Photos: Svetlana Aganina/Getty Images
Gretchen Rubin is the bestselling author of several books, such as Outer Order, Inner Calm and The Happiness Project, about how to be happier, healthier, and more productive, and she hosts the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast. For OprahMag.com, Gretchen is weighing in on how we can all find a little bit of calm, even during a pandemic. This week, she answers a reader question.
"Now that things are opening up a bit around the country, more of my friends are eager to get together. I'd like to start hosting again, but how can I do so in a way that isn’t rude, but still follows social distancing protocol?" – Maria from New York
This is such a common question these days! In a way, things were easier when we were in the strictest period of safer-at-home. The rules were very clear.
Now the rules are changing, and as research shows, any kind of decision fatigue is exhausting. What's safe, what's not safe, how can I show hospitality, how can I be a good guest, how do I respond when someone does something that makes me anxious?
People differ in how they interpret the rules and how comfortable they feel in different situations. This range of attitudes can cause tensions among families, neighbors, friends, co-workers—and even people just walking down the same aisle of a grocery store.
We've all heard the general rules for hosting a gathering: keep the group small, entertain outside, don't share food, don't handle the same bottles of condiments or beverages, stay six feet apart, wash hands frequently, no hugging, wear masks when needed, and so on.
I've developed some additional rules for myself.
View the original story here: How to Have Your Friends Over, While Still Maintaining Social Distance.
This is such a common question these days! In a way, things were easier when we were in the strictest period of safer-at-home. The rules were very clear.
Now the rules are changing, and as research shows, any kind of decision fatigue is exhausting. What's safe, what's not safe, how can I show hospitality, how can I be a good guest, how do I respond when someone does something that makes me anxious?
People differ in how they interpret the rules and how comfortable they feel in different situations. This range of attitudes can cause tensions among families, neighbors, friends, co-workers—and even people just walking down the same aisle of a grocery store.
We've all heard the general rules for hosting a gathering: keep the group small, entertain outside, don't share food, don't handle the same bottles of condiments or beverages, stay six feet apart, wash hands frequently, no hugging, wear masks when needed, and so on.
I've developed some additional rules for myself.
View the original story here: How to Have Your Friends Over, While Still Maintaining Social Distance.
Published 09/24/2020
