As the novel coronavirus spread rapidly and aggressively, so is the implementation of quarantines, curfews, and other restrictions all over the world.
Sources say that social distancing is said to be the most effective measure to contain the spread of this new virus. Because of this, we are all forced to stay at home, not being allowed to visit friends and families or even celebrate occasions with other people, and that, has taken a toll to our social lives.
However, being separated physically from our loved ones doesn’t mean that we should be emotionally disconnected from them too.
Thanks to technology, there are multiple ways to stay social and connected to our friends and families. Let’s talk about them one by one.
Have group video calls.
First on the list is the most obvious one, of course. We are so lucky that we live in a time where we can easily call our loved ones, anytime and anywhere, and be able to see them in real time through video calling. One great videoconferencing tool is Zoom.
Send short and sweet video messages.
Aside from video calling, you can also record short video messages to your family and friends all over the world to brighten up their day.
Send eCards.
Back in early 2000’s, digital cards were a thing. Remember Blue Mountain? So why not do that again today and surprise your loved ones, colleagues, and neighbors by sending them an eCards to their emails?
Give them a ring.
Of course, nothing beats the good old classic phone call. Go give your grandparents a ring – check up on them, tell them you miss them and ask what you can do to help them.
Celebrate milestones and occasions virtually.
One major downside of this home quarantine is that we can’t go outside to celebrate milestones or have parties to celebrate occasions anymore. However, we don’t have to let this get in a way of us celebrating with our loved ones. We can still cook gourmet meals at home and make it a celebratory meal and have virtual celebrations through group video calls.
Schedule weekly virtual meal dates.
And you don’t always need to have a reason to have virtual dates with your loved ones. You can still continue having those weekly brunch dates with friends, over the internet to catch up and connect with each other even when you are physically apart.
Have virtual happy hours with your colleagues.
If you are working from home, I’m sure you still get to see your coworkers through Zoom meetings. However, that’s only for work, so make sure you still continue your “after work” drinks tradition and have virtual happy hours over Facetime or Hangouts.
Join an online book clubs.
If you already have an existing book club but meetings have been cancelled, you can just take it over the internet instead. If you have none, then why not start your own with friends and family, or search online for virtual book clubs that you can join for free.
Host a Netflix watch party.
Did you know that you can now watch Netflix shows together with your friends and family even when you are not physically together? Yes! You can now host long distance movie nights and TV watch parties anytime, anywhere.
Netflix Party is an extension that you can download on your Chrome browser, which synchronizes video playback and adds group chat to your favorite Netflix shows. Pretty exciting, right?
Play online games.
Gamers aren’t new to this but if you are, there are lots of role playing and simulation games that you can download which allows you to interact with your opponents and co-players through voice and chat.
Join online forums.
Lastly, during this time of uncertainty, we all need to be surrounded with a strong emotional support. However, if you don’t have one, you can join an online community where you can read and swap stories with people going through this, and be able to get through the solitude of the coronavirus lockdown.
Remember, it is imperative for each and everyone to take social distancing seriously and avoid going out for unnecessary reasons. This will not must protect ourselves, but our loved ones and our countrymen too. If you’ve been having a tough time staying sane and connected with the outside world, I hope this article helped.
