Try a virtual lunch

Stay connected with far-flung friends and family

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to have virtual lunches without of town friends
and family. A virtual lunch is a great way to

(00:24):
stay connected without adding any complexity to your schedule. It
will create an energizing change of focus during a busy
work day after way too much virtual everything. During twenty
twenty and twenty twenty one, many people were ready to

(00:45):
ditch zoom for personal get togethers and when it comes
to meaningful connection with the people we love. Nothing beats
meeting face to face, but when locations and schedules make
in person get togethers few and far between, virtual get
togethers can be a great alternative. Virtual lunches, in particular,

(01:09):
are an excellent option for starters. You can build someone
you don't see all that much into your regular rotation.
A college friend who lives across the country you can
have lunch once or twice a month. A dear elderly
aunt who is mostly housebound. You are seeing her on

(01:33):
an average Tuesday. As we all know from pandemic times,
seeing someone on a computer screen is not quite the
same as in person but it's not terrible either. Our
brains don't really distinguish between the two all that well,
so you will get some of that sense of close

(01:55):
interaction even if you aren't actually in the same place.
Another benefit as that you are getting the socialization of lunch,
likely without the extra time or money costs. You can
brown bag your lunch or just eat luftovers at home,
but still make the lunch feel special and as anyone

(02:19):
with a short lunch break knows, going to a restaurant,
especially if you have to drive and park and waiting
for your food and waiting for your check, can eat
up a lot of time, which means you might not
do such things regularly. But even if you only get
thirty to forty five minutes for lunch, you can be

(02:42):
social virtually, even on busy work days. An added bonus
is that catching up with a friend or relative over
lunch provides a great change of pace. You are going
to stop working to eat at some point, so you
may as well do something that will add to your
energy levels. So pick a d eight a time and

(03:07):
a platform, perhaps FaceTime or Zoom or anything like that,
and then protect the time just as you would for
an in person lunch. When the time comes, grab your
brown bag lunch and close your office door, or find
a quiet corner of your building, or just sit in

(03:27):
your car and settle in for a good chat. As
with an in person gathering. If you enjoy your virtual lunch,
you should aim to make it a recurring event. Find
a time that generally works for you and your lunch body,
and get it on both your calendars. Perhaps the second

(03:48):
Thursday of the month at twelve thirty Eastern. You know
you and your college roommate will FaceTime. No tedious correspondence.
To find a time that works, You just choose a
recurring time once and then schedule around it. Of course,
sometimes you will have to adjust it, but if that

(04:09):
monthly call at a particular time is your default, it
will happen more often than not. As friendship expert Shasta
Nelson reminds us, frequency is fundamental to relationships. When you
talk with your virtual lunch buddies regularly, you will find

(04:30):
yourself getting closer. You'll know the basics of what is
going on in each other's lives, so you can talk
more about how you are feeling or questions you're grappling
with book or movie or recipe recommendations, and the myriad
deep and light things you talk about with people you
see often. You won't have to remind them of your

(04:52):
partner's name and your kids ages, or your boss's difficult quirks.
They know all of that already, so you can launch
right in to whatever is on your mind. Virtual lunches
are a great way to add connection to your days
without having to give up work time or family time,

(05:16):
and without having to spend time in transit. So if
you want to deepen your relationships with loved ones far
and near this year, consider whether virtual lunches might work
for you. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,

(05:36):
and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

(05:58):
That's b the number for Than Breakfast p o D.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled
out with all the letters. Thanks so much. Should I
look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a

(06:20):
production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.