What socialising may look like post-lockdown

As the UK slowly starts to ease the lockdown measures that have been in place for the past 2 months, I know many of us are keen to start seeing friends and family so it may be time to start looking ahead at what that may mean for safely socialising in the future post-lockdown. I personally will remain cautious until there is proven to be less of a risk or either an effective treatment or vaccine has been discovered to combat Covid-19 by adhering to the social distancing advice of keeping a 2m distance with those outside of your household at all times. 

Saying that we all know how important spending time with friends and family is for our mental wellbeing and personal support system. The same can be said for new connections and blossoming friendships and it's a fact that humans are social creatures and we crave the company of others. 

At the moment in Wales we can only visit members of one other household within 5miles of our home and has to be in an outdoor setting at a 2m distance, which may not seem like a lot but after weeks of lockdown the prospect of being able to talk face to face with another adult is appealing. 

So at the moment what does that mean for the future of socialising as we move forward in 2020? 

For one it means spending more time outdoors with the ones we care about as it's proven to be less likely to contract Covid-19 in outdoor settings. I'm seeing this as a real positive as it means the chance of being more active, maybe even getting a little fitter with great company to spend it with (at a 2m distance).  Of course for the older generation or less mobile, enjoying sitting in a garden or park, having a conversation at a safe distance can do a lot to help reduce things like loneliness especially as they are less likely to use digital and online spaces as much as younger people. The Conversation did a really great article about reconnecting after lockdown to reduce loneliness and anxiety and is worth a read.  

For children, this time is going to be harder, especially for younger ones who don't fully understand the concept of social distancing but something is better than nothing and encouraging keeping a safe distance is something we can try instil in children from a young age and hopefully, this will only be a temporary measure we have to take. 

But what about the younger generation who are off to University when time allows or are keen to go travelling or those who are on the dating scene? We all want that sense of normality back and being able to socialise with friends or go on dates is key and there are ways to do this safely.

For one social media is a great tool, ever since I moved from South Africa to Europe it's allowed me to keep in touch with dear friends despite being on different continents and it's even easier than ever with instant messaging through platforms like facebook and Instagram or even free video calls on WhatsApp whenever we like. 

Most of us by now have got to grips with Zoom and other video calling platforms and most reputable dating apps will offer some advice on how to dip your toe in the dating pool again even if it's just no strings dating, although now is the time to really work on getting to know someone beforehand. For once no matter, if it's dating or making new friends now, is the time to build on conversations and taking things slow. 

Despite many being keen to get back out there do remember not to settle out of loneliness, which can be harder said than done, we are all adults here and while some of us lean more towards an introvert lifestyle (me included) there are many who are really craving the touch of someone else, being intimate and having sex dating sites can be useful but do take things slow as I said before and put your physical safety first and wait until it's safe to meet up with people closer than 2m. If your looking for more advice on love life post-lockdown than the Metro has a really good article with some helpful and practical ways to stay safe as we navigate this new normal.