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Boredom and Loneliness
Maybe it's the groups I belong to, but I keep seeing posts that people are lonely or bored on the social media groups I read. I have to admit, I've felt lonely all my life, so the feeling is nothing new. On the other hand, I'm not bored. I can always find something to work on or something new to learn.
I can see where extroverts who are used to going out to dinner or spending time with friends could have trouble adjusting to isolation in a pandemic. However, for introverts, there's more opportunity now than there ever was. If you couldn't go to a convention because you couldn't travel, you can find several conventions virtually online now. If you couldn't eat out because of food allergies or hang out with friends someplace because of chemical sensitivities, you can now join groups online and spend time with and communicate with others. If you couldn't drive to an event an night, you might now be able to attend that event or something similar virtually.
First off, here are some professional support groups for those feeling grief, loneliness, etc.:
https://rpsva.org/rpsv-virtual-offerings/
https://kivacenters.org/
https://www.vitas.com/family-and-caregiver-support/grief-and-bereavement/grief-support/phone-in-grief-support-groups
https://www.vitas.com/events
There's also NAMI. You can sign up for a newsletter for your area. They list online event groups and chances to work on creative projects online with a group:
https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Support-Groups
If you're looking for events to get involved in virtually, there are some obvious places to look. The first place I'd recommend is https://gettogether.community/ There are some great Linux and special interest groups at the site. Plus, if you want to create your own group, this is a wonderful place to start. Other places to look for events are Eventbrite and Meetup. Your local library may be running digital events. Plus, you're no longer limited to just your local library. Some people I've talked to have been going to events at libraries all over the world. Religious organizations have been sharing online events. I attend at least one every day. Hospitals and mental health groups have been running online events as well. Several organizations have been running group meditations online. Also, check with your agricultural extension agencies for online classes on gardening and related topics. Look for events from botanical gardens as well. Even our local Parks and Recreation department has been trying to come up with some online activities for when you can't visit in person. Museums and universities have been running some artistic and/or educational events online. Clubs and organizations like Toastmasters and Mensa ( https://www.mensa.org/ ) and ACM ( https://www.acm.org/ ) are good places to find activities and special interest groups online.
I've found great talks on gardening, astronomy, physics, science fiction and many other topics. There are lots of opportunities for virtual travel from libraries, museums and travel agencies. I've also been attending any Tai Chi and Chi Kung classes online that I can fit into my schedule. There were some great science fiction, tech and regional group conventions online. I've been attending filk singing sessions as well.
As to loneliness, that's another issue. I keep reading articles about finding your tribe or your pod. However, they really don't give any useful real world advice on how to do that. With all those people out there saying they're lonely and want to connect, why are people having so many problems doing just that? You can connect online using free tools like Jitsi or other online conference and distance learning tools: https://lmemsm.dreamwidth.org/14124.html You can use commercial tools as well if you prefer. It's free and easy to post entries for groups you'd like to create on https://gettogether.community/ There are also more old-fashioned techniques of communicating like writing to a pen pal. You can do it through e-mail or even by mail. Seems like every time I post asking people how to find tribes or pods or connections or friends, they refer me to someplace else. If you're lonely, stop and offer to be someone's friend. Don't pass the buck. If you really want to connect with others, be part of the solution and reach out to others using some of these technologies.
With the changes to Yahoo Groups, I've had to move my mailing lists. My new mailing list is now:
https://groups.io/g/distasis
You're welcome to join in and discuss Free, Libre and Open Source Software, C programming, HTML and CSS, public domain music, science fiction and fan fiction, writing, gardening, herbs, meditation, nutrition, recipes for baking or cooking, tips for the home and other related topics that my old mailing lists used to cover. Also, I love getting emails from pen pals. I enjoy discussing C programming and Open Source software with some of them. Would be nice to find new pen pals to discuss other areas of interest. If you enjoy any of these topics or similar topics, please connect to others through the new mailing list.
If you'd like to get involved with volunteer work and help others, there are several online opportunities.
Here's one that can help feed the world:
https://freerice.com/about-us
The GENIGMA video game helps advance cancer research:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220127172646.htm
Many Open Source projects are looking for volunteers from translators to beta testers to programmers.
FreePats needs volunteers to record musical instrument sounds:
https://freepats.zenvoid.org/
LibriVox needs volunteer readers:
https://librivox.org/pages/volunteer-for-librivox/
Floss Manuals needs writers, editors, proofreaders:
https://flossmanuals.net/
https://archive.flossmanuals.net/
Seeking Maintainers lists Free, Libre and Open Source projects that are looking for volunteers to help out:
https://seeking-maintainers.net/
Archive.org is a great online library and can use volunteers: https://archive.org/about/volunteerpositions.php
If you want to share artwork, music, movies, podcasts, writing or other creative works, check out the Creative Commons:
https://creativecommons.org/
Several sites are eager to host and share Creative Commons licensed media with the world.
You can also volunteer for online citizen science projects.
eBird needs volunteer bird watchers:
https://support.ebird.org/en/support/home
Here's a list of more citizen science projects:
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/idea/citizen-science-projects/
More online volunteering resources are listed here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20210414005126/https://volunteerabroadforfree.org/online-volunteering/
If you can't get books from your local library, there are several online libraries that have books, audio books and other multimedia formats freely available:
http://www.distasis.com/cpp/pbtc.htm#pb11
If you're looking for more things to do, here are some more ideas.
Try some educational games:
https://lmemsm.dreamwidth.org/15912.html
Find some public domain artwork to color or read some public domain resources on how to draw and start drawing. Try origami or calligraphy. Write in a journal or write your memoirs. Here are some tips for creating your own PDF ebooks:
http://www.distasis.com/cpp/books.htm
Plus, here are some tips on creating your own music:
http://www.distasis.com/recipes/music.htm
You can check some of my other posts for more ideas.
