With the quarantine and working from home, we are all relying more on virtual communication than ever before. I have had the absolute pleasure of Zoom “Happy Hours” with my high school and college friends, and my book club has gone virtual as well. We all enjoy seeing each other in our Zoom boxes!

Also fun has been a virtual baby reveal that I likely would not have been invited to if the couple had to be concerned about the space in their city apartment. It was my first baby reveal party, so it was a lot of fun for me.

There have also been Zoom birthday celebrations and three virtual funerals, two of them on the same day. While funerals are never fun, being able to share fond memories with people from all across the country was a bonus that I probably would not have had without COVID.

So, this makes it sound like I am loving my virtual world, doesn’t it? That is definitely a stretch!

One challenge is staying positive and constructive when interacting with others in this new virtual environment. Just as comments on social media and news sites generally tend to land somewhere between snippy to downright mean, the longer we are on lock-down, the easier it is to fall into that virtual-world response with family, friends, and the people in our workplace. My rule of thumb is to only post what I would actually say if I were face-to-face with someone.

Don’t treat your real-life relationships, in person or virtual, like an anonymous commenter. You are not anonymous, and your relationships are real and deserve nurturing.

What are the challenges you are experiencing in virtual communication?