4 Ways to Stay in Touch Without Touching

By Charlotte Myers

Social distancing comes with challenges, no matter if you are facing isolation for the first time because of COVID-19 or if you have experienced it before for other reasons. When contained in our homes, it becomes dangerously easy to fall out of touch with ourselves, our families and friends, and the simple routines that help us function.

Fortunately, we are connected in so many ways that go beyond being around others. The internet and our devices provide ample opportunity for us to stay in touch with our loved ones without touching at all. 

Here are some ways for you to stay social while keeping a healthy distance to help maintain positive routines in your life despite confinement.

Play Games with Friends and Family From Any Room Anywhere

Joining a game is as simple as having a device and an internet connection. Games bring people together through light-hearted trash talk and conversation. If you prefer to take turns and play at your own pace, free apps like Wordfued or Words With Friends are great options. They also give you the option to invite friends to join you for a one-on-one match. As a bonus, you can have an ongoing chat with your opponent throughout the game!

Another great interactive gaming platform is Jackbox. Jackbox.TV provides a variety of multi-player games that you can join in on your phone, tablet, laptop, or any other web-enabled device. Jackbox has also made it easier for you to play together with others remotely. This can be done simply by videoconferencing and sharing your screen, but they also have more options on how to play with others here. 

It's free to download Jackbox, but game packages need to be purchased by you or anyone of the players. Anywhere from 1-8 players can join by entering a game code, and additional players can watch. One player must be the admin who gets to control which games the group plays and how to display the game.

Host a Digital Social Gathering

Whether you feel overwhelmed by the long list of people you need to check in on or you are fed up with not being able to go out, this is an opportunity to liven up your social life without leaving home. Why not invite your friends to an online dinner party (have that frozen pizza all to yourself), host a digital cocktail party (skip the pricy bar tab), or even throw a girls night in (no need to put on pants)? These are only some of the many blessings behind video chat!

There are many ways to video chat with friends so long as they have a smart device. Free applications like Facetime, Google Hangout, Skype, and Houseparty all have features that allow you to call loved ones for voice and video chats. They also allow for multiple devices to simultaneously join the same call. A simple shift in expectations can turn an experience that takes time and money to plan into a personal, yet communal experience!

Watch Shows and Movies Together, Apart

Netflix Party is a free extension for Google Chrome that can be downloaded easily here. To start a Netflix Party session, make sure you and your friends all have a Netflix account and the Netflix Party extension downloaded. Once everyone is ready, you can start a show or movie and activate the Netflix Party feature (NP) on the top right of your screen near the search bar. The chatbox will appear and provide a shareable link that you can send to your friends to join. When everyone's activated Netflix Party, your friends can watch Netflix with you and converse as they watch. With the click of a button, you and your friends are watching the same thing together in the comfort of your own homes!

We recommend checking out the new Netflix documentary series, Tiger King. You and your friends can even make a game of it - take a shot for every time Joe Exotic blows something up (sobriety not guaranteed).

Start an Online Book Club

If you are anything like me, you love to read but have trouble starting that next page-turner. Now that we are cooped up for a while, there is no better like the present to start working through that list of good reads that you promised yourself you'd get through this year.

Still not convinced? Maybe someone in your circle feels the same and just needs a small push to get started. Why not become the leader of a book club!

Now all you need is to convince at least one other person to join you and you can start setting dates for your online meetings (choose from any of the video chat apps listed in section 2). 

A book club allows you to set goals together, and read what you like at your own pace. It also gives you a reason to check in with other members of your club regularly, while having a set of talking points that can lead to distracting discussions. 

That's right, you can meet online with a group of people in 2020 and NOT talk about COVID-19! Instead, catch up, check-in, and bond over your shared love of literature.

Need some inspiration? Check out the textually rich, yet page-turner Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

The Where the Crawdads Sing cover and its author, Delia Owens, pictured next to it, courtesy of The Washington Post, 2019

There are so many ways to watch out for ourselves and loved ones during the COVID-19 crisis. You may be on your own at home, but you are not alone. Instead of letting isolation take over, let's battle for a victory in unity. We are all faced with a spectrum of challenges that have likely been amplified given the current public health obstacles, but in keeping our loved ones close (even from afar) we will come out stronger on the other side. Take care and stay close! And if you need someone to talk to, feel free to message or email us, we are always here for you!