It can feel isolating to be stuck at home as we practice social distancing to reduce the spread of COVID-19. However, social distancing doesn’t mean you have to be alone. There are plenty of ways to connect with your family members without ever leaving your front door. Here are some tips:
Use video conferencing. This is a great way to connect and feel like you’re in the room with each other. These can be quick check-ins, or you can host fun events like happy hour or game night. The possibilities are endless.
Make a phone call. It may sound like common sense, but we take phones for granted when we have easy access to family during the best of times. Take this chance to make some phone calls and reconnect with family.
Help your parents with groceries. For some, isolating during COVID-19 means that elderly parents are at home without easy access to normal resources like groceries. If you don’t want your parents going out for fear of possibly coming in contact with someone who is sick, help them navigate grocery buying.
You can place and manage and InstaCart order for them, select delivery from the grocery store itself, or shop or do curbside pickup and then drop the groceries off yourself. Just remember to keep your distance and don’t hang around.
Pop by for a “visit.” Sometimes you just need to get out of the house for your own sanity. If you’ve got family that lives close by, and you can hop in your car and avoid coming in contact with anyone else, stop by for a “visit.” Stay at least 6ft apart and talk through a closed screen door or window, using a phone to communicate. A short visit with precautions can lift spirits even if you’re not physically in the same room.
You can still connect with your family without putting yourself or others at risk. Just keep health precautions in mind: never make physical contact, stay at least 6ft apart from each other with a barrier in between or leverage technology, which is the safest of all solutions.
