Staying sane during the lock down

“During the beginning of the pandemic, when social distancing and other restrictions were put into place, we found that depression and loneliness were being experienced at considerably heightened rates in the U.S.,” said Molly Rosenberg, at the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington. “While these restrictions were and continue to be critically important to protecting Americans from the virus, it is clear that the spread and response to the virus has had a tremendous mental health impact on Americans.”
Yup. For many people the lock down has been a new form of torture. But there are some things you can do stay sane.
I have a list of Ottawa area date nights that can be extrapolated to any city. We need to find new ways to be safely connecting. And given that I focus on intimate relationships rather than just hanging out with friends I think that’s where we need to spend our energy.  Read the blog here.
But event with a great intimate relationship the pandemic has been hard.
“Among those in romantic relationships, we found that increased relationship tension was associated with dramatically higher prevalence of both loneliness and depression compared to those not experiencing such conflict,” says Maya Luetke, co-author and doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
In terms of social connection, the study found that those who reported hugging or kissing a family member almost every day in the last month were 26 percent less likely to report major depressive symptoms and 28 percent less likely to report loneliness.
In terms of sexual connections, the study found that those who reported the most frequent partnered sex were 57 percent less likely to report depressive symptoms. However, those who reported frequent remote sex or dating app usage tended to have slightly higher rates of depression and loneliness.”
So how do you get more sexual connections? Our new Duckling dating site has evolved to offer safe, friendly, happy, and sexy new connections. It’s different in that it’s open to all models of sexual interest. It’s also part of the larger 10,000 member Duckling social group that relates potential partners to the individual dates we have scheduled. Give it a look. And don’t be stuck inside and isolated as the Covid lock down continues.