5 strategies to build and maintain relationships during a pandemic. These tips are essential as they are fundamental to our wellbeing.
Building and maintaining relationships is fundamental to our wellbeing. However, with the advent of COVID-19, we are being asked to socially distance from one another. I don’t know about you, but this is incredibly difficult for me. I am by no means an overly extroverted person, but I do enjoy seeing my students, having coffee with friends, and visiting loved ones. Since this is not possible, for many of us, loneliness settles in. When this occurs, some of us may venture out to secretly meet others.
You may be wondering why I’m bringing this up now? It’s because this is the month of love. When I say love, I don’t mean romance. I mean genuine and beautiful love amongst each other. Let’s develop some strategies to care for and show each other love and care so that no one feels left out or lonely.
So what can we do? The following is a list of five things you can do right away to show others you care about them. Before we start though, note that even though this is a bit general, you can implement right away. Join me over the next three weeks, as we’ll begin on our journey to demonstrate more targeted and specific love. I’m calling it the 3 Week Love Challenge. Super exciting, right?
For now, think about one person who you feel needs some support and choose one of the following options. I would love it if you would spend some time this week, implementing one of these strategies.
1. Care Package
Create and send your loved ones a care package. This doesn’t have to be expensive and considering you can purchase most items online, this can easily be done while keeping yourself safe. In your package, put in some skin care products, snacks and treats. coffee or tea, or whatever you think that person would like.
2. Gaming Day
My husband loves gaming, so he plays with his friends online now that they can’t meet in person. If you or your child enjoys this activity, why not make a day of it. If you’re allowing your child to do this though, depending on their age, I’d highly recommend setting clear boundaries and supervising them as well. This is not only great for whomever enjoys this activity, but it gives you a break as well.
3. Activity Night
Perhaps host a virtual party. You could have dinner with each other, watch a movie or even have a dance party. Dress up and make a night of it. Yes, it’ll feel different but having to socially distance from one another doesn’t mean you have to give up on the things you love. You just need to enjoy it from a distance for now. So dress up and dance the night away if that’s what pleases you.
4. Fun with Coffee
This is my favorite. I love going to coffee shops. I used to study there with friends and then we started meeting up to just enjoy a stimulating conversation together. My beverage of choice has, for the most part, been tea. Since sitting in a shop together isn’t possible, we make our respected beverage, hop online and enjoy each other’s company. Do you want to know what’s even more awesome about this? We can dress up or wear pajamas and curl up with a blanket while laughing about something funny. For the most part, you may not even realize that you’re not in a real coffee shop, especially because there’s such a variety of specialty coffees that can now be brewed at home.
5. Go Out
I’m not telling you to go to a mall or restaurant. I am, however, telling you to go for a walk or a jog with your loved ones while wearing a face mask and keeping your distance from each other. This allows you to connect in-person, while being safe. Getting outside in nature is also good for your health and wellbeing.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it, my friends. These are my top 5 strategies to help you connect with each other and demonstrate care during this month of love while staying safe during this pandemic. In the comments below, I would love to hear which strategy you chose to use.
Remember to join me next week for week 1 of 3 of the 3 Week Love Challenge. For now, grab your Free Self-Care Strategies.
For additional Self-Love reflection guides, like the one below, click HERE!
If you would like to demonstrate love by sending Valentine’s Day Cards, please click on the image below:
For Valentine’s Day Literacy activities for your young ones, click on the following image:
Take care and Happy Month Of Love,
Charlotte