When I first heard of the COVID-19 virus a few months ago, I remember swiping away the news on my Iphone 10 thinking "This won't affect me!". As friends mentioned it to me, I simply thought--it's gotta just be another swine flu that will pass and won't affect us. Little did I know how wrong I would be, just like the majority of others who believed this would not affect them. You may not be sick or have a personal relationship with someone who is sick and suffering with Coronavirus but you are affected, everyone is affected. But further than the anxiety and emotions around such an unknown time of life, there is one thing certain; we are in this together. March 5th; right before I was leaving with my friends for our spring break trip to Florida. Italy reported 769 new cases bringing their country total to 3,850, China reported 139 cases bringing their number to 80,409, and the United States was at 228 cases on this day. Nerves? None. I got on my plane with my liveliness, my luggage, and ofcourse my Lysol wipes. I am a 22 year old with my best friends, thinking we are invincible and immune to the disease. Maybe deep down I was a little nervous, the feeling of confusion continued to fill my brain. None of us really knew what was going on but no one wanted to talk about it either. Jokes, that was really the only way to talk about it. Around 7pm on March 10th, I was now on my 8th hour of drinking with friends, I received an email from my school's president; "The college will extend spring break through Sunday, March 22 and delay the return of students until that date. As this is a fluid situation, this date may change." This sparked a rush of excitement and screams through the air. Although this email was sent by aged and educated people, who know a lot more about the severity of the COVID-19 disease, we thought it was a miracle to receive an extra week off. I immediately changed my flight to a later date, of course because that extra day in the sun was so necessary. Within seven days the world drastically changed. On March 10th, Massachusetts declared a state of emergency, as the cases doubled overnight to 92 cases. On this day Harvard University, one of the most prestigious institutions ordered students to leave campus. By March 15th, the entire country was affected. All major league and NCAA sports seasons were postponed and/or cancelled, multiple restaurants and bars had to limit customers, schools were cancelled, and as the days passed by more people were testing positive, and more anxiety continued to arise. I think for anyone it is hard to put our emotions into words. For most of us it is feelings we have never really felt before. Although we have all felt scared, anxious, and nervous before, no one has had the experience with such a serious and new epidemic. As normal life continues to be suspended for months, jobs will be lost, education will be reformed, sleep schedules will be scattered, and a lot of Netflix will be watched. However, one thing we can all do is to relate to each other and to help those next to us. Social connection is the experience of feeling close and connected to others. An essential for humans. The power of social connection improves physical health and psychological well- being. Social connection involves feeling cared for, loved, valued in the form of interpersonal relationships. Together is the only way through; 6 feet apart of course. As this new life is surfacing for us with no exact end date, we have to navigate our new normal. Social distancing is a challenge for most of us because it is boring, it is depressing, and it is not the norm for humans. When we come crossroads with a challenge it is crucial to change our perception. So change your lens. Look at the situation differently because even though we have to socially distance ourselves, we DON'T have to emotionally and virtually distance. Technology is our friend. We can be here for each other to share our fears, our dreams, our funny everyday experiences and know we are not alone. When all of this is over and the world is back to "normal" you are going to want to be that person who reached out, who checked in on your friends and family. You can utilize this time to focus on your relationships and strengthen your mental health. So, with everything changing so fast, take a moment to slow yourself down and reach out to a friend, a family member, a co-worker, a neighbor, whoever it is, because no matter where you are, everyone across America is going through the same thing. Pick up the phone, log in to your zoom account and have a virtual happy hour with your friends, check in with your grandparents, something to keep the human connection alive, because c'mon what else do you really have to do?