Let’s face it, quarantine can seem daunting and make you feel pretty lonely even if you are cooped up with your family. Even pre-quarantine, I found myself ignoring calls and texts without even realizing it. What I came to realize during this period of isolation, however, is that it’s important to stay in touch and check in with your loved ones. Social distancing can be tough, so here are some ways to stay connected with people in this time of crisis.
Try to call as often as possible.
Before remote learning started, I struggled with calling my parents everyday and texting back any group chat I happened to be in. I felt like I just didn’t have the free time to do it. After the outbreak happened, it was easy to see just how important communication is and how much we need to stay in contact with each other. So, take any free time you have and check up on someone. It’s also refreshing to hear someone’s voice and see their face instead of reading texts all day.
Send care packages or any type of package.
Sending a package is always a thoughtful gesture. You can pack necessities someone may need or small, thoughtful gifts. You can send anything from clothes, board games, to even a fruit basket. It’s reassuring to know that someone is thinking about you, especially in a time of crisis.
Create large video calls.
Large video calls remind me of all the long Oovoo and Skype sessions I used to have with my friends in middle and high school. Gather a bunch of your friends and make a large get-together like you would in person. Plus, they’re way more fun than a Zoom session with your professor and the 20 other students who could care less about class.
Host an event every week over video chat.
Whether it’s with your friends or relatives you can’t see due to social distancing, you can bring them together by creating an event over video chat. Some ideas are a movie night, a game night, wine night, or even an arts and crafts night where you could watch Bob Ross and see who has the best painting. Another idea is to follow a recipe to bake or cook simultaneously, finishing off with a dinner together.
I think we can all agree that quarantine and social distancing has changed the way we live and communicate with each other quite drastically. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean we have to put an end to our everyday lives and stop basic human interaction with each other altogether. I could go on about how we’re social creatures and humans naturally feel the need to communicate with each other, but we already know that. This outbreak actually makes you realize how we take the smallest things, like being able to talk to someone, for granted. So, make sure to check up on someone you haven’t spoken to in a while and let them know that they are not alone.