As if we weren’t all struggling enough with physical social distancing. Virtual distancing may be the absolute last thing on anyone’s mind to do right now. I’m not suggesting throwing all your technology against the wall, packing your bags with two of your favorite monochromatic looks to help camouflage perfectly in your new humble abode in the woods. But, might I suggest virtually shutting those people out who only spark paranoia and not joy in your life? 

After making that quick decision to do to my uncle – and not a long-lost uncle, he’s my mom’s brother – the weight of the numbers of Coronavirus victims he incessantly shared floated away from my every thought. There’s always the crazy uncle or the inappropriate one. I was dealing with the paranoid and ultra-fearful type who places precedent on negative news and sharing said information with the family so that we can all get on his same wavelength. It gets exhausting being around that type of energy even in a virtual setting. For just a full day I wanted to look at whatever positive light I could find, whether it was the high survival rate, the young people helping elders in their community grocery shop, or wellness spaces providing free resources to everyone. Having my uncle’s every message glow up my screen was making it impossible to do that without having to mute the group chat and miss out on any of the other fun ~ish~ my family was sharing. 

Thus commenced my threat to kick him out of our beloved, meme-monstrosity of a group chat if I saw one more dose of information mentioning a death total. Instead of me having the joy of kicking him out however, he left after feeling that his opinions weren’t being acknowledged. He created his own chat of relatives who’s current lives revolved only around the virus. In this case, he virtually distanced himself from me…for only a day until he reached out to essentially say I shouldn’t take his act personally. That’s when I internally blew up a la Wile E. Coyote vs. dynamite. What he didn’t understand was that my anxiety levels were reaching an all-time high. There was no need for me to have my uncle as my personal breaking news reporter when I had already been educating myself in healthy doses, enough for my mental state to stay informed and not self-destruct with fear. 

My passionate monologue seemed to go unnoticed because the very next day came another Coronavirus update from him. Did I reply? Nope. My finger went straight to the blocked button WhatsApp glady provides for virtual distancing ready fingers like mine. 

I’m not worried about losing that temporary connection with my uncle or even that I might have made him feel bad once he sees what I did. My main focus has (and always will be) the state of my mental health and feeling as sane as I can during this weird time we’re all facing together. Staying informed on the state of my city and family is still a priority. However, after the quick act of *literally* blocking what was fueling my panic, I was able to focus on the friends and loved ones who have been a positive support system. The ones who share free resources to get my body moving and my racing mind still and the ones who share laughs on stupid videos. 

This is where I want my focus to be right now. A little distraction can go a long way during a difficult time. Once everything starts to fall back into place within each part of our little corners of the world, maybe that’s when my fingers will reach up towards the unblock button and open up a conversation my uncle and I both want to be a part of.