Zoom fatigue, cancelled visits and limits on gatherings can all make it feel like our friends are drifting away. But with a few expert tips it’s easy to rekindle close connections
When Jude Gidney’s drumming group moved online, it wasn’t quite moving to the same beat. Same as her choir. “Online, you get delays and it doesn’t work very well,” says Gidney, who runs community groups in the Oldham area. But it didn’t matter too much. “Just being there and seeing the others, that was the main thing. The social side of it was a lot stronger than the actual playing of the music. In fact, I think I’ve got to know them better.”
Many of us took stock of our friendships this year. “As well as reinforcing some incredible bonds and perhaps bringing new people into your life, who surprised you with their support, it’s also highlighted which friendships it is probably time to let go of,” says Caroline Millington, author of The Friendship Formulas. The pandemic has influenced the way we maintain – and form – our friendships. Zoom has become a part of everyday life; there are limits on the number of attendees at a gathering; self-isolation feels never far away; people you thought were good friends may have drifted, while once-unknown neighbours and local acquaintances may have been usurped by one-unknown neighbours and local acquaintances who have become a vital support system.
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