It can be really, really hard for your loved ones to ask for help. Personally, I really hate the idea of inconveniencing someone, of being helpless, of being a nuisance. Instead of broadly saying you're available if needed or asking if there's something your friend needs (yes! there is! but not badly enough to ask you to change your day!), try making specific, concrete offers:
<aside> 💬 "I'll be in your neighborhood tomorrow morning and need to pass the store anyway, what can I pick up for you?"
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<aside> 💬 "I'm ordering a pizza for your online - the order's already going in, I just need your address. You like extra cheese, right?"
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<aside> 💬 "I just realized I have some old puzzles and books that need a new home (or a quick vacation). Can I drop them off for you?"
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Otherwise, just do. Drop off some homemade cookies, a book, a puzzle. Send them cute memes and dog videos. Call on FaceTime (there are times I was really grateful to see another human in real time, even if it on a video call; there were other times I preferred voice calls).
Of course you have a "standing offer" to help. And of course you're happy to. But it doesn't hurt to hear it explicitly, repeatedly. (Oh, and quarantine can last for a while. So checking in every couple of days - even from just casual friends - is a nice reminder that the world hasn't forgotten them!)
<aside> 💡 Pick up their mail
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<aside> 💡 Send custom Spotify playlists
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<aside> 💡 Drop off care packages - food, games, books, flowers, plants, candles, bath bombs
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<aside> 💡 Offer to take out their garbage
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<aside> 💡 Take them along on an errand! My sister "brought me along" to the supermarket, and it was really charming to hear her interactions (especially when she got into an argument with the self-checkout machine).
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<aside> 💡 Send little notes throughout the day, but don't expect immediate responses or conversations
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<aside> 💡 Order take out to their house (especially Chinese food, they need our help!)
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<aside> 💡 Offer to do a "virtual movie night"
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<aside> 💡 Order a מארז בידוד care package (Hebrew link)
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<aside> 💡 Don't start any sentence with "now that you have a lot of free time, could you help with ..." (which I've been getting a lot of!). Don't assume people have more time available than usual. Instead ask if they're looking for additional activities.
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<aside> 💡 Do not say things like "Do you really need to be in quarantine?" or "Are you sure you're not overreacting?" Trust me, your friend has given a LOT more thought to their quarantine and has reached a conclusion, hopefully with expert guidance. Of course, if a friend wants to talk it through with you, by all means be available; but there is no reason to discourage or undermine someone on their 5th day of quarantine by suggesting they're "overreacting." In most cases, they're in quarantine for your protection even more than for their own.
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