GREENSBORO, N.C. — To help stop the spread of the coronavirus, we’re following safety measures such as wearing masks and staying six feet away from others and avoiding crowds.
This sounds easy to do until you find yourself surrounded by many people like on Halloween night or at early voting locations.
In situations where you feel that someone isn’t respecting safety rules, you might feel frustrated.
Or, you might panic or get stressed out. When you know that someone is invading six feet, your fuse might be shorter. And instead of acting calmly, you might show your frustration or sound irritated, which can make the situation worse.
As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This means that a few preventative measures might save your sanity.
When you get to a public place, go ahead a get the lay of the land. Locate some easy exit points that you can slip out of if you feel crowded.
In deciding whether to say something to a person, I say to move if you can because you can control your own actions and not anyone else’s.
You may also want to say something politely to bring the situation to the person’s attention. It can be a situation where they don’t realize that they’re too close and not anyone else. You can say something like “excuse me” – “wanna move past you”.
There are a few body language moves that can signal that you’re uncomfortable.
- You can turn your body sideways to get more space between you and the other person.
- You can take a step back.
- You can pull your upper body back.
- Turn your face to the side.
Or show any cue that lets someone know that you’re withdrawing. Most people will get the hint.
Share your thoughts on my Facebook page: Blanca Cobb – Body Language Expert. Write a message on my timeline and I’ll get back to you. While you’re on my page, I’d appreciate it if you give it a “like”.