Social Wellbeing

Build a virtual support network to enhance your wellbeing and combat stress

Written by Jillian Lewis, Georgia Tech ‘06 

Have you ever experienced a time when you felt disconnected, lonely, or overwhelmed due to lack of a local support network? Perhaps you were traveling for work, moving to a new city, or facing a global pandemic where your access to loved ones decreased. Some tools learned from my multiple military deployments overseas may help to reconnect and support your mental health.

The Challenge: 

Stay connected through development of a network and maintain relationships virtually when facing time away from loved ones!

Find a local network. New environments can be challenging and uncomfortable. Embrace saying ‘yes’- to invitations, new classes, and virtual opportunities. If this seems daunting, set a goal to go to an event for one hour and try to introduce yourself to one person. You may find you’ve met a long-term friend! Don’t forget to rely on your Alpha Xi Delta alumnae association. Use a dating app to make new friends like Bumble BFF. You can match with people who have similar interests and can schedule a meet up to complete activities together.

Call and check in. Stay updated on the small details of the life of your long-distance friend by setting a reminder. Don’t want to be a bother? Set expectations with what platform, how frequently, and how long you want to communicate for. Then, honor your check ins, whether it be a quick call, text, or video chat.

Schedule send-ahead cards or texts. Let your friends know you are thinking of them without the stress of drafting cards weekly. Spend an hour composing and pre-scheduling cards online for the upcoming year. Several companies also send free cards and care packages out to military members who are displaced, which was always a morale boosting treat!

Door-drop a meal. Nothing says “I care about you” quite like a home-cooked meal, but how can you accomplish that when apart? Order from a delivery service and have the driver relay a sweet note. If you have a loved one on a foreign base, check the base website for dining, and you’ll find that many of the restaurants on the premises will do the same!

Set a visit to date. Distance can make the heart grow fonder but setting a date to end a stretch of long-distance for platonic and romantic relationships can help ease the frustration of being apart and enable more frequent communication through planning efforts. Imagine your reunion and how you want it to look and look forward to the occasion by making a sign or appreciation basket for your greeting.

Make mutual friends. While a friend (or even yourself) is away, connect with your besties and friend groups to facilitate support (and get in on those group vacation deals!). Limited connectivity on travel? Connect a relative as a single point of contact for friends to check in with during your time abroad and send them a weekly or monthly newsletter of your adventures!

Post a memory. Remembering the good times, belly laughs, and moments where you have supported each other will help strengthen your relationship and promote excitement for the future. Show off your best pictures to make their day!

Give grace. Developing and maintaining relationships when not close can be difficult, so if you go a few weeks without chatting, don’t fret! Understand there is always an opportunity to reconnect, so keep the door open.