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BY ARIELLE LAWSON | St. Pete UG Communications Intern
As COVID-19 continues to impact the world and the safety of mankind, it’s important for us to all take the best precaution to stay safe. Zoom has been extremely helpful in transitioning us from pre-covid, in-person activities to our new norm of online and socially distanced meetings. Despite the assistance that Zoom provides, there is still nothing compared to connecting face-to-face. Though Zoom has been a great tool during these unprecedented times, it can be quite monotonous and draining.
In 2020, Zoom left individuals’ feelings drained, and there’s a name for this phenomenon. According to Jenna Lee, MD of Psychology Times, “Zoom fatigue” refers to the burnout associated with the overuse of virtual communication platforms and has become the reality of many due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As leaders, we must encourage our communities to remain strong and stay engaged despite our current struggles. Below are seven tips from some of our Microchurches on how to enhance your social-distanced connections beyond zoom.
#1 Bake a sweet treat.
The members of Gateway Homechurch recommend trying your hand at baking something sweet for your friends. Extra brownie points if you hand-deliver the baked goods to them!
#2 Play some games online.
There are plenty of multi-person games you can play virtually. Think about your favorite icebreaker, and redesign it to work in a virtual setting. You can also find multiplayer online games and share the link with friends. Everyone will be able to play the game together live via Zoom, Google Hangouts, or any other video chatting app. This tech-savvy idea was introduced by our microchurch, D7 Gaming Outreach.
#3 Host a virtual lip-sync battle.
COVID-19 has shown us that video chats don’t always have to mean business. Microchurch, At the Table Homechurch recommends bringing your inner performer to the Zoom stage with a virtual lip-sync battle. Make it even more fun by picking a certain music genre or decade or dress up as your favorite artist for your big performance!
#4 Meet Up. Safely.
The yearlong pandemic has us craving personal interaction more than ever! The Urban Youth Justice microchurch understands just how beneficial one-on-one, face-to-face meetings can be during this time. Be sure to follow safety and social distancing guidelines and meet in an open space such as the beach or park.
#5 Start a YouTube Channel.
I’m sure we’ve all seen how helpful YouTube can be in spreading information and keeping individuals entertained. 1Heart3Beats presents the great idea of starting a YouTube channel of your own! This will give you a creative way to engage with your community and a fun way for all to enjoy!
#6 Teach each other a new skill.
Being stuck at home comes with some perks. 727 Homechurch understands the increased amount of time many of us now have. Why not use this time to learn a new skill? Share a new skill set with your community and encourage others to do the same. You never know how much you will enjoy something or how good you will be at something until you try!
#7 Host (or attend) a Virtual Art Show.
Support the arts and celebrate the talent of your community through virtual art shows! You can find an online art show to attend on Eventbrite, Facebook Live, or Instagram Live. You also do what Melanation As You Art did and put on your own art show encouraging the artists in your community to share their work as well.
We are all missing the lives we led before, but this new normal is something we must adjust to, at least for the time being.
Despite the struggles that come with a global pandemic, we must remain positive and continue to uplift one another. We hope these tips can help to bring some joy into our new online communities, and if you have any tips of your own, we would love to hear them!
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Check back here next week as we continue our March Resource Space blog series. You can find these tips available to download and other helpful resources we’ll be featuring at www.stpeteunderground.com/resources.
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