How To Stay Connected During Lockdown

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The non-existent physical contact between loved ones now is hurting. It's been almost a year since I got to hug a member of my family or a friend, it's so incredibly sad and I miss the face-to-face contact so much. However, I've learnt to embrace the new form of communication that we have in our hands - technology.

In this day and age, we are very fortunate that we have so much technology at our fingertips to communicate with loved ones when we're not with them. Imagine if this pandemic came 15 or 20 years ago?! There was no social media, no Zoom, we only had cable internet and phones still needed some sort of aerial attached to get a signal out of it! 

As much as I miss seeing my family and friends, it's important for us all to play our part and stay home and keep each other safe, not just where I'm from in Wales (#KeepWalesSafe) but all over the UK and the world.

But thanks to the delights of modern technology today, there are so many forms of communication which don't need to involve social physical interaction. Here are some ways and ideas of how to stay connected during lockdown with your loved ones -

1) FACETIME

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A FaceTime call with loved ones is always a mood lifter. During lockdown, it's the perfect chance to catch up on what has happened during the last week. It can be a chance to talk about the latest Netflix series that you've been watching, what either one of you has been baking lately, how long your hair has grown etc. Not only does having a FaceTime call give you a chance to catch up with family and friends, you can also have a little fun with it by playing simple games, here's some examples -

*20 questions

*Never I Have Ever

*Charades

*Would You Rather

*A sing song

2) ZOOM  MEETINGS  //  CALLS

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Zoom became super-duper popular during the Spring lockdown last year, it's a great platform to connect with so many people in one place. It doesn't have to be an app to use for those early morning work meetings, I definitely think Zoom is a great form of communication to use for special occasions e.g. birthdays. Seeing as we cannot go out to celebrate our birthday's how we usually would, here are some Zoom night ideas for the birthday's that need to be celebrated safely during lockdown -

*Movie night - choose a movie, pop a pizza in the oven, cwtch down in front of the TV and enjoy the film!

*A pamper night - all your friends grab a face mask, get into your dressing gowns and imagine you're at a health spa for the day/evening!

*A quiz night - this really doesn't need any explanation. Get one of your friends/family to be the quiz master and see who is the most competitive amongst your friends/family. Odds on it would be me.  

*Pictionary - this is a recent discovery for me, but you can actually play Pictionary on Zoom on it's whiteboard. Trying to guess people's drawings can be hilarious. 

*A cocktail night - make some cocktails/mocktails together and enjoy!

There are so many options relating to Zoom fun nights and it's such a unique and fun way to celebrate your birthday. 

3) A  PHONE  CALL

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Now, this may seem like THE obvious method to connect with someone from home. But I think of people like my Nan who struggle with modern technology (my Nan thought her Smart Meter was my mobile phone once) and would appreciate a phone call on a daily or weekly basis. My Nan lives on her own and I know she loves to hear a friendly and familiar voice at the end of the phone, don't forget to check up on loved ones using this method. 

4) A  TEXT  //  DM

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Again, another VERY obvious method to use to contact someone during lockdown, but we need to remember to text friends and family now and again to check in and make sure they're doing ok. Don't ever feel like you're going to be a bother to someone, that someone may need some kind words and reassurance. 

5) WRITE  A  LETTER

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No, I haven't stepped back into the Victorian times! I know letter writing is a dying art and something which we don't ever think of doing these days. But it may be fun to write a letter to that online friend (as long as you are close enough to know each other's addresses) and allow that little ritual (for want of a better word) to become a cute part of your friendship! Plus going out to post the letter in your post-box can be a part of your outdoor exercise. Two birds and all that!

I hope this has given you the motivation to call that friend and family member you haven't spoken to in a little while, after all, everybody wants to hear or see a friendly voice and face every day. 

How are you staying connected with family and friends during lockdown? Let me know!

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