4 Ways to Embrace Virtual Reunions this Holiday
With the Covid-19 pandemic lurking around during this holiday season, many families are turning towards virtual reunions as alternatives to the annual routine of house visits. Virtual reunions ensures that we can all meet with one another from the safety of our homes without fear of endangering our loved ones. However, as this is a new phenomenon, there are many anxieties around organizing a gathering during this period in a virtual space. Here are some possible activities and concepts to prepare yourself for a virtual reunion:
Find a Virtual Platform Together
The first step to organizing a virtual reunion is to finding a shared online platform for the family to meet. Based on your needs, you may find that some might be more suitable than others. For example, if your family lives with poor bandwidth and poor video connection, you might have to settle for a voice only gathering. As such, you might want to use platforms such as a Whatsapp Group call rather than a Zoom/Skype video conference so as to ensure that the bandwidth is prioritized to voice chat only.
Checking in with the rest of your extended family and inviting the youth to help decide and install the platform can also help ease the anxiety of preparing for a virtual gathering. Remember that you are not alone in organizing the family reunion and that everyone has a shared responsibility in making it work!
Set a Time Based on Everyone's Needs
Decide a time to which you feel best creates a space for conversations to happen. For example, setting a time before dinner might create possible topics for everyone to engage with such as sharing videos and photos of the food one has prepared. Setting a time after dinner might result in a calmer conversation, allowing everyone more space to engage with one another on a personal level. Discuss with the rest of your family what might fit the family dynamic better!
Engaging with Virtual Activities as a Group
There are many virtual activities that one can access for free during this holiday season during a virtual reunion for everyone to draw focus to. There might be some awkwardness that is created due to the virtual medium and as such, engaging with virtual activities can help tide over the lull in conversations. Once again, engage with the youth of your family to find out what possible games or activities the family can do as a whole.
Be Flexible and Be Expressive
Most of all, it is important during this time to learn how to be flexible! Understand that the situation you are about to experience is a new but also a shared experience among your family members. Reaching out to your family to share your worries and anxieties might help calm you down and realize that you are not alone. If a family member reaches out to you, embrace the power of validation ("That is indeed a tough experience and your emotion is valid") and engage with them as an active listener.
Learning how to adapt and cope with the new change in routine is useful in ensuring that our anxieties are kept at bay. Understand that the reunion may not go as expected (such as internet failures) and respect that the success of a family gathering is not on physical distance but rather shared experiences and strong bonds. Remember that you are not alone and reach out to your family if you are unable to cope with your anxieties!
When all else fails, sometimes it is best to engage with a mental health professional who can help identify the source of your anxieties and tailor activities to help ease them. While family can be a great source of help, engaging with an expert can help supplement the gaps in support!
Consider beginning your mental health journey today with a counselor at Infinit Care to better prepare yourself for the holidays and any future stresses!
