If you’ve spent a considerable amount of time stuck at home due to the pandemic, and while scrolling through all the apps on your phone, you noticed contact with your friends has been nonexistent, you’re not alone. Staying at home is the best thing you could be doing right now. It’s great for the health of your fellow Americans but probably damaging for those friendships.
The first recommendation is to reach out! Yeah, being the first person to text isn’t the easiest thing to do, but if you want to keep the friendship, it’s important to remain humble and reach out to that friend. I like to pretend they’ve been dying to contact me; a little imagination to help boost the ego works wonders when you’ve got to do something out of your comfort zone.
Ask your friend what they’re up to. Don’t be afraid to let them know this time has overwhelmed you.
Let’s talk about Zoom. Yes, Zoom is terrible when it comes to breakout rooms, but utilize it! If you have a friend group and it’s been ages since you all got to hang out, throw a Zoom party. Send everyone your meeting ID and start chatting like no time has passed. Zoom is great for one on one chats too, and before you know it, zooming one another is the new meet-up at Starbucks.
To keep your friendships during this time, remember that the person you may be distanced from is still your friend, and whenever the pandemic is over, you’ll both be there for one another. You don’t have to communicate every day! Small but constant communication works wonders. Send each other random TikToks, the occasional weird snap, or even quick texts. Remember, the smallest interactions go a long way when it comes to those that you love.