During this unprecedented time of social isolation, we all need a little help from our friends– just not in person.
The extra time families have at home together may be a silver lining– for a while. But after a week at home with your husband and children, you may be craving a girls’ night out more than those thin mints you stocked up on.
When you tire of exchanging Coronavirus memes, scrolling through social media, and watching Netflix, get the girls together for one of these virtual activities:
Form an Accountability Group
Help each other stick to a diet, monitor drinking, exercise, or reach work-at-home goals by being accountable with one another. You can use group texting, or a habit sharing app like HabitShare.
Share Recipes and Meal Prep
Get a few friends to make the same recipe for dinner the same night. Meal prep together via a video conferencing app like WhatsApp. Have everyone share their food pics, report back on what their families thought of the meal, and any alterations they made to the recipe.
Host a Virtual Book Club
We all know book clubs are really about wine, food, and a night out, but you may actually have time to read a good book right now, so why not talk about it with friends? Pick a book for everyone to read and share comments on a group chat or join a group at Goodreads.com/group. If you want to have a class of wine while doing so, you can always check out Taffeta’s wine and book club pairings.
Take an Online Class Together
Use your extra time at home to study something you’ve always wanted to learn about. Sharing the experience with friends makes it fun and can help keep you on track. ClassCentral.com has thousands of online classes, from vegetable gardening to computer programming. Many universities are opening up online classes for free right now, such as Yale’s most popular class ever, The Science of Well Being.
Host a Watch Party
The Bachelor Nation is out of luck right now, but there is so much great television streaming now. Get the group to watch together by texting or facetiming your comments as you watch, or check out Netflix’s new watch party program, NetflixParty.com, that allows friends to sync their streaming and comment on screen.
Have a Virtual Game Night
You don’t have to gather around a card table to play games with your friends. Many traditional board games have online versions where you can register and play online with friends, including Monopoly, Cards Against Humanity, Yahtzee, Heads Up, Scrabble and Uno. Search the games individually for their apps or websites or find something new at Jackboxgames.com.
Work Out Together
Exercising is always more bearable when a friend is suffering through it with you. Schedule a time for you and your friends to start a workout and then give virtual high fives and pats on the back when everyone finishes. There are plenty of free online classes on YouTube, and right now many fitness companies are offering online classes with no membership required. Check out this list compiled by NBC Sports.
