Keeping Connected in a Pandemic

By Shiphrah Moses

Whether you’re an introvert, an extrovert, or somewhere in between, everyone needs some form of social interaction. As students, we mostly make our connections through school. The highlight of our day could simply be laughing with our friends at lunch. It’s something we take for granted, but from now on, I doubt that’ll be the case. Ever since our schools have been closed, we’ve had to take our social interaction and shift it online, whether it be for school work or just for fun. 

While some people can’t seem to stop video calling their friends, if you’re anything like me, you may tend to do the opposite. I found myself isolating myself from my friends and ignoring messages. For some reason, connecting over a screen just wasn’t working for me. I started to feel really lonely and unmotivated to do anything. 

I knew I had to make a change, so I decided to come up with a few ways that would hold me accountable from distancing myself away from my friends. It’s made me so much happier and while it isn’t easy, it’s definitely turned things around for me.

Here are a few things that can help if you find yourself in this situation.

Plan Scheduled Meetings

It’s a lot easier to hold yourself accountable to meeting with friends at a certain planned time than to just hop on a call on Houseparty. I’ve done this with friends from school, but it’s also a great way to connect with people you don’t regularly talk to like family that live far away.

Play Video Games

I can hardly call myself a gamer, but playing random trivia games over a call is surprisingly fun. We’ve even played Club Penguin a few times. During a time when everyone’s stuck at home and there’s virtually nothing to do, video games can give you something to connect over. It’s even better when it becomes competitive. 

Document Your Experiences Together

This is an idea one of my friends came up with and it’s been one of my favorites. Basically, we’ve created a virtual diary on Google Slides where we can post different entries. There are different prompts every week and we can comment on each other’s posts. We even have a few communal posts on which everyone pitches in something of their own. 

Watch a Movie or TV Show

One of my favorite things to do with my friends was to see movies with them. Thankfully, there are many extensions you can use to do this online. I personally haven’t tried this yet but it’s definitely on my list for the future. 

Overall, it’s important to remember that we’re all going through these times together. You may feel physically alone, but in this day and age there is always a way to connect. Keep your head up, and keep moving.