The COVID pandemic has been devastating for a lot of people, especially those wanting socialize with their friends and family. Suddenly, meeting a friend out for a bout of chiya guff isn’t really possible anymore. It has taken you a global pandemic to realize you really had it in you to want to interact with another human being. But there’s one big catch: for your own safety and for the safety of others, you’re locked inside. The extrovert you didn’t know you had inside you, is gasping for air. What’s the solution? You can use these creative and fun ways to socialize with your friends and family, even when a global pandemic is wreaking havoc outside.
Make some art together:
In times where getting into a video chat and talking about your day gets pretty boring pretty fast, and all the stories you can tell have already been told, it’s a great idea to focus on something other than yourselves. Get together in an online art-room and brush up on your creative skills! Services like Multidraw provide a great low-delay multi-user art experience. This creative outlet might just the thing you need if you’re stressed up from all the isolation, or have trouble adapting to working from home.
Watch a movie together in real time:
Nothing beats going to a movie hall and watching a flick together with a bag of popcorn in your hand. Nothing except a global virus outbreak, of course.
Services like Netflix Party, which is a chrome extension that allows real-time synced viewing, allow more than one user to sync up their flicks online. They’ve been getting a ton of attention ever since quarantine has tormented social lives worldwide. With over 500k users, this is a great way of checking out movies and series from your watch list while simultaneously spending quality time with people you really care about. Host a watch-party, and get inviting!
Cook and eat dinner together:
Since you can’t go out on a lovely dinner and spend 15minutes going over the restaurant menu before eventually deciding on one of the Nepalese outdoor staples: Momo, Chowmein or Pizza, the next best thing you can do is cook and eat dinner together. Set up a facetime or video chat, and get the chef’s hat on! You can talk about your day or just spend some time joking around… this will definitely liven up your day. This tip is most useful for spending quality time with people you’re pretty comfortable with, like your family members or close friends.
Get old fashioned – Play some games together:
You can spend time together with friends playing simple puzzle games like this one here, and challenge yourselves. Platforms like Cardzmania offer tons of light-hearted simple card games for you to get engrossed on. Also, now might be the best time to let your friends know the ropes of your favorite games too. Who knows, maybe they will get better at it than you do!
Start a book together:
With tons of free time on your hands, now is the perfect time for everyone to pick up a reading habit. Just 15 minutes of reading whatever it is you can get your hands on, is an excellent way to expand your mind and ground yourself from stress. But here’s the problem: most folks fail on this commitment because they have no one to hold them accountable.
Pick a book your group will enjoy and start reading it at the same time. Then set a date you want to finish it by and start your very own two-person book club. This is a great way to include thought-provoking conversations, and a great way to get to know other people for who they really are.
Bonus entry for love-struck couples: Look at the stars
Amongst the humdrum of our busy modern lives and the constant beeping of our smart devices, we forget just how important letting go of everything and appreciating what has been collectively gifted to us really is. Looking at the stars makes you realize just how small your problems are. It makes you put your priorities in perspective.
Set up a star-light couples date. After all, is there really a high-key romantic date idea better than star gazing? Get your partner on the phone and look at how many constellations you can pick out. Looking at stars from a distance will make you feel closer.
