How to Maintain Social Connections without Physical Contact

 

With most of the world under shelter-in-place and quarantine orders due to COVID-19, thousands – perhaps even millions – of people are feeling the effects of isolation. Many people are seeing these effects manifest in the form of depression and anxiety and are unsure of how to cope with their loneliness. College students are a demographic that has been hit particularly hard, not only with some students having been forced out of their campus dorms, but also in the scramble to maintain social connections during this time of social distancing. Below are a few tips on how you can maintain your relationships with others, even during the coronavirus situation.

Video Chatting

Many are familiar with Zoom – this has allowed corporate teams and classrooms alike to maintain communications, all from the comfort of their own home. If you have collaborative course assignments that you still need to complete or simply want to chat it up with family or friends, video chatting programs and applications in addition to Zoom include:

• Skype
• Google Hangout
• WhatsApp
• FaceTime
• Facebook Messenger, Google Duo, Signal Private Messenger
• Glide
• Skype
• Snapchat
• WhatsApp

Part of the difficulty of isolation is not being able to see your friends’ faces or hear their voices. Video chatting is a great way to eliminate the lack of direct contact that comes with texting and emails.

Multiplayer Mobile Games

Get a friend or a group of friends together to play games on your phone. There are plenty of free apps like Fortnite, Words with Friends, Heads Up, Minecraft, Psych, Evil Apples, Spaceteam, and others. Many games are cross-platform, so it doesn’t matter if your friends have Apple or Android phone. They’re a great way to have fun and stay in touch.

Virtual Game Nights

There’s no better time to connect with your online gaming community than when you’re stuck at home! You don’t have to be a serious gamer to have some fun – whether you’re a Super Smash Brothers or Call of Duty type of player, you can arrange game nights with your friends to add a bit of fun and normality to your quarantine routine.

If you like, you can link up through the game’s social settings or you can simply video chat while you play the same (or different) games. As long as you make the effort to reach out and spend some quality time, your emotional and mental health will benefit from the interaction.

Join an Online Community

While you’re holed up in your home or apartment, you may be discovering new interests and hobbies – many people have shared stories of returning to calming activities such as painting and crocheting to keep their minds occupied during quarantine. Look around your home for some relaxing activities and share those interests with others!

For instance, if you enjoy crocheting, search up some online forums or Pinterest boards to swap patterns with other crafters. Share your milestones and completed projects with each other to build healthy, positive relationships and maintain a sense of day-to-day motivation. You can even make a competition out of it if you like! Give yourself and community members challenges to meet periodically and watch your skillset and friendships grow.

 

At The Arise Society, we understand how difficult it is to live in isolation, especially during such a strange time. Many people are being impacted by isolation and one of our goals is to mitigate those effects by encouraging social and emotional support, and more. Young adults who come to The Arise Society can get better, regain a sense of confidence, independence, and improve their overall health as they move forward in life.