This year continues to be an important one for being able to spend time with friends and family remotely. While the hope is that it won’t be long before we return to a meaningful degree of normalcy, these are skills that may continue to benefit us even after we can visit whomever we want to in person.
Why Spend Time with Friends and Family Remotely?
The current situation is certainly extreme but knowing how to spend time with friends and family remotely can be helpful to us at any time. After all, before the pandemic, in-person dinner parties and meetups were declining in popularity. With social media and the ability to reach someone any time of the day or night through texting and messenger apps, the inclination to meet in person was measurably shrinking.
It wasn’t until many of us couldn’t see each other safely at all that the spotlight was placed back on its importance. It is important. Many of us were due for a reminder. Therefore, when the world opens up again, and we return to our busy lives in which we were just as likely to want to have an excuse not to go out with friends and family as we were to want to do it, it will be good to have some virtual skills on our sides. That way, we won’t overstrain ourselves with too many in-person gatherings on our calendars, but we’ll still be able to spend quality time with the important people in our lives.
Now is the Best Time to Begin Spending Time with Friends and Family Remotely
As isolated and restricted as we may feel right now, spending time with friends and family remotely can provide meaningful social experiences. These are very good for our mental health, relationships, and overall feeling of wellness.
Here are three great ideas for virtual gatherings to create meaningful experiences.
- Book Club – Whether with family members or a group of friends, choose a book every week, two weeks, or month, and have a virtual book club chat together once you’re all done. It doesn’t need to be a formal discussion. Many times, it won’t even stay on topic, but it gives a great place to start and something that you’ll all have experienced to share together.
- Dinner – This is particularly important for those who live alone but is also important for families that would traditionally have eaten together on weekends or occasions. Whether you choose to order the same meal from the same restaurant, prepare the same recipe, or simply have whatever you all feel like having, take the time to set your tables and share a meal just as you would if you were all there in-person, only using your phone, tablet or laptop, instead.
- Karaoke – No mics required. Just pull up some song lyrics on a screen and get ready to belt it out. There are lots of places online where you can find the instrumental portion of your favorite songs. Choosing music that has harmonies to sing can make it even more fun for families and friends who are particularly ambitious. This way for spending time with friends and family remotely is especially great for laughs.