I can see where extroverts who are used to going out to dinner or spending time with friends could have trouble adjusting to isolation in a pandemic. However, for introverts, there's more opportunity now than there ever was. If you couldn't go to a convention because you couldn't travel, you can find several conventions virtually online now. If you couldn't eat out because of food allergies or hang out with friends someplace because of chemical sensitivities, you can now join groups online and spend time with and communicate with others. If you couldn't drive to an event an night, you might now be able to attend that event or something similar virtually.
First off, here are some professional support groups for those feeling grief, loneliness, etc.:
https://rpsva.org/rpsv-virtual-offerings/
https://kivacenters.org/
https://www.vitas.com/family-and-caregiver-support/grief-and-bereavement/grief-support/phone-in-grief-support-groups
https://www.vitas.com/events
There's also NAMI. You can sign up for a newsletter for your area. They list online event groups and chances to work on creative projects online with a group:
https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Support-Groups
If you're looking for events to get involved in virtually, there are some obvious places to look. The first place I'd recommend is https://gettogether.community/ There are some great Linux and special interest groups at the site. Plus, if you want to create your own group, this is a wonderful place to start. Other places to look for events are Eventbrite and Meetup. Your local library may be running digital events. Plus, you're no longer limited to just your local library. Some people I've talked to have been going to events at libraries all over the world. Religious organizations have been sharing online events. I attend at least one every day. Hospitals and mental health groups have been running online events as well. Several organizations have been running group meditations online. Also, check with your agricultural extension agencies for online classes on gardening and related topics. Look for events from botanical gardens as well. Even our local Parks and Recreation department has been trying to come up with some online activities for when you can't visit in person. Museums and universities have been running some artistic and/or educational events online. Clubs and organizations like Toastmasters and Mensa ( https://www.mensa.org/ ) and ACM ( https://www.acm.org/ ) are good places to find activities and special interest groups online.
I've found great talks on gardening, astronomy, physics, science fiction and many other topics. There are lots of opportunities for virtual travel from libraries, museums and travel agencies. I've also been attending any Tai Chi and Chi Kung classes online that I can fit into my schedule. There were some great science fiction, tech and regional group conventions online. I've been attending filk singing sessions as well.
As to loneliness, that's another issue. I keep reading articles about finding your tribe or your pod. However, they really don't give any useful real world advice on how to do that. With all those people out there saying they're lonely and want to connect, why are people having so many problems doing just that? You can connect online using free tools like Jitsi or other online conference and distance learning tools: https://lmemsm.dreamwidth.org/14124.html You can use commercial tools as well if you prefer. It's free and easy to post entries for groups you'd like to create on https://gettogether.community/ There are also more old-fashioned techniques of communicating like writing to a pen pal. You can do it through e-mail or even by mail. Seems like every time I post asking people how to find tribes or pods or connections or friends, they refer me to someplace else. If you're lonely, stop and offer to be someone's friend. Don't pass the buck. If you really want to connect with others, be part of the solution and reach out to others using some of these technologies.
With the changes to Yahoo Groups, I've had to move my mailing lists. My new mailing list is now:
https://groups.io/g/distasis
You're welcome to join in and discuss Free, Libre and Open Source Software, C programming, HTML and CSS, public domain music, science fiction and fan fiction, writing, gardening, herbs, meditation, nutrition, recipes for baking or cooking, tips for the home and other related topics that my old mailing lists used to cover. Also, I love getting emails from pen pals. I enjoy discussing C programming and Open Source software with some of them. Would be nice to find new pen pals to discuss other areas of interest. If you enjoy any of these topics or similar topics, please connect to others through the new mailing list.
If you'd like to get involved with volunteer work and help others, there are several online opportunities.
Here's one that can help feed the world:
https://freerice.com/about-us
The GENIGMA video game helps advance cancer research:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220127172646.htm
Many Open Source projects are looking for volunteers from translators to beta testers to programmers.
FreePats needs volunteers to record musical instrument sounds:
https://freepats.zenvoid.org/
LibriVox needs volunteer readers:
https://librivox.org/pages/volunteer-for-librivox/
Floss Manuals needs writers, editors, proofreaders:
https://flossmanuals.net/
https://archive.flossmanuals.net/
Seeking Maintainers lists Free, Libre and Open Source projects that are looking for volunteers to help out:
https://seeking-maintainers.net/
Archive.org is a great online library and can use volunteers: https://archive.org/about/volunteerpositions.php
If you want to share artwork, music, movies, podcasts, writing or other creative works, check out the Creative Commons:
https://creativecommons.org/
Several sites are eager to host and share Creative Commons licensed media with the world.
You can also volunteer for online citizen science projects.
eBird needs volunteer bird watchers:
https://support.ebird.org/en/support/home
Here's a list of more citizen science projects:
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/idea/citizen-science-projects/
More online volunteering resources are listed here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20210414005126/https://volunteerabroadforfree.org/online-volunteering/
If you can't get books from your local library, there are several online libraries that have books, audio books and other multimedia formats freely available:
http://www.distasis.com/cpp/pbtc.htm#pb11
If you're looking for more things to do, here are some more ideas.
Try some educational games:
https://lmemsm.dreamwidth.org/15912.html
Find some public domain artwork to color or read some public domain resources on how to draw and start drawing. Try origami or calligraphy. Write in a journal or write your memoirs. Here are some tips for creating your own PDF ebooks:
http://www.distasis.com/cpp/books.htm
Plus, here are some tips on creating your own music:
http://www.distasis.com/recipes/music.htm
You can check some of my other posts for more ideas.