The Mental Health Benefits of a Social Bubble During COVID-19

In the age of the COVID-19 pandemic, a "social bubble" is a clearly defined group of people who agree to limit their in-person social interactions to only visit with each other.

社交泡沫也被称为pods或quaranteams，可以包括家庭成员、朋友、邻居或同事。

“Establishing a social bubble is one way people are trying to cope,” says Georgia Gaveras, DO, chief psychiatrist and co-founder ofTalkiatry. “It’s important that people find ways to interact safely during the pandemic and not put anyone’s health at risk in the process.”

我们把谁带入我们的社会泡沫取决于许多因素，包括健康风险，戴口罩或接种疫苗的意愿，以及双方商定的行为。不管你的泡泡是由两个人还是10个人组成，面对面的社交活动都能带来许多不容忽视的心理健康益处。万博手机客户端

Mental Health Benefits of Social Bubbles

So long as you’re practicing safety precautions and limiting your numbers, there are many advantages to being a part of a social bubble that may have a positive impact on your overall mental health.

与孤独作斗争

Americans have been battling loneliness since long before the pandemic began. According to a信诺报告，五分之三的美国人报道了2019年的感觉孤独。虽然社会偏差和面具穿着的是对抗Covid-19的关键组成部分，孤独是这种流行病的副产品that can’t be ignored.

加维拉斯博士说：“人们正在失去社交活动的温暖和舒适，这对那些感到孤独或不安的人来说是无价的，尤其是在漫长的冬季。”。

最好的方法之一对抗孤独感是与他人联系。加入虚拟事件，视频与朋友聊天，与社交距离聊天可以帮助遏制连接的需要，但社会泡沫提供更多的亲密关系，尤其是那些人需要身体接触吗，我们都在人类水平，做。

Enables Physical Touch

As human beings, we crave physical touch, as it's directly correlated to our well-being. According to Sam Von Reiche, PsyD, PA, psychologist, and author of反思你的心理医生：谈话疗法和药物的最佳选择，吨ouch is critical for our mental health.

触摸别人可以帮助缓解压力，焦虑，抑郁和痛苦的感受。虽然技术使我们能够保持连接和支持，但它几乎不可能通过屏幕复制物理亲密关系。

特别是对孩子们来说，身体接触是发展的基础，这是社交遥远的课堂和在线学习社区所缺少的。

这就是为什么Stephanie Solheim托莱多网页设计师与数字营销, started her own social bubble. She and her best friend both have very young kids, some of whom are considered high-risk.

“我们都孜孜不倦地保持我们的检疫机组人员为保护孩子的保护，而仍然能够享受彼此的公司，让孩子们互相玩耍，”Solheim说。“[孩子]获得与他人身体互动的感觉体验，在不同的环境中，而不仅仅是整个日间与社会化和学习的屏幕互动。”

不管你的处境如何，花时间和你信任的人在一起，都会带来很多好处，身体接触只是其中之一。

如何启动社会泡沫

自从流感大流行以来，我个人一直保持着自己的9人社交泡沫。在我的团队中，有四个成员60多岁，一个是新生儿，所以我把我的户外活动限制在杂货店、户外散步、短暂的购物远足和取餐上。我对婚礼请柬、当面用餐、旅行和其他活动说“不”，是为了保护和陪伴那些在我泡泡里的人。

“很少有人可以信任你的生活，所以你的泡沫应该是非常有限的，那些人的判断和行为，你绝对可以指望，”冯赖希博士说。

When starting your own social bubble, be critical about who you let in. Maintaining a safe social bubble requires trust, planning, and mutual decision-making.

Here’s what Dr. Von Reiche recommends:

• 考虑到实际和心理原因，与那些你认识的人谈论谁最需要的互动。
• Closely evaluate who you trust enough to follow the social bubble rules.
• 确保那些加入泡沫的人是非常可靠的，并且有小心地疏远社会和戴口罩的记录。
• 考虑一下每个人在限制接触方面的能力，包括他们从事什么工作，是否接种过疫苗，以及他们认为“安全”的活动
• Have a response plan in case someone in your bubble gets sick.

These conversations aren't easy to have, as they require honesty and openness, but they're necessary when you're dealing with a serious pandemic. Try to be patient, as you confront loved ones. Explain why you want to start a social bubble and why it's necessary to set boundaries around that bubble. If people aren't willing to have these conversations with you, then you may not want them in your bubble.

“The social bubble is an interesting concrete manifestation of the kind of healthy boundaries mental health professionals teach their clients to have in general—only to be in safe, secure relationships with those they actually trust,” says Dr. Von Reiche.

If you’ve found the right people who are on the same page as you, a small social bubble can offer many benefits, but you have to make sure you’re being smart about what you do, who you see, and how you behave so you don’t put yourself or those in your bubble at risk.

Julia Williams, atravel bloggerwho built a social bubble of six adults, all of whom are childless and work from home, says, “If anyone from our quarantine crew sees someone from outside the bubble, they may be voted ‘off the island’ for a couple of weeks.”

A Word From Verywell

You may not have the option of building a social bubble. Maybe you’re a frontline worker, battling a chronic disease that puts you in a high-risk category, or living alone. You still need to find ways to connect with others, no matter how challenging.

“为了保护你的心理健康，你需要强有万博手机客户端力的社会支持，”加维拉斯博士说。如果您还没有这样做，请考虑以下几点：

• 加入在线支持组。
• 每周或每月与亲人进行视频通话。
• Start a virtual book club or join a virtual event.

You may not have the benefit of physical, in-person intimacy, but you can still engage with others in ways that help you de-stress. If you feel comfortable enough, consider socially-distant, outdoor meetups.

即使你的时间有限，你也必须认识到你的心理健康需要并确定其优先顺序。每天早上练习冥想五分钟，参加一个虚拟的锻炼班，或者每天出去一次都是很小的万博手机客户端，但是重要的习惯可以帮助你保持精神状态。

“贬低工作，睡眠和进食之间的界限可能会引导人们将人们从一生中的一个领域联系起来，因此保持风景的变化至关重要，包括更换衣服，并照顾卫生和外观，并照顾卫生和外观。“Gaveras博士说。