How to stay connected while social distancing
First of all – I hope this post finds you well. I know there are so many things going on right now, making us feel uncertain and anxious. I’m praying every day for the people who are affected by this horrible covid-19 virus and pray that we can stomp this thing out quickly. I know we are all trying to do our part, no matter how hard it is, knowing the best thing to do right now is to stay isolated. I also want to thank all of our essential workers who are out there taking care of all of us!
We are certainly facing some challenging times with the onset of the Coronavirus and all of the closings of churches, schools, libraries, meetings of groups over 50, etc. I thought I would share some creative ways of strengthening relationship bonds despite the social distancing.
I think it is essential we all do our part to help flatten the curve of the virus. If we all do our part, we can help mitigate this situation as quickly as possible, so I tried to come up with ways to still be socially active without having any physical contact with people. Honestly, it is human nature to have a social connection, and I think in this day and age we can still stay active socially without physical contact.
How to Stay Connected
Here are a few things that I found that can help to be “socially active.” I know there are things I’m not mentioning, and if you would like to share, please leave a comment below.
Free Apps To Help You Stay Connected While Social Distancing
Group FaceTime
Group FaceTime makes it easy to chat with multiple people at the same time. You can start a Group FaceTime right from the FaceTime app or from a group conversation in the Messages app on your I-phone or I-pad. I believe you can get up to 30 people in a group at one time. That’s quite a bit! This would work great if you are working from home and still need to stay connected with your fellow workers.
TikTok
If you don’t have the TikTok app yet, you should think about getting it. It is very entertaining. I’m still learning how to use it, but while checking it out I got caught up watching for about 45 minutes!
Marco Polo
Marco Polo is an app you can join with your friends and family and is a fun way to connect. It works when you have a moment to talk, even if your schedules don’t match, it works like a video walkie talkie. My kids and I are having fun with this.
Drive-Inn Chruch
One of our local churches came up with this great idea! They are setting up a stage on their roof-top for worship and speaking. They even had the band up on the roof. Everyone stays in their car in the church parking lot and they are transmitting the service through the radio. How cool is that?! I’m sure many churches are getting creative, trying to get the Word out.
Actual Phone Call
This is like the good ole’ days! Lol You can actually pick up your phone and phone a friend, or in my case, I have been calling my parents. I am making sure I contact them every day to check on them and see if they need anything. With them being in their 70’s this is a terrifying time for them and our family. I’m sure most of you can relate. We need to protect our elderly during this time. So please stay connected with any elderly folks in your life.
Concerts Online
There are so many artists out there right now putting on virtual concerts. And they are fantastic to be doing this during this time! Music is such a therapeutic way to calm yourself. Some of the artists that I have watched in the past few days are; Pink, Keith Urban, and John Legend. I felt like it was so intimate, and they were putting on my very own personal concert. I’m sure as this quarantine goes on, more artists will be coming out with something to entertain us.
Virtual Happy Hour
I know it’s not the same as getting together at your local hang out with your friends and co-workers after a long day at the office, but I think this is the next best thing. Grab your drink of choice and your laptop/phone and take a seat in a comfy place in your home. Sit and chat for a while. Maybe find out what everyone else is doing to make this stressful time better.
Play with your Pets
I know my pets are so happy that I have been hanging out with them so much lately. Take some time out of your day to play with them. We live on the water, so my dogs have been loving the walks on the beach. The weather has been beautiful here the past few weeks, so I think everyone in the Pacific Northwest has been taking advantage of this great weather and getting outside.
Virtual Bookclub
This is the perfect time to pick up that book that you have wanted to read. I am in a book club with a group of wonderful ladies that meets once a month at one of our local restaurants. We haven’t done this yet, but I thought it would be a great idea to get together virtually and share our book of the month.
Workout
One of the greatest things I have noticed about this time of crisis is so many small local gyms are reaching out to their members and making sure they are staying active. My gym has made workout videos that you can do from home with tools you can get from around your house. They have posted this on their website and through other social media like Facebook. I feel it is so important to stay active for your body and soul. It’s a wonderful way to relieve stress!
FB Page for Bible Study and Prayer Group
Last but certainly not least, I feel it is so important to have a social connection with your church and bible study friends. If you haven’t started a virtual group, you should asap! You can create a “closed” group on Facebook that stays private by inviting members to the group. This group should be a safe place for people to share their concerns, joys, and heartaches during this hard time in everyone’s lives. Also, a beautiful way to lift spirits.
I hope this post finds some use in your life. Please feel free to share if you find it helpful. I know everyone is trying to get creative during this awful time, and sometimes it’s hard to stay positive while being in isolation. Please try to keep social as much as possible and know you are not alone during this pandemic. We are all in this together, stay safe out there.
We will persevere! God Bless You, Stephanie
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