How to keep in contact at a distance

Social distancing has been hard for many people. We miss the social interaction, especially with friends and family. However, there are a lot of tools you can use to keep in contact, whilst also social distancing.

Video calls

Although I love a good chat over the phone, there is nothing like seeing your loved once once in a while. That’s why I have found that using video calling tools has been a true pleasure. I have used:

• Skype. It is the most familiar one, so many people will have an account, but it doesn’t always work best for me. It can be used on the computer and the phone however, which is a big pro!
• Google Hangouts. This has been my favourite tool so far! It can handle a lot of people, you only need a general Google account and it hasn’t failed me once so far in terms of connecting. The only thing is it switches who you see in the screen by who’s talking, or you can click on someone and then you’ll keep seeing that person, but you can’t see everyone at once. I however prefer the option where it switches, especially when I am calling with many people.
• Discord. To be honest, I hate the lay-out, since I can’t seem to understand it. However, you can go in with many people (I’ve already tried it with 100+ people at once) if you want to hear each other. Video calling can only be done with a maximum of 10 people. One other benefit is that you can easily play games with each other on it, which is very much fun! Also, you can switch between your phone and the computer, during a call, which is pretty handy!
• WhatsApp video-calls. Most people have WhatsApp nowadays and people don’t have to be logged in to see your call, since it’s shown as a normal call, which is very practical. However, the limit is only at 4 people and it can’t be done over the computer, which I personally find very annoying.

Play games

As I mentioned above, the Discord app has games implemented, but there are many more platforms that lets you game with others. The most famous example is a platform called Steam, but for most of the games there, you have to pay. I have been playing Skribbl a lot with friends, an online drawing and guessing game. You can also insert your own words here, which can make it pretty funny. I also love playing ‘Cards Against Humanity‘ with friends or other card games or Monopoly with family.

Do things together

And no, I don’t mean in the same room. But I have found it a bit of a struggle to keep finding things to talk about, since life is slowing down considerably. Watching the same tv-shows or using the same exercise schedule can help that! It is much easier to talk about things you have in common, so try to find those things! Have you finally got to make that new recipe? Share it and give each other cooking lessons! You can also give each other challenges to make it more interesting, like seeing who is able to knit a scarf first. This will also keep you busy. Here are also some more tips on keeping yourself busy.

Plan when you chat

It’s easy to forget to call or you might not want to bother people. So, planning in calls can help! I have some groups of friends that have claimed a particular evening in every week and other chats I plan every week on another day. This keeps me social and able to get some sort of schedule if my day.

I hope some of these tips were useful to you. Let me know what you do to keep in contact and please, follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter, or subscribe on the right and get an email every time I upload!

Lots of love,

Lisa