During quarantine, though we find ourselves with so much time on our hands to do things we wouldn’t be able to do normally, we also find ourselves to be extremely bored. We might find ourselves making a list of possible activities to do to keep the boredom at bay, but there is still one thing we missed the most that quarantine has taken from us: human connection. People have a fundamental need for human connection because being near others is an evolved adaptation. It not only drives individual behavior, but it also underlies the general structure of our society. Our society is built around social gatherings, cooperative engagement, and groups. Though social distancing is our role in slowing this pandemic, it can be really hard to be away from the people we usually hang out with. However, even if we can’t have a human connection, for the time being, we still need to socialize. In this period, we are lucky to have so much technology such as cell phones and laptops that help us to stay in contact with the ones that we love and miss. Thanks to the developed technology that is available to us, we have many different ways to keep in touch with our friends or family relatives that live far away.
Video calls can remedy being stuck at home and are perhaps the easiest way to stay in touch with family and friends. In the age of text messaging, some people forget how simple it is to just dial a friend and give them a quick call. It’s the best way for people to stay in contact, even with the distance, and check on how they are doing during this scary and difficult time because you’re not the only one dealing with quarantine. You can also turn it into a group event. Set up a FaceTime or Zoom call where several friends connect at once.
Another great way to have fun while staying connected is by playing online games. There are many online game options available for people to play with friends, such as Minecraft or Fortnite. Some other online games can be found on your phone as well. The most popular one is GamePigeon, which allows you to play games (such as UNO, Battleship, Checkers, etc…) through iMessage. If you wish to play online games with your friends while you are on a Zoom call you can use JackBox Games, with six different party packs featuring several different games, all you need to play is a cell phone and eight of your friends. Social media apps are frequently used during quarantine people are developing ways to keep themselves busy and engaged while self-isolating. From Instagram to Twitter, people are creating trendy challenges that bring people together. Join these trends and tag your friends so that they can also have fun during their isolation.
Lastly, though it may be impossible to go to the movie theater or invite friends over for a movie night now there’s a way around that. You can use NetflixParty to enjoy a movie or tv show with your friends. You will only need popcorn, getting your friends connected and enjoy the movie to feel like you were in the theater. It’s unnatural for humans to stay away from each other, but knowing we’re doing it to help others helps us manage it. As long as we find ways to be connected to distant friends and enjoy their company, even though it is virtual, we’ll all be able to get through this isolation period.