5 Ways to Stay Connected with Loved Ones Over Lockdown

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Lockdown has been tough on us all in some way, and one of the most obvious reasons people have been finding isolation and lockdown's hard is missing loved ones. Not being able to see our family, friends and loved ones has been so hard and still continues to be hard. Not being able to hug them, tell them you love them or even just check in on them is hard on everyone involved. 

But just because we may not be able to physically be with our loved ones right now, it doesn't mean we can't still connect with them in other ways and let them know we are thinking of them too. So here are 5 ways that you can stay connected and let your family & friends know you are thinking of them during these tough times.

Online Video Calls 

Video calling facilities such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams have been increasingly popular over lockdown and that's because they are such a great way to be able to have face to face contact with our family and friends safely through a screen. Video calls allow you to chat and see your loved ones in live, real time and you can even have several people on calls at the same time. 

People have found fantastic ways to really utilise video calling over lockdown, using it for games such as bingo and quizzes as well as family gatherings via video and even using it for virtual work meetings and consultations with doctors! 

If you are missing seeing your loved ones, daily catch ups with friends or family or you just want a way to connect from the safety of your homes (especially if you are self isolation!) then video calls are a great way to do just that. 

Letters 

Letters seem like such an old fashioned way to stay in touch with someone pre lockdown, however when travel is restricted sending letters are a great way to stay in touch. Sending letters may be an especially nice way to stay in touch with older relatives who may love receiving letters to read and keep. It is also a great way for kids to stay in touch with their friends or family too. Not only will it help them stay in touch but it will help kids practice their writing and drawing skills too. 

Plus kids love receiving post and knowing a letter might land on the doorstep from a friend or family member is super exciting! My two have loved sending their friends little letters and pictures during lockdown and we managed to find a post box on daily walks so we can easily post our letters without having to travel very far. If you are planning on staying in touch via letter it may be worth scouting out your closest post box too and planning a walking route via this way to post your letters. 

Surprise Parcels 

Who doesn't love receiving a surprise parcel in the post right!? I mean there is just something so exciting about receiving a special little something in the post. Sending a little something to someone who may be struggling, or someone you just want to make smile is a lovely way to stay connected with loved ones. The Awesome Gift Company are just one of many fantastic companies out there sending unique and intriguing gifts for any occasion. They aim to send out fun and delicious gifts that are like no other such as bacon & dark chocolate roses, beef jerky flower bouquets, gender neutral gifts and many more. So if you are looking for something completely unique and that will make the recipient smile, this is definitely worth checking out. 

There are many other ways that you could send a little gift such as via Amazon who can deliver the gifts straight to the recipients address or you could send a gift yourself such as a homemade gift or even a little pamper package with items such as a face mask, hand cream or some nail varnish, it can really be anything you think the recipient will love and can be as inexpensive as you like. There are some great companies for packaging these gifts too such as the peel and seal packaging from lil packaging which is affordable, offers a wide range of packaging sizes and can even deliver 98% of their products the next day for those last minute packages you want to send! 

I have sent a few little pamper packages over lockdown that have all been well received and it has felt lovely knowing that I have managed to make someone smile in a hard time or cheered someone up when they have felt sad, all thanks to a little parcel. 

Daily Walks 

Since we are still allowed daily exercise even in lockdown this can be a great time to connect with others but of course it is important to stick to lockdown rules and guidance too! Guidance currently states that you can meet with one other person outdoors for exercise whilst keeping a 2m distance. This means that if you have a good friend you are missing or an elderly relative who may be lonely you can arrange to meet with them for daily exercise. 

If you want to avoid meeting anyone outside of your household bubble, then you could always arrange to walk past friends or families homes and wave at them through the windows. You could even place pictures or messages in your windows and ask loved ones to do the same so you can spot different pictures or messages on your daily walks.

Set up Group Chats

Many people use social media now, even more so since the pandemic and lots of these places such as Facebook or Whats app allow you to set up group chats. These could be a group of friends, a family group or even a group made with school parents from your child's class. These groups are often chat/text only but it does give you an easy way to connect with lots of people in one go. Having all of the family in one group chat means you can check in with everyone at once, the same with school parents. If you are struggling with school work or maybe want to arrange a class video call, a group chat can be a great way to arrange this quickly and easily. 

Group chats are easy to set up, however all users will need to have an account with whatever platform you decide to set the chat up on. However once set up it is easy to manage and people can be added and removed from the group as and when needed too. 

Missing our loved ones, friends, family and even colleagues is definitely one of the hardest bits of prolonged lockdown or isolation and it can be a very lonely time for those who live alone or who are used to spending lots of time with others. It can also be a very worrying time if you have elderly relatives that you may be concerned about but cannot visit. 

Hopefully some of these ideas will help you stay connected with those you love. If you have any other ways that you have been staying connected or in touch with your family and friends over lockdown please do share them in the comments below as they may be helpful to other too. 

xXx

**This is a collaborative post.**