How to Stay Connected During COVID

Creative ways to connect while at home with COVID

Has COVID left you feeling disconnected lately or even a bit stressed out? If you relate, you are not alone. As humans, we long for that personal interaction and connection with others and COVID has totally halted most of that. You might be left with feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and even frustration. Today I would love to brainstorm with you and discuss creative ways to continue to feel connected to your loved ones, and to ditch those negative feelings you might be experiencing.

Creative Ideas to Brighten Your Day

1. Virtual Tours – Numerous Zoos, Museums, Aquariums, and other crowded activities we once enjoyed have quickly jumped to our rescue by posting videos, tours, and educational resources for us to enjoy from the safety of our home. And many of these venues have started posting more frequently on social media platforms. Take a minute to search for some of your favorites, or places you have always wanted to visit, and see if they have gone digital. Not sure if this is for you? Don’t worry, there are more options…

2. Video Chatting – Maybe this seems like an obvious first choice because for parents, employees, and students it has quickly become a big part of our lives. Thinking about another videoconferencing session may make you groan, but hear me out. These are great tools for getting things done. But they can also be used for something fun and out of the box. Maybe get a group of friends together and blow off some steam. This can include playing a board game if your group has the same game. Some groups are doing cocktail hours. And there are also fun virtual Meetups you can sign up for online if you have common hobbies or topics of interest.

3. Amp up your home theater – Some of us love the theater experience! And right now we are missing the snacks and the early access to new releases. Creating an in-home theater experience fully involving snacks and mountains of blankets and pillows is quickly becoming the next best thing. Many streaming services are releasing movies and asking people to pay a fee to watch it early. While it may seem a bit overboard to spend $25 to stream a movie to your home, that is still less than what you would spend for the in-person theater experience. Splurge and find a new way to enjoy the newest releases. This may be exactly what you need to feel a little bit of the normalcy we are used to. And it’s all about making memories right? This is a fun way to do that.

4. Hiking and outdoor adventuring – Wait a minute, didn’t we already have access to this before COVID rained on our parade? Well yes, but now more than ever it is extra important to get exercise and Vitamin D. A lot of us are working from home or are at home more often and the extra intentional exercise is crucial right now. Maybe there are some fun unexplored parks nearby that have been on the back burner. And now is the perfect time. So search up some of those lesser known outdoor experiences and go enjoy some relief from the COVID cooped up feelings.

5. Virtual birthday parties – Why miss out on your friends and families special moments? Schedule a video call and have everyone get a cupcake and sing to whoever is having a birthday. You can even take it to the next level and have a theme where everyone dresses up for the party. Have your friend DJ! The sky’s the limit. The bottom line is that you don’t have to miss the opportunity to connect with those you love.

6. Parking lot coffee meetups – Tired of the masks but in need of something a little more personal and not digitized? Why not meet up with some friends in a parking lot for a nice long chat over coffee. You can choose to space out at the suggested six feet and still have a face to face conversation safely. I have seen people in parking lots bringing their own chairs and enjoying a cup of coffee. Again, social norms have changed a bit and take advantage of it.

There are numerous ways for us to reconnect and to make the best out of this time of change. Probably way more than I have listed. The important thing is to continue to move forward during these unexpected times. To evolve and thrive more and more, each and every day.