Dear Addie: I miss my friends...

"Dear Addie, I miss spending time with my friends. Any ideas on how I can stay in touch with them even though we have to practice social distancing?” – Social Sarah

Hi Sarah, This is such a wild time, but I’m so glad you are following social distancing guidelines until we can all go back to our normal lives! I totally hear you on wanting to be social. I am SO bored too!  Lucky for you, I have a few ideas for you to stay connected with friends even though you can’t physically be with them in person.

Try setting up some virtual hang-out sessions. Technology these days is truly amazing and allows us to see each other from a far. If you’re already doing this, get creative. If weekly game nights were your thing before our quarantine, schedule some time to play over video chat! Or consider gathering up some friends to try activities like online cooking classes, movie watch parties or even start a book club.  The possibilities are endless. Think of what you used to do before all this ensued and try to adapt it to be virtual.

My other piece of advice would be to get your body moving. It’s so easy to get caught up in the latest Netflix series (cough, cough… Tiger King) that you end up spending all day on the couch. Been there, done that. Try instead to break up your day with exercise. Go outside for a walk, but remember to keep at least 6 feet away from others. Or try a workout class over YouTube. If you are more of the social type, which it sounds like you are, call up a friend to organize a virtual group fitness class. I also hear TikTok dances are the latest “thing” and good for cardio. See if a friend wants to learn one with you!

And finally, even though in-person events on campus are closed there are still a variety of virtual events happening. Browse through them to see if any of them trip your trigger and invite a friend to tune in with you.

I hope some of those ideas help! Hang in there!

Addie

Dear Addie is written by Addie H., a CU alum. She was admitted to CU as an open option student and as she got involved on campus, she quickly found her path as a writer and expert advice giver. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her dog Odin, watching all the medical drama TV shows that exist and going on trips to Target.