5 Ways to keep up with your friends virtually

This pandemic has made it more difficult to plan activities with friends. With restrictions constantly changing at the drop of a hat, it’s hard to plan – you never know if we’re allowed to go out, for how long, and how far.

Staying safe at home is still the best way to be protected from the virus. However, you must also reach out and catch up with friends, despite all these restrictions. Maintaining friendships is necessary to develop your social health.

Social health, or our ability to interact and form meaningful relationships with others, is vital to our overall wellbeing and affects our mental and physical wellbeing. Having quality interpersonal relationships can lead to having a longer lifespan, enhanced immunity, and resilience to adverse life events. 

Make it a point to reach out to your friends, especially now that we’re all living in unprecedented circumstances. Thanks to technology, we can still catch up on one another’s lives without having to leave the house. Here are five ways to stay connected with your friends, virtually.

Have online movie nights.

Platforms like Teleparty, Zoom, and Kast have helped recreate the movie-watching experience online, thanks to a combination of streaming and chat features that make you feel that you’re all in the same room.

Play virtual games.

There are so many online games out there that you can play with your friends. From classic board games like Monopoly and Scrabble, game night staples like Heads Up and Pictionary, to virtual escape rooms that can twist your brain, there is a game out there for you and your friend group. 

Try virtual cooking sessions.

One of the things we’ve all missed during this pandemic is going to restaurants and trying out new dishes. These days, we’re all trying to reimagine dining out by cooking and baking ourselves. So why not do it together? You and your friends can choose a recipe you like and cook together while on a video call. Not only will you be able to catch up over a home-cooked meal, but you can troubleshoot each other’s dishes and help each other out.

Start a book club.

With more time spent at home, we can try out other activities to fill our days. Reading books is a great way to enrich the mind and also a great conversation starter. Pick any book you like and set a schedule for when your book club will discuss what you’ve read. It’s a convenient excuse to check in on each other regularly, and you get to learn new things, too!

Sweat through online group workouts.

This pandemic has highlighted the need for all of us to stay safe and healthy. Exercising with your friends virtually can be good motivation to stay active even when you’re just at home. They can keep you accountable – whenever you’re feeling lazy, remember that your friends are waiting for you on the other end of that call, and you’ll be more energized to exercise. Fitness is more fun when spent with a friend or two. 

While it can be hard to keep in touch physically, it can be very easy to meet up virtually. Figure out what you and your friends love doing together and create an online version that you can do from home. Remember, nurturing your relationships are necessary to your overall wellbeing. 

Go beyond social wellbeing and nurture the three other factors to achieve total wellbeing—financial, mental and emotional, and physical. To know more on how to start living the joy of wellbeing, go here.