It might seem counter-intuitive to promote socializing during a pandemic, but staying in touch with friends and family is more important now than ever. Being trapped inside all day can take a serious toll on our mental health, especially when we are surrounded by news of death and spreading infection. Thankfully, technology allows us to communicate with friends and family more intimately than ever before.
The app Zoom has become an important tool for almost every university and institution around the country to continue educational practices, but it is also useful for individuals looking to spend time with friends in a virtual space. Getting a couple of friends together in a Zoom call is easy and offers a good substitute for small gatherings. Even my technologically-impaired parents have begun to use Zoom to have cocktail hours with their friends.
Houseparty is another popular app that allows for large group calls, and of course, there’s always Skype.
My personal favorite way to stay in touch with friends is through the app Discord. Discord allows users to create a private server where individuals can join and voice chat at any time. My friends and I have a Discord server that almost always has someone active in it, which creates a virtual meeting place to check in on each other.
The CDC has an entire section of their COVID-19 web page that explains the potential mental health side effects of this outbreak. Their two biggest focuses are reducing stigma around COVID-19 and stopping the spread of rumors. Talking with friends about how they are handling the situation is a good way to reduce personal fears.
Understanding how we can help reduce the spread of COVID-19 is just one of the benefits of being social. It can also be calming to just play games with friends as a way to focus on something other than the Coronavirus.
There are hundreds of free multiplayer video games that offer distraction and give you and your friends a reason to video chat all day. If video games are not your thing, I recommend getting friends together to play a card game or some other communal activity online.
Watching TV and movies is a perfect activity for quarantine. Netflix Party is an extension that allows you to stream a Netflix show or movie on multiple devices, and luckily there have been plenty of amazing film and TV releases over the last few weeks.
There are tons of ways to stay in touch with friends and family during quarantine, and doing so will likely spare you the loss of your sanity. Having quality alone time is therapeutic when you need it, but as the days in isolation add up, it is important to maintain social bonds and remember we are all in this together.
