an easy fix. This double-bind has many folks feeling stuck and that stuckness just shuts them down.
How Friendships Help us get Through Times of High Stress
Stress is difficult, period. But feeling stressed and feeling alone at the same time can be unbearable. When we have supportive and accepting friends, we learn that we can lean on and be leaned upon during times of stress. This reciprocal caregiving is nourishing and it cultivates resilience.
Good friends can be the light at the end of what feels like an eternal tunnel. When times feel overwhelming or we’re filled with self-doubt, a good friend offers encouragement and hope and a sense of “no matter what happens, I’ve got your back.” In dark moments, a friend seeing us through kind and loving eyes is what is needed to help us get to the other side of the struggle.
Once we’ve gotten strength through our support system, we expand our capacity for stressful events. We feel more capable and confident that we can handle stressful situations.
Friendships for Couples During a Collective Trauma like the Pandemic
Each person in the relationship needs to have individual support. Many relationships have been challenged during the pandemic since the pandemic has forced people to be homebound, couples are spending much more time with each other than they would otherwise. Folks have lost their sense of independence and freedom. Friendships outside of the relationship help each partner maintain a sense of autonomy, which is needed for a healthy relationship.
How to Move Forward
Communication is key! Telling your friends and your loved ones how you feel is fundamental and will only strengthen the bond you already have. When you feel comfortable you should share how you’ve been feeling. Tell them how having distance from them during the pandemic has made you feel, how you feel about attending upcoming events, or simply how you’ve been navigating life after a global pandemic.
You might not be ready to attend a wedding, a concert, sit at a crowded bar or maybe you are but whichever you choose, that’s ok. By voicing your feelings your friends will have a better understanding of what you're going through. Friends who love and care about you will find a common ground where everyone is comfortable even if that looks like a socially distanced activity!
Therapy Orlando
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Additional Resources
How to Deal with Stress and Anxiety During Stressful Times
15 Resources That Will Help Reduce Your Anxiety During COVID-19
About the Author
Orlando Therapist, Lauran Hahn, LMHC, specializes in working with clients that are struggling with anxiety and trauma. She also helps clients heal from and stop getting into toxic relationships. Lauran has a Certified Sensorimotor Psychotherapist as well as a Certified EMDR Therapist and EMDRIA Approved Consultant. She helps people feel calm in their body, at peace their mind, and connected in relationships.
Mindful Living Counseling Orlando is a trauma healing center. Our Orlando Therapy Services include anxiety therapy, trauma counseling, eating disorder recovery, teen counseling, and healing from toxic relationships. At Mindful Living Counseling Orlando, we use a down-to-earth approach infused with cutting-edge therapies that go beyond traditional talk therapy so clients can heal at the root level and experience lasting change. Feel free to access one of our Guided Meditations to help you feel settled and calm now.