Sooo obviously the big elephant in the room is the current Coronavirus pandemic that has instantly altered the next few weeks or months with many state governments ordering their citizens to stay home and many non-essential businesses shutting their doors.
For me, my university moved all classes to virtual settings and made students living in the dorms to move out with very little notice. So last Saturday, at the end of what was supposed to be a relaxing spring break, I had to go back to Boston to move all my stuff out of my dorm and move back in with my parents until school starts again in September. My service trip to Washington D.C was also canceled due to the virus and I had to leave behind my work study job which can't be done remotely.
I know my situation is nothing compared to others: my parents are still in work, my family is well stocked up with food and toiletries, and I'm being reimbursed for my on-campus housing and hopefully for my work study.
Nonetheless these are stressful times and EVERYONE is affected by this in some type of way. This outbreak is unprecedented and scary and it's OK to feel stressed, anxious, and unsure about how the next few weeks will unfold.
I'm trying my best to uplift my spirits and be positive during this time and I hope my readers are doing the same too! Hopefully I remain sane during this crazy period especially with all my siblings being home too....
Here are some of the ways that I'm making the most out of social distancing and staying home! Remember the best way to stop the spread of this virus is to stay home and practice social distancing (6 ft) and of course WASH YO' HANDS.
1. READ READ READ
You may know by now that I love to read and this year my reading goal is 50 books. So far I've read 15 books this year and being isolated at home is a good way to tackle my reading challenge. So when you want to find a way to be occupied at home, start reading! A lot of libraries are closed at this time if you don't have any books at home, but Audible is offering a large selection of audiobooks for FREE spanning across all genres and age groups. Check out the selection here.
2. Jam to some good music
Get your spirits up by listening to some upbeat and joyful music! I've been blasting my Spotify playlists each morning to get myself hyped up and ready for the day. Even if I'm feeling overwhelmed about the virus, listening to some good tunes relieves my anxiety for a bit. Create a lively and happy music playlist for yourself to get all those nervous feelings out. My current March 2020 playlist is linked below and has brought so much joy into my life these past few weeks. So start jamming and release those negative feelings!
3. Make some art
Creating art of any nature is a good way to get those creative juices flowing! Paint, draw, edit your Insta pics, sew, crochet, make some origami, sketch, etc etc. I have a Redbubble shop where I sell stickers so during this social distancing era I plan to create more designs. You can check out my shop here.
4. Make streaming your best friend
With all this free time, start binging shows on Netflix (like Schitt's Creek or Sex Education for comedy relief) or have a movie marathon with the fam! 2020 movies like The Invisible Man, Emma, and Onward are already available to stream early after many movie theaters have shut down following the pandemic. More info about where to stream these movies are here. Additionally, the mini-series adaptation of the book, Little Fires Everywhere has started streaming on Hulu and it is phenomenal! With all the options on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc you will never get bored at home.
5. Help others...virtually
In spite of the negatives feelings surrounding the Coronavirus, many people still want to help others even if you have to keep your distance for the time being. We need to come together now more than ever and there's still ways to do so even while maintaining social distancing. Ideas of helping others during the age of COVID-19 include checking on your neighbors by calling or texting them to make sure they're ok, if you're a pro at sewing you could sew masks for the local hospital or clinic, donate to non-profits who are at the frontline of fighting this illness, give blood (according to the American Red Cross donations are on the decline,) and/or support local businesses by ordering take-out or buying gifts cards. A more exhaustive list of how to help is here including some non-profits to donate money to. I've helped my own little way by fostering two rabbits because my local rabbit rescue had to shut its doors to volunteers. So for the next two months I will have two more bunnies running around the house! Social distancing is becoming the norm, but you can still feel united by helping others!
Making the most out of social distancing and staying home doesn't mean you have to go all out and write a novel or start a business, but it can simply be a time to focus on yourself and spread love during these tough few weeks! Spend some time with your family, cuddle with your pets, take a walk, start journaling etc etc the options are endless! Happy social distancing and stay safe!
Sarah, xo