These past few months have been very hard on everyone physically and emotionally with the pandemic. 

It has had a huge impact on relationships and people being able to get together and have that quality time. 

Everyone has had to learn new ways to connect with their friends while still managing to stay safe and healthy. 

It is so important to keep those relationships intact and make sure everyone is getting that social connection that is very needed. 

Spending time with friends in a safe way can be very beneficial in helping cope with the struggles that come along with this pandemic such as anxiety, self doubt, stress, the overwhelming feeling of loneliness, and the excessive amount of family time.

 There are so many ways to stay in touch and make sure you are getting that much needed social connection.  

Sometimes you just have to get a little creative or do something you wouldn’t normally do.  

A few Dimond students shared how they have been socially distancing.  

Jordan Corpuz, a Dimond High senior, shared how she and her friends would all back their cars up in a circle six feet apart at Earthquake Park and they would sit in their trunks and just talk and laugh. “This is a great way to get in some good quality time to hangout and just laugh with your friends.”

You can bring snacks or even do this at someone’s house and put a movie projector on the garage and have an at home drive in movie experience.

Another Dimond senior and his friends just talk on the phone while they do homework. It is a simple yet very beneficial way to talk to your friends. School is so different for everyone and it’s new so that comes with new challenges.  

It’s good to be able to just do homework and talk through problems or classes that you may be struggling with. 

Taylor Heckert, a Dimond High senior, has been connecting with her friends through video games and music. 

She said “I’ve found that most of the time people do not want to get on a call and just chat, but if we have something collaborative to do like a game we can get in a call and have a common goal.” 

She and her friends also love music so they like to send each other new songs they have found and listen to them at the same time.  

That is a very good way to talk about things you normally would in person but do it over the phone. 

Alexa Todd, another Dimond High Senior, shared some very fun ways she has been getting in quality time with her friends while being safe. 

Video games are one way.

She describes it as a “great way to get random groups of people to play together and connect with friends.” 

She also plays with friends who have gone off to college so that’s a great way to stay in touch with people who live somewhere else.

Alexa also has been spending a lot of time outside and learning new things.

She spent some time learning to skate ski and now she goes every weekend. 

Over the summer she would go camping with family and friends, play outdoor games and activities, and had a water gun fight with dyed water and white T-shirts so it made tie dyed shirts. Even though it’s getting colder there are still ways to stay in touch and see your friends.

 you might just have to dress for the weather.