Not easy to be confined to your home. Telecommuting or not, it is essential to keep in touch with loved ones. A smartphone is good, but do you know the other tools that can make you feel even closer to your loved ones despite the sanitary measures? Here is our selection to keep in touch even during confinement.
Why preserving social ties is important?
Before confinement, we had colleagues, evenings with friends, cultural outings… Going from everything to zero in such a short time can be the source of discomfort. It's the same for children. At the crèche or at school, they have friends, lovers or girlfriends and build strong bonds with their teacher:so many people who are essential to their balance and to the construction of their identity. Faced with confinement, they too can feel stress and sadness.
However, a study[1] has shown that adults of all ages who cultivate a social connection are healthier:less stress, lower blood pressure, stronger immune system and better mental health. Staying in touch is therefore very important to keep fishing and morale.
The 6 essential tools to keep in touch
To stay in good shape and not get depressed, the Internet is absolutely brilliant.
Skype
Impossible to skip it. The software, launched in 2011, allows group chats of up to 10 people. You can also record the conversations, practical for grandparents who would like to read a story to their grandchildren in the evening. The software is available on desktop (Windows, Mac, and Linux), mobile (Android, iOS, and Windows 10 mobile), Xbox One, and even Amazon Alexa.
Google Hangouts
If you're the type with lots and lots of friends or family, Google Hangouts is perfect for you. You can chat with 20 people at a time (even up to 50 for a fee!). You don't have to install anything on your computer. You just need to download the mobile application to use it on Android or iOS and have a Gmail address.
Zoom
Mainly used by companies, Zoom adapts very well to communicate as a duo, in a group or even by conference room. Be careful though, the free version does not allow you to chat for more than 40 minutes!
Top for messaging your friends and family for free. So you can avoid SMS charges. Another great feature in this period of confinement:group chats, which allow you to share messages, photos and videos with the people of your choice (up to 256!).
FaceTime
Available only for iPhone, iPad or iPod touch users, FaceTime is an application for making audio and video calls. Fun little twist:you can use your personalized Memoji. Kids love it!
Netflix Party
The Netflix Party extension on Google Chrome allows you to watch a movie or series with your friends and discuss it live, thanks to a chat. All members of a guest group can fast forward or rewind the movie, or even pause, so that the flow of the movie is synchronized for everyone.
Screens, yes, but not for too long!
Spending a lot of time in front of a screen every day has many negative effects on our health, especially in children (insomnia, hyperactivity, stress, etc.). Likewise, if you want to continue calling your loved ones without worries throughout the duration of confinement, it is important to have a reasoned consumption and not to saturate the networks.
Also think about the sites of online chat
Want to chat with your loved ones without disturbing those who are confined with you? Online chat sites and apps are your best allies:
Among friends, but each at home! This is the golden rule during this period of confinement. Physical exchanges are excluded, of course, but fortunately you can keep in touch with his loved ones. With our list of tools, confinement does not rhyme with isolation.
[1] A study by the University of Chapel Hill in the United States
