Prior to the pandemic, it was easy to lose touch with friends. People move and go to different schools and your daily conversations seem to fade away. With everyone being locked inside for months, there’s no doubt that a large portion of the world is feeling isolated and alone.
This is the perfect opportunity to reconnect with friends. It takes courage and energy to reach out, but you’ll likely be glad you did. See what your high school friends are up to! Reconnect with someone you may have had a falling out with where the issue no longer seems important!
Not only is connection all we have, but it’s also easier now than ever. Everyone has become so accustomed to hanging out virtually that there’s no need to live close to your friends or spend money to hang out together.
Of course, taking that first step can be hard to even imagine. Try to remember that if you feel the urge to reach out, your friends might have that urge as well. There’s no pressure to become the closest of friends—you can even blame a bad connection or a dying computer and hang up if things aren’t going well. It’s definitely worth a shot though. Best case scenario, you rekindle an old friendship, worst case, you get a story to tell.
Once you do reconnect, it might be a good idea to try some of the stereotypical virtual hangout ideas floating around. It can be hard to come up with conversation topics when you haven’t really left your room much, so a classic game of Jackbox or Evil Apples can fill the awkward silence.
In the end, remember that there’s no harm in reaching out to an old friend. You just might grow close again and have another person to share jokes with, watch a movie with, and just talk to while we wait to get out of the house. At which point, maybe you’ll even make plans to see each other in person!