I was at the grocery store with my sister when she made a very wise comment: “Maybe social distancing will help teach people about boundaries.” I hadn’t thought of that before, but I think she’s onto something.
Boundaries are defined as limitations. They separate where you end and I begin, and vice versa. They are a sign of respect. Grocery stores in particular can cause a lot of anxiety for people, likely in part due to how crowded they are. There is always the possibility of being reached in front of without warning, bumped into with a shopping cart, or being forced into unwanted conversations with strangers. I’ve seen a lot of people lately (even before the COVID-19 outbreak) wearing headphones in grocery stores, perhaps to quell their anxiety.
People have different personal boundaries, and while some laws protect our boundaries, there aren’t too many official rules about what is and is not socially acceptable, especially in crowded places like grocery stores where people are typically more focused on grabbing the best tomatoes than they are thinking about how they might be impacting another person’s personal space.
While opinions can vary on whether or not social distancing is too conservative of an action to take during the time of the Coronavirus, in the city I live in, stores are practicing the six feet apart rule: patrons must stand six feet apart from one another. They are also placing limitations on the amount of certain items people can buy to prevent hoarding and to ensure that people are able to fairly get their share of necessities. While strange because it is so different than what we are accustomed to, my sister mentioned that she actually found social distancing comforting regarding other people respecting her boundaries.
Whatever your take may be on this Coronavirus pandemic, one thing is for certain — this is an event that will shift the world forever in terms of how we interact with others to protect health and hygiene. It will certainly open up more conversations in those arenas, potentially even regarding boundaries and mental health. I’m curious to see how future policies will be influenced by this outbreak.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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Photo credit: iStockphoto