Creative Ways to Connect with Friends and Family

During our present situation, when many of us are spending a lot more time at home than what we may be used to, it can feel hard to connect with friends and family.

Most people are accustomed to daily interactions at the office with co-workers, frequent visits to and from family members, and/or regular trips to happy hour or meals out with friends.

So, what do we do when we can’t do all of those things, besides feel “stuck at home?”

Today, I wanted to share some ideas with you.

Call your friends and family members.

We are in such a habit of texting and Facebook messaging, that for some people even regular phone calls aren’t as common as they used to be. Try to make a habit to call them on the phone. Hear their voice, and let them hear yours. You can add even more personal touch to it and add a video feature to your call. If you are an iPhone/iPad user you can use FaceTime; if you are an Android user there are other apps you can use. It was my nephew’s birthday a few weeks ago and I called him via FaceTime directly to his iPad. The funniest part was that he held it down by his waist the whole time so I could see up his nose.

Enjoy virtual lunch or happy hour with friends.

Do you have a regular group that goes to lunch or happy hour? Coordinate a virtual lunch date or happy hour session. You can use Zoom, which is free, but if you have more than 2 people on the call it will cut you off after 40 minutes. Google Hangouts is a free option for groups, and I know there are others out there too.

Schedule virtual play dates for your kids.

Using the same concepts, you can schedule virtual play dates for your kids and their friends. They can do whatever they would do if they were hanging out in each other’s room – dolls, cars, Legos, dress-up, tea parties, etc.

For older kids, they can play a video game with their friends because they can all talk and message each other within the game. I recently saw a full-scale model of a high school that a group of teenage boys created together via a virtual video game collaboration.

Participate in virtual co-working time.

Do you work with a team that helps you feel more creative and/or productive? Are you working at home now instead and missing your work pals? You can have virtual co-working sessions, where everyone signs into the online meeting to work. During the session, you can mute/pause the sound and/or video during parts of it if you want, but just being online together gives you a sense of community while you work.

Plan distance gatherings in your neighborhood.

Do you often get together with neighbors? If so, I’ve seen some cool things going on in neighborhoods on social media. One group of neighbors all turn on their Zumba class together and in their respective backyards (in viewing distance of each other) they have their fitness class.  Another example was a neighbor social hour, where at a certain time each day all of the neighbors on the block go out to their front porch and hang out.

Visit family through windows.

You have probably seen this in some form online, but many nursing homes are closed to visitors throughout the country. If the building is set up in a way that this works, family members can visit loved ones through glass doors or windows to say hello. You can even get on a phone call with the person and then stand on opposite sides of the glass while you talk. This would also work as a way to connect with friends and family members who live near you. You can visit through the glass, and everyone stays safe.

Make being “stuck at home” more interesting.

With reduced commuting and chauffeuring going on, you may have more free time in your house. Having dinner together at the table is always nice, and it’s likely you have board games or cards around that are usually saved for rainy days. Bring them out, and have some fun. I also saw recently one family who was having themed dinner parties at home. They had a pool party night, a flannel pajama party, a sports fan night, etc. Be creative!

Write letters to friends and family.

When is the last time you sent someone a hand-written letter or card? Now is a great time to send some notes to people. Kids can draw pictures too, and make it a family package to grandma.

I know some nursing homes are also accepting care letters for residents, although I think some are being limited due to concerns with the spreading of germs. In our house, I have just been putting my mail in a pile for a few days before I open it.

Send thoughtful gifts.

Sending thoughtful gifts to someone you know who might be having a hard time is also a nice gesture. In doing this, you can also support a local business that may have had to close its doors recently. Maybe they are instead offering things online that they will ship out, or maybe they are selling gift cards for future use. You can support a local business and make someone’s day – all at the same time.

Connect with friends and family on social media.

Social media can be good and bad. It can be bad because many of us tend to spend too much time on it. But, it’s good because it lets us connect with friends and family.

Look through your list of friends, and think about who you haven’t heard from in a while. Send them a message and see how they are doing. You can also post updates on your profile to let people know what you are up to, and ask them how they are doing.

I know people keep saying, “We are all in this together.” But, we are. Tell everyone how you are doing, and ask them how they are doing. Everyone processes things differently, and some people will appreciate hearing from a friend right now.

Other suggestions welcome!

Do you have any other ideas that may help someone? Please feel free to share them in the comments below!

 

Other blog posts that may help you right now:

• How to Feed Your Family with Staple Foods
• My Favorite Quick Food Preservation Ideas
• How to Get Started with Food Preservation
• How to Beat the Winter Blues (I know winter is over, but these things apply to now too!)