How to Stay Social Through the Distance

Getting together with friends is a pastime that’s sorely missed right now. We can’t gather in someone’s house, go out to eat, sit down and chat in a cafe, or do anything fun in public surrounded by other people. 

So what happens to our celebrations? Here’s a thread of different ways people are putting on social distancing gatherings.

You can still have (or throw) a birthday party. 


21st birthdays in this country revolve around being able to finally have access to places with age restrictions like bars and clubs. It's often the opposite of a birthday at home.

Toasting with friends on Zoom.
With a little help from friends and family, I was able to fill my 21st birthday with amazing video chat conversations, online games and activities, and toasts.

My cousins live in New Mexico, but through Facebook messenger video chat, I could connect with family from far away.

Birthday décor.

Chatting with cousins.
And for the people living with me, we still got to celebrate indoors. My roommate decorated our living room and made an essential trip to the store to buy cupcakes.

The gift of gin.
If someone in your house is expecting a birthday at home, talk to them and see what they look forward to on their special day. That way you can try to recreate it with the resources you have.

You can also order birthday essentials online, like gifts that can be shipped or e-cards. My Uncle used the Drizly app to ship me his favorite gin to celebrate.

You can plan similar things you would already do on your birthday, like eating a special meal or watching a new movie. Just invite people to join you from their homes while you blow out the candles!

Get together with family everywhere. 

It can be hard to stay connected with family that live in other states or even in other countries. Now that your family members are likely at home more often, it can be easier to schedule times when everyone can chat.



I was able to talk with my aunts and uncles in New Mexico and West Virginia while sitting at my house in Missouri. One way to chat is by creating a group on Facebook Messenger and starting a video chat. There's no time limit on the call and it allows you to use fun filters and take snapshots of the chat.

Skype also offers calls with no time limits, which is an issue for zoom users who are limited to 40 minutes without premium accounts. However, one benefit of zoom is that the call can be recorded so family who couldn't join can watch and enjoy in their own time.




Study in groups online. 

 As Truman Students, we may not always speak up in class, but we sure do add each other to the groupme and meet up at the library to work on things together.

So how are we supposed to get that project done now? We may not be able to meet in person, but we can schedule group meetings online to substitute visits to the library.

 It can be hard to keep a study routine without class structure, so scheduling study groups where you can get on video call and be held accountable/be able to ask questions to your peers when a reading confuses you is a great resource to keep your studies on track.

Also, this allows you to check in with other students. We're all in the same boat, so having someone who understands how Truman is uniquely impacting us right now would not only provide support to students, but would also strengthen our community. The more we stick together and talk about our issues as students, perhaps the easier it will be for us to bounce back to a sense of normalcy in the fall semester.

Hang out with friends. 


There are many tons of ways to connect with friends not only through video chatting, but by coordinating activities to do together. 







  • Meet up in a virtual game to achieve goals together
  • Watch movies on Netflix Party where you have real time chat options
  • Do things around your house together like cooking a meal
  • Have a game setup like you would for normal game play 
  • Play online group games like Cards Against Humanity and Uno 



Netflix Party
Cooking with a friend
Magic the Gathering










Celebrate the holidays.

With Easter just around the corner, those who celebrate may be looking at a very different holiday from usual. If you usually get with family and are not near them, schedule a time to video chat. If you practice a religious tradition that day, find out where you can access church services online or plan one of your own.

Social distancing will give us more time to celebrate holidays we may have been too busy to celebrate otherwise. Take some time on Earth Day to learn about how to help the environment or participate in national poetry month this April.

Socializing protects your wellbeing.

Talking to others helps us feel connected and fends off feelings of loneliness, improving your mental and emotional health. This causes stress levels to decrease and strengthens your immune system to better respond to its environment. 

 With all of the change going on, it's more important than ever to take time to connect with others.






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