How to Have a Social Life While Social Distancing
We live in a new reality where we have to find a way to have a social life while social distancing. Due to the quick spread of the novel coronavirus, the world has been taken a step back from large gatherings. To stop help stop the virus from infecting more people, we are advised to practice social distancing. This entails limiting gatherings to just a few people and staying at least six feet away. It’s even a better idea, though, to just stay home.
It can feel pretty isolating not being able to go out to the park or the mall with your friends. However, thanks to technology and some pretty creative apps, we can still have a social life while social distancing. You don’t need to sacrifice your relationships (or your sanity) to help end this pandemic.
Group Video Calls
Just like how you would make plans to get together with your friends in person, make plans to have a group video call. There are so many different platforms that you can use including Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Zoom, and Houseparty. Play with fun filters while catching up with each other and how everyone is keeping busy while social distancing.
Netflix Watch Party
Binge-watch your favorite shows and movies on Netflix with your besties with the Netflix Party Chrome extension. This app allows you to stream your video while having a chat bar on the side of the screen so you and your friends can send messages back and forth. No more fighting to sync up the video just right with each other and texting back and forth.
So, get cozy in your bed and finally start that Tiger King series that everyone is talking about right now.
Game Night
It’s time to throw having a social life back to the old days when we were kids. Remember having a closet full of board games? Now we have a closet of board games available to us on the Internet! You can find classic board games like Monopoly online that you can play virtually with your friends. If cards are more your forté, there are plenty of games like UNO, Skipbo, Poker, and others that you can play online.
If you really need to have a good laugh, you can play a free version of Cards Against Humanity online with up to six people.
Workout Together
One of the best ways to stay sane and having a social life while social distancing is to exercise. Get that blood flowing! It’s easy to stay on the couch and watch television all day. To stay motivated to exercise, schedule a time with your friends to take an online workout class together or follow a YouTube workout tutorial. Call each other on FaceTime while you are working out to encourage one another to keep going and sweat out all that anxiety and pent up energy.
Share Memes and TikTok Videos
During difficult and uncertain times like this that we need to remember to laugh and smile once in a while. Start a group chat with some of your funniest friends where you can all share memes, videos, and images to make each other laugh. There is plenty of funny and sarcastic content out there about our current situation that almost everyone can relate to and find some humor in.
Virtual Happy Hour
If getting together for happy hour once a week with a certain friend or group of friends, it doesn’t have to stop completely! Keep your normal happy hour date, just move it on over to a video call. To keep it interesting and fun, pick a theme for the night. Dress up as your favorite character or wear your silliest hat. Have a cocktail contest to see who can come up with the best cocktail with what they have in the house.
The beauty of a virtual happy hour is that you don’t have to get dressed up to go out and sit in a loud bar. You get to sit in the comfort of your home, in your pajamas, and you don’t have to worry about driving home. Cheers to that!
Keeping Your Social Life in a Time of Social Distancing
It’s more important now than ever for our communities to work together and practice social distancing. While it may be tempting to go out and get together with your friends because you don’t feel sick, think of other people who are at risk. Instead, stay home and practice these creative and clever ways to still have a social life while social distancing.
Have video group call dates, binge watch Netflix, workout together, host a game night, and keep each other smiling with a thread of memes and funny videos. It’s hard now, but we will get through this together!