8 games, apps, and workshops you can do virtually with your friends to stay connected while quarantining
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- The pandemic can be isolating for many reasons, and relying on video chats to stay connected can get monotonous when you feel like life’s stayed the same.
- Below are ways to connect with friends or meet new people remotely, from comedy workshops and book clubs to workouts and cooking classes.
- Read more: It can be extra hard to make a career change during a pandemic, but right now could also be the perfect time to explore the possibilities. Here are 15 great resources to help you find a more fulfilling career or make your current job a little better.
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Staying connected during the pandemic can be technologically easy — with texting, phone calls, and group video chats available at any time — while at the same time exhausting and isolating. Tech burnout is real, and if you use Zoom and Slack all day at your job, it makes sense that penciling in an evening FaceTime could feel like more work.
The feeling doubles when you A.) feel like there’s nothing new to say because life is pretty much the same on a day-to-day basis; B.) dread having to talk to everyone in a Zoom party versus one person in a corner like you would at an in-person gathering or C.) wish you could meet new people around your interests.
Luckily, there are still ways to branch out virtually that don’t involve stiff icebreaker questions or small talk. Whether you want to find a new way to spend time with old friends or connect with new ones, there are seemingly endless online classes, workshops, apps, books, and remote resources for hanging out based on your interests.
From virtual workouts and book clubs to comedy classes and cooking workshops, here are 8 ways to connect with other people in a remote world:
Play a timeless game
If you initially loved games like Among Us or “Animal Crossing” but played so much Quiplash at the beginning of quarantine that you’re kind of sick of it, you might just need something a bit more challenging.
Chess has enjoyed a recent uptick in popularity even before “The Queen’s Gambit,”
Start your own book club
Book clubs are one of the easiest IRL activities to convert to Zoom because there’s a concrete topic of interest to discuss. If you want to start one but, well, don’t know where to start, a service like Book of the Month can help you narrow down which books to choose from (you get a choice between five every month).
Meetup
Flex your funny side
A great way to meet new people (or get to know your friends better) is doing comedy together because it calls for vulnerability and openness. Iconic sketch and improv training centers like UCB and The Second City offer tons of online workshops, and you don’t have to live in a major city like New York, LA, or Chicago to participate.
embroidery
Knitting
Shake it out together
Even virtually, working out with other people can hold you accountable as much as it can boost your overall relationships. Whether you do socially-distant workouts outside, stream yoga classes with your roommates or via Zoom, or track each other’s runs to motive each other from far away, there are pretty much endless possibilities to exercise together.
going to a workout class with strangers
Low-key learn a new language
If your “Emily in Paris” binge made you and a friend actually wish you knew more French, there are ways to dive into some practice without making a huge commitment right away. Duolingo, for instance, counts streaks, which can be a great way to check in with each other (or lightly compete, if that’s your thing!)
italki
Cook up something new
While dinner parties or traveling to new places together are sadly not options right now, you can still get part of the experience via virtual cooking classes. Airbnb hosts many online experiences from teachers all over the world, and among the most popular are cooking classes, from sangria with drag queens to pasta-making with Italian grandmothers.
making Mexican street tacos
Take an engaging class to motivate each other
As e-learning continues to grow during the pandemic, so are class offerings. One of Insider’s favorites is The Science of Well-Being, a super-popular Yale course, which teaches students how to be happier in their daily lives.
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(the headline, this story has not been published by Important India News staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
