Written by travel blogger Tiffany Ammerman 

This is definitely an unprecedented time in everyone’s lives. As we’re self-isolating in our own homes, many people are finding creative ways to stay connected during this time of social distancing. While it might not be the same as gathering your closest friends together for a backyard BBQ, these clever ways of staying in touch with your friends are sure to help banish any quarantine blues.

CHECK OUT OUR TOP 5 TIPS TO HELP YOU GET SOCIAL, EVEN FROM AFAR:

1. Share Your Playlists
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   Curating a personalized playlist is an old throwback to creating mix tapes (or CDs, for all you millenials out there) for your best friend, and it is a classic, time-tested tradition of showing someone that you care. Not only can you create a playlist for your friends but you can also create various different playlists to share with others so they can listen while doing quarantine activities, like making dinner or cleaning out their closet. It'll make them feel more connected to you and help boost their mood.
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2. Virtual Workout Sessions
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   Athletes are having to get a bit creative when it comes to sticking to their workout routine from home lately. Even though we may be maintaining our fitness, most of us are missing that important social aspect of being a member of a gym and its community. A cool way to get together with your gym buddies during quarantine is to set up a WOD, HIIT, yoga or stretching session over FaceTime (video call). Not only are you getting your workout in for the day but you’re also getting the chance to connect with your fitness friends. Just knowing we're all still sweating through this together can help keep you motivated!
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3. Watch Shows Together
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   Streaming services (like Netflix® and Hulu®) have been churning out the content lately, so now is the perfect time to (video) call up your sister, co-worker or friends and tune into the same guilty pleasure reality series. Just because we can't physically have visitors in our home doesn’t mean we can’t have a fun night of laughing and chatting together over FaceTime, Zoom® or video calls with them.
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4. Parking Lot Dinner Dates
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   Want to spend time with your partner or loved one while helping to support your local economy at the same time? Try a parking lot dinner date! Many local restaurants are still safely offering take-away options for select menu items, so grab yourself a yummy meal and meet your favorite person in the parking lot. While still maintaining the six feet of required distance, you can sit in your car while they sit in theirs—with the windows rolled down—and spend some quality time catching up. Nothing beats good food and good company, and a few feet of distance is always better than a few miles.
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5. FaceTime While Cooking
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   Sharing recipes has seen a resurgence, with thousands of people discovering or rekindling their love of cooking and baking while in quarantine. (Finding bread and yeast online or in stores lately is like a quest for the Holy Grail!) When has there ever been a better time to try trading recipes with a friend or—as an added level of fun—try cooking together virtually! Not only can you get in some good gab time but you can also share cooking advice while attempting to master each other’s favorite recipe(s). Plus, making a mess in the kitchen is always more fun when someone is doing it with you, even if it's only virtually. After quarantine, we may have to change the saying to: "Friends who cook together stay together."

C O N C L U S I O N

This is a new way of life for everyone so it’s normal to feel days of frustration, stress and loneliness. Taking this new journey one day at a time while finding new, inventive ways to connect with our loved ones is a helpful way to make us feel more social and happy. While these creative shelter-in-place solutions may not be able to replace the joy of holding our partner's hand at the movie theatre on the weekends or meeting up with friends for brunch, we must simply do our best to stay connected and positive during this time. Being kind to ourselves by prioritizing self-care is not only about eating well and keeping fit, it's also about remaining connected with our core group of loved ones. So the next time you’re feeling down, hop on a video call with your best friend and try working out, cooking or just talking while sheltering-in-place, virtually, together. 

Cover photo courtesy of @ninaghamari
Cooking photo courtesy of @foodfirstfuel

About the Author:
Georgia native Tiffany Ammerman is the thru-hiker and CrossFitter behind the travel blog The Goodish Traveler. She spends the majority of her time traveling, eating sushi and searching for hiking trails. When she's not blogging, Ammerman can be found training at CrossFit LaGrange and teaching art to kids.

> > > Stay well.