50 Ways to Feel Connected Without a Screen

The holiday season is here and with it comes a desire to connect with friends, family, or anyone outside our household! We could probably also stand to take a break from our devices (eye strain is a real concern).

Here are a 50 ways to feel connected to others–even when we’re physically distanced.

1. Write letters and send them in the mail
2. Make a meal and leave it at a loved one’s door
3. Read the same book as a friend (or a group) and discuss by phone
4. Share a pair of jeans (or comfier pants) among your group of friends
5. Join an outdoor team like disc golf, bocce, soccer
6. Join an outdoor workout group
7. Start a gratitude jar
8. Make the same recipe as a loved one
9. Send flowers
10. Volunteer
11. Go for a walk and talk. Walktails optional!
12. Play board games
13. Go for a hike
14. Decorate your front porch for passersby to enjoy
15. Fill a little free library
16. Post toys and games you’re done with to your local Buy Nothing for someone else to love
17. Read a memoir or biography
18. Donate funds to a cause you care about
19. Spend some time playing with your pet
20. Set up a fun theme night for your household members
21. Clean up in your neighborhood
22. Make a handmade gift for a loved one
23. Look through old photos and swap out the pictures in your frames
24. Visit Intentionalist and support a local business
25. Go through your closet for warm clothes and shoes to donate to a shelter
26. Offer to pick up and drop off donations from neighbors or friends
27. Plant a tree
28. Paint and share a kindness rock
29. Visit a friend and wave through the windows
30. Rake the neighbor’s leaves or shovel their driveway
31. Share playlists with a friend
32. Do a puzzle together
33. Do one of your significant other’s usual chores
34. Enjoy a distraction-free dinner with your family
35. Try some old family recipes
36. Introduce yourself to your neighbors
37. Play a virtual game of Bingo and mail or deliver prizes
38. Leave a chalk art surprise on a friend’s driveway
39. Decorate cookies or build a gingerbread house at the same time and text each other pictures.
40. Create window art to inspire neighbors
41. Challenge friends to a winter scavenger hunt
42. Leave a seasonal surprise like a pumpkin or valentine
43. Go to the farmer’s market or an pop-up craft fair and support local businesses
44. Say hello to people you pass on the street
45. Put a teddy bear in the window for kids going on a neighborhood “bear hunt”
46. Applaud for healthcare workers at 7 p.m.
47. Listen to a podcast
48. Tell a trusted friend about your stress, anxiety, or depression
49. Ask your loved ones if they’re OK
50. Ask a loved one what they need to feel better