Importance of friendship – nurturing connections online
I’d originally scheduled this blog in a long time ago, to reflect on today’s Friendship Day. But I’ve had to rethink the approach entirely. We all know the importance of friendship. Coronavirus has locked us away from our friends and family – we’re missing birthdays, celebrations and general get-togethers. And it’s been hard for many of us. So instead of talking to you about why friendship is important, I want to talk to you about how we can still maintain our friendships and find new ones.
Maintain friendships
There are a lot of online tools to help us maintain our friendships. It doesn’t have to be lengthy catch ups – you can find ways to have fun too.
Here’s some ideas:
- Words with Friends – a board game to play with your friends. You can dip and out whenever you like!
- House party – it’s a digital get-together where you can play games, music and quizzes.
- Netflix party – watch Netflix with friends and comment in a dedicated chat.
- Go on a trip – you can find virtual destinations to loads of fun places now.
- Have an online book club – it’s like a normal book club, but you can wear your PJs!
There’s a lot of creative ways to maintain your friendships while you’re socially distanced. Let us know some of the things you’ve been doing to stay in touch with friends.
Develop friendships
It’s hard to make new friends in lockdown, but not impossible. Here’s some ways you can do that:
- Build friendships at work – this one is important. It’s easy to dehumanise each other now we’re mostly behind a screen. But take the time to get to know a colleagues a little better. Say hello to the your colleague’s child who loves dancing in the background of your Zoom meetings. Developing connections at work can really help you communicate with your co-workers and feel better doing it.
- Friend-match – ask a friend to connect you to someone who might have things in common with you. Maybe you want to learn a language and want a new friend who speaks that language. Maybe you want a friend who can sit and knit with you. Being proactive in finding your new friends will make a world of difference.
- Use friend apps – apps like Bumble aren’t just for dating, they’re for making friends too. With more and more of us wanting to meet new people, you’re going to have plenty of people to meet (online).
However you build or maintain your connections, they will make you feel a lot happier and a lot less lonely during lockdown. Let us know if you’ve found a new friend online. Happy International Friendship Day!
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