The Art Of Socializing During The Quarantine
It is bad enough having a potentially deadly disease lurking around every corner, but throw in the fact that you probably need to be lockdown for the duration of it (read: barely any physical social contact) and things become a whole lot worse. Thankfully, staying in touch with your friends and family members doesn’t have to be that difficult. In fact, you can probably socialize just as much as you did before...just in the comfort of your own home.
Love to head out for a couple of drinks with your friends? Are you going to let the lockdown stop you? Nope! Boot up Skype or Zoom. Get a drink or two each, and then all of you can get on webcam in a big group chat. Drink the night away, talking about everything you would if you went out. Of course, the big difference is that there is nobody to hit on (and nobody who is hitting on you). Some would argue that is a benefit! Of course, you don’t have to drink. Just having a massive group chat once or twice a week is a great way to get your social kicks.
One of the great things about the quarantine is that you now have an opportunity to reach out to people who you haven’t spoken to in a while. Chances are that they are on lockdown too, which means their calendar is probably going to be just as empty as yours. Drop them a message or, better yet, give them a call. Chances are that unless things ended on a sour note, they may be itching to talk to you too. If you want to go a bit more traditional, then picking up the phone certainly wouldn’t go amiss either.
Of course, in the midst of things, don’t forget about social media. Post pictures of your day to day life, interact with the pictures other people post. Involve yourself with friends and family. We are all going to be in this together.
Obviously, none of these are a perfect substitute for proper socializing, but in the immortal words of Queen Elizabeth II “We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return. We will be with our friends again. We will be with our families again. We will meet again.” so, just hold out hope, it only needs to be a short while. We will see the people that we love and care for again. This is the best we can do for now, so help to save the world and make sure that you STAY INSIDE!