It is a Weird Time.
Think this sums up what we are feeling right now.
It has been a whirlwind of a month. A lot of unknowns in our future right now. Small businesses are closing down, people are losing their jobs (I am one of those). Staying indoors, not sticking to your routine has been tough. Taking a walk is somewhat a risk. Walking outside knowing there is a pandemic is so strange. It is uncharted for all of us. But we are in this together.
Just wanted to write this to A. Start up my blog, but B. Try to encourage people that we will be okay. We have to keep this shelter-in-place and social distancing going. I’m going to give a quick blurb where I am at emotionally, physically and all that jazz. The rest are just tips of what do during this time and ways to keep you from going insane.
So as said above, I have been furloughed. Thank you to all my friends and family who have been so supportive during this time. It has really take a toll on my psyche the past couple of days. But I am coming out of it right now. The support has definitely helped me climb that mountain. I will be okay. Think it just caught me off guard and didn’t expect to be here, but here we are. Gotta pull up my boot straps and keep going. One of the things that has helped me: STAYING POSITIVE.
Be Optimistic! And Spread It!
Yes. So simple, but so hard sometimes to accomplish. Staying positive is essential. It is so easy to fall into those dark, ugly thoughts in your head. But taking a second, breathe and think of a positive thought will definitely help. ‘You are okay,’ or ‘You are cute as hell,’ or ‘You smell good.’ These small thoughts can keep you from going into those dark areas. Wise words from Donna in Parks & Rec:
I know this is a lot easier said than done, but try it! Doesn’t hurt to try. I’m not saying negative thoughts are super bad. Delving in them and staying in that place is the bad part. When you are feeling positive, spread it amongst those that are close to you. Whatever that looks like, spread that optimism to your loved ones. Saying it’s okay and you will be there for someone can help them out of that place of anxiety. This leads to staying connected.
Connect. Connect. And Connect.
It is one small word. But it has the most impact. Even thought we cannot physically connect with anyone right now, staying in touch with friends, family, etc. will help us get through this time. FaceTime family and friends. Watch a movie on Netflix together with Netflix Party, which allows for you to watch shows/movies with friends. Texting friends you have not reached out in a while. Just shooting a text showing support can really help someone in dire need to some connection because self-isolation is real and tough. Zoom with your work buddies on a work conference call. But don’t fuck it up like this one:
Connecting with people is needed more than ever right now. So reach out to your friends. Tell them you miss them. Talk about how are they feeling. Talking about Netflix recommendations. Send a GIF. Connection is key.
Stay Busy
There so many things you can do in the constraints of your home. One thing that has helped me during this time is embroidery! I’ve never tried it before in my life, but decided that I should give it a shot. At first it was a little scary. After a couple of tries, getting frustrated with the threading, it has actually been super relaxing. With the help of YouTube, think I have it down. Every day, for about an hour or so, I listen to music and thread. Here is the link for all you peeps out there reading this. This keeps me busy, productive and honestly so much fun!
Besides embroidery, there are other activities out there. Read a book: Recommend Bad Blood. Exercise. There are lot of services being offered for free. Check out the WireCutter. Don’t let the Quarantine 15 be real. Clean, clean, clean. This a perfect time to do some spring cleaning. Rearrange your room 20 times. Binge watch docuseries on Netflix: recommend The Staircase + Evil Genius. Buy a Switch/Switch Lite (If you can. Or if there are any available). Get into Animal Crossings: New Horizon. It will literally change your life. Your new reality will be island full of fruits, insects, fish and passive aggressive island dwellers. It is amazing. Hang out with your roommates! Buy JackBox Games and have a game night!
I can clearly go on and on a list of things to do, but you get the idea. Keeping busy will also help you mentally from overthinking everything. It will keep you productive.
One Last Thing: Avoid the News
As a writer, I would solemnly say this but: PLEASE DO NOT READ THE NEWS. Staying up to date is crucial, but deep diving into Yahoo News or even worse Fox News is so detrimental. This is bad for the brain. It is bad for your psyche. There are a lot of news coming out, but staying away from it is a positive.
About 2 weeks ago, I turned off my notifications for the NY Times and Apple News. Every morning read a headline that was just so negative and almost a scare tactic. Like I said, staying informed is important. Knowing the basics is different from reading every single article.
Instagram, Facebook and Twitter is another route where you digest news. Try to limit your time on there as well. Staying on these platforms is another form of connection. But also it can make you laugh. Which is what we all need right now.
What a strange time to be alive. We need to take this in day by day. There are going to be tough days, but we must outweigh them with better days. Either that watching every single episode of Real Housewives or cooking a feast. We need to stay in this together and keep moving forward. This is out of our control. But what we do have control: flattening the curve. We all must do our part so we can come out of this more aware and not take things for granted. Hopefully this is was a nice distraction to your day. Thanks for reading my words. Please reach out to me if you need anything. Let’s keep on moving. Party.
