Showing Your Love On Lockdown: 4 Sweet Ways To Keep in Touch
You want to know the biggest problem with self-isolation? The isolation part. Many of us are lucky enough to share our lockdown with our significant others, our kids and in some cases our parents. We might still feel blue from time to time (we’re all only human), but being close to those we love plays a huge part in our ability to power through the current pandemic and remain hopeful and optimistic. While we may be prone to cabin fever sometimes, and even feel as though you’re getting under one another’s feet, you know that the current crisis would be much harder to bear alone.
And for at least some of your friends or family members, that will be the reality. Someone in your contacts list right now will be unable to engage with those closest to them, and their state of isolation may start to erode their physical and mental health. You may yearn to give these loved ones a hug but know that’s not possible. But fear not, there are lots of other ways to show them you love them.
Video chat
You can’t send a hug over the internet. But you can show someone you love a friendly face, let them hear your voice and help them to feel as though they’re not alone. Video chat has become so easy to use these days that even older smartphone users can master it without needing to get a tech savvy teen to explain how it works. Video chat is the closest thing we can get in the digital realm to a face-to-face conversation but it can do lonely friends and family the power of good.
Send a custom-made newsletter or magazine
A letter in the post is great. It is a keepsake that tells someone you love that you miss and value them, while also keeping them caught up with how things are going at your end. However, with the help of a good reprographics company, you can take it to the next level. Send them a glossy newsletter with humorous anecdotes from your home life rephrased as jokey news headlines. Feel like going the extra mile? Why not get a magazine printed and sent to a few carefully chosen friends and family members?
Send flowers or a plant
Being confined to your home is so much more pleasant when you’re able to bring a little bit of the great outdoors indoors. Flowers and plants don’t just beautify your home, they make it a more restful and calming place to be. They oxygenate the space while also brightening it visually. Why not show someone you love them by sending some flowers or a beautiful house plant?
Send a book
Finally, we’re all desperate for a little extra entertainment on lockdown. But while it may be tempting to binge season after season of TV on Netflix, this can actually be detrimental to our wellbeing. Why not share the gift of a good book with someone you love? Even in the digital age, there’s nothing like the look and feel of a good book. Plus, it’s a friend they can keep for life.
13 Comments
heather
These are great tips for staying in touch with friends and family across the miles. I love sending things snail mail to loved ones all year long.
gloria patterson
All of this is so true. Phone calls and FaceTime was so great. My niece made sure that they facetime me ever week. It was good to see my great niece was doing. I talked to or texted with family and friends
Kelly Kimmell
I really like the idea of sending a book, gives someone something to occupy their time.
Tamra Phelps
I saw a post on Facebook about a lady who built a sort of plastic ‘wall’ with armholes made of plastic, too, so that her Mom could hug the grandkids, lol. It reminded me of the type of isolation set-ups that you see in hospitals, but it accomplished the purpose.
Connie: The Head Peanut
I saw that. It was so cute! I think the arms were a little too high but a great idea.
Diane K. Brimmer
Love the ideas! My husband and I are fortunate enough to be able to connect with our children and grandchildren over the internet. Facetime is a great way to actually see them and catch up on what is going on in their lives.
Connie: The Head Peanut
I’d go nuts without facetime. I miss the kids soooo much.
Tamra Phelps
It would be nice if our post office would provide free postcards that could be sent free. As it is, I haven’t seen my family in about six weeks. It’s hard being surrounded by people you don’t really know during this, watching them go home to family after they get off work here, while the residents are just stuck.
Christy Maurer
It really is hard being apart from family! I try to text my sisters and call my parents. I like these ideas!
Lizzie Myers
I’m going to send my grandparents a book this next week! My grandmother has a huge Goodreads TBR list and that’d be great to look through 🙂
Kate Sarsfield
Our postal service provided every household in the country with large postcards that can be sent anywhere in the country for free! It’s a lovely idea.
Connie Gruning
What a great thing for the Postal service to do.
Suzanne M Kutz
Thanks for sharing, Kate, about the postcards, NICE idea!