The Importance of Staying Connected

October 30, 2020

Filipinos are known to have close family ties. It is common for most of us to go home to our family home on weekends after a tiring and stressful week at work or school. For OFWs, going home to their families is something they always look forward to, at least, once a year. But with the ongoing pandemic, how is this possible?

As we continue to practice social distancing to stop the spread of COVID-19 and implement new protocols when travelling, being physically away from our loved ones doesn’t mean we need to be sad and lonely. That’s why staying connected however way we can during this time is crucial and shouldn’t be missed. Here are the reasons why:

Makes your life better - Keeping in touch with our friends and loved ones without being physically together can boost our positive feelings despite what’s happening these days. Our body produces happy hormones that help regulate our sleep, appetite, digestion, learning ability and memory.

And since we still can’t enjoy our usual gatherings, here are some creative ways that you can do in order to stay connected with your friends and loved ones.

Host a virtual party - If you are celebrating a special event, setting up a virtual get together is a fun way of connecting with loved ones from anywhere. It can give you that semblance of hanging out in the same place. To make it more fun and interesting,  you can decorate your little space a bit, dress up for the occasion and even prepare a dish that you can eat during your party. You can also ask your loved ones to do the same and even agree on a theme so you get to enjoy the same decor and meal together. . 

Play online games together - Gaming is one of great activities that you can enjoy with like-minded friends without being physically together. If you don’t know any, there are a lot of virtual party games on the net that you can research on.  There are also a number of gaming apps that you can install on your gadgets and play with your friends. 

Set a regular time to talk - There are now multiple ways of keeping in touch with your loved ones, texting, chatting thru the different available social applications, and even voice or video calling. There are many platforms that have video call features like Zoom, Viber, Facebook Messenger, etc. Communicating with loved ones helps ease that feeling of loneliness and longing and it’s very important that you are consistent.  You can schedule a weekly call with them so you have something to look forward to on a regular basis.

Share a virtual workout plan - Encourage your workout buddies to join in your exercise plan. You can even set a monthly challenge to motivate them to stay in the program.

Helps you live longer - Engaging in productive and meaningful activities can prolong one’s life, improve a person’s mood and contribute to their overall well being. One study shows that people with satisfying relationships with their family, friends and community tend to be happier and have lesser risk of developing certain health problems.

Improves your mental health - Social engagement gives you the feeling of belongingness as it allows you to express yourself more, exchange ideas or perhaps lend an ear. This can also increase your self-esteem and helps relieve harmful levels of stress and anxiety that may prevent you from being depressed or doing harm to yourself

Read more: Maintaining Your Mental Health in the Midst of Crisis

 

Looking after your own health and wellness is important especially in these difficult times. So, aside from keeping your communication lines open for either personal or professional relationships, you need to have protection that will provide you with appropriate care when you need it most.

Paramount Direct offers health insurance plans for 20 to 75 years old that provide financial assistance when you get ill, injured and hospitalized. A little investment which begins at P69* per month, can make a big difference and give you peace of mind.

Explore each of our products by visiting www.paramountdirect.com and find out which plan best suits your needs.

Engage in many ways and keep your social circle active, for a longer and healthier life.

*Based on Hospital Income Benefit Plan with an Insurance age of 20 under Plan 500.

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