At this point of the pandemic that’s still affecting our everyday lives, we have a slightly better handle of our sanity as compared to March. Seven months ago, things were a lot more uncertain. That was when I left my job on the day of a storm and drove home, confused and unsure of what even the next week would look like. When lines at the grocery store stretched towards the dairy section, all the way in the back, and nonperishables like rice and pasta were sold out for weeks. When we were a little more scared, when everything changed from day to day, at the drop of a hat.

Today, unfortunately, cases are still on the rise. At time of writing (mid-October 2020), 215,000 Americans have died from the novel coronavirus, and one estimate projects the number could be upwards of 390,000 by February. Some places globally are doubling back on their lockdown measures. The United States has seen over 300,000 new cases in the last week alone. Winter is around the corner and the regular flu (of the influenza viruses, and not the SARS-CoV-2 virus) is still affecting people. With this in mind, we may end up quarantining for quite a while, so let’s try to make the most of it, I suppose!

While this isn’t the case for everyone, and it comes from a place of privilege to feel this way, nowadays, I’ve gotten used to being home and we have a better idea of what to expect from our county officials. Full disclosure — I live in Los Angeles. I worked at a national fitness studio. I went back to my job for three days during what I call the “in-between” time, when the state government was feeling pressure to reopen some places that were deemed non-essential during the first go-around of  lockdown, such as nail salons and gyms. Since then, California has kept some things open, such as shops and allowed outdoor dining, but closed high-contact locations, like gyms. This time, I was grateful. Knowing that cases were worse than the initial lockdown in March but things were opening up again honestly stressed me out. 

So, I’m glad we got the formalities out of the way. The following is a list of things you can do to stay a little more sane, but with the caveat that you are either working a lot less, or not at all, and have the privilege and mental capacity to do anything outside of wondering how you’ll pay rent or put food on the table. If nothing at all, let these options be a distraction.

1. Find a hobby and let it become your entire personality. Mine became cooking and creating. I’ve prioritized making my own meals for a few years now, since moving away from my hometown and out of my parent’s house. I’ve recently started to prioritize making visually appealing foods, as well, and photographing what I eat a little more. More as a hobby and something fun to share and build a community out of, but during quarantine, I made an instagram for what I made and began posting almost every day. I also had the time to experiment with more difficult recipes, as well. Some weren’t that good (Israeli couscous), but some were amazing (risotto). 

2. Take a road trip and camp at your destination. Pack your own food, or practice the same social distancing measures at a local grocery store that you would for your own. An unexpected silver lining to the pandemic is that people are traveling less often. Have you ever tried to book a last-minute reservation at a campsite? It’s usually all but impossible. However, now you can! Occasionally even at national parks. Most of them are still booked out, but you can find campsites outside of the park if you’re willing to drive a little ways. (A guide to national parks, the other aspect of my entire personality, will be coming soon!) 

3. Learn a new skill. Coursera and edx are great resources that offer free classes in just about anything you can think of. From learning search engine optimization (SEO), food and health classes, the science of well-being, as well as so many others. They’re all published by accredited universities like Harvard and UC Davis, and most are completely free. (You can pay for a certificate if it’s in your field, or you’d like to focus on a career switch!) Khan Academy is also an incredible free tool to learn about school subjects. Masterclass is another resource, but definitely at the pricier side. Keep an eye out because every once in a while they have promotions such as one I snagged a little earlier this year — one year for $1 with a .edu email address! Skillshare offers many free classes, but many are also under their premium subscription services. They sponsor a lot of youtubers and podcasts that usually offer a free month trial with their promotion codes. I used skillshare.com/prettybasic (Alisha Marie & Remi Cruz’s podcast) for two free months of premium, but if you have podcasters you’d like to support, I bet they have a promo code as well!

4. Get (or stay) as active as possible. This could look like just going out for a walk around the block. Hiking trails were closed for a time here in California (again, because people couldn’t act right) which forced us to get creative. The Peloton app gives everyone a 30-day free trial where they showcase all of their workouts, with or without equipment, as well as yoga, meditation, and coaching if you took up running outside. There are also many at home workouts available for free on Youtube and Instagram. If you have a park or a green space outside, I encourage you to just get outside and get some vitamin D!

5. Romanticize the every day. Or at least one day. Pick a day where you take your time making your coffee, or tea, in the morning. Journal or meditate or read while you drink your beverage slowly. Spend the day doing things that center around you and what you love, whatever that looks like for you. Take some time to watch the sunrise or the sunset while they’re still visible. Listen to music on a drive. Use fun shower accessories and really take a deep dive into your skincare game, especially if this is a place you’ve neglected before. Even if it’s just moisturizing your entire body or brushing your hair. Take your time and assign intentions to your movements. 

6. Read. I’ve always been an avid reader, with some periods of time when I didn’t have the time to read as much as I would have liked. But this year, I feel like I’ve read more in the past year than I have in a long time. I’m going to make a separate post for all the books I’ve read throughout quarantine, and a few all-time favorites that will make anyone want to get lost in someone else’s story. I use the Overdrive app (Libby also works) on my nook to borrow books (for three weeks at a time) using my library card. Because libraries have been closed, you’re able to sign up for a temporary library card through the app so you can borrow books, as well! 
   • If you’re someone who prefers hard copies of books, check out https://littlefreelibrary.org to see where “little libraries” are in your neighborhood. The idea is: you take a book, you leave a book, so there’s a constant circulation of books in your area. You have something new  to read, and it’s totally free. Support your local bookstore if you can, as well! I usually shop at used bookstores for affordable fiction. They may not have recent releases, but oftentimes will have bestsellers and even cheaper than you would find at Amazon. 

7. Do your best to stay connected. Even living with two people (one of them even being my girlfriend), I’ve found myself craving connection and a sense of community. Right now, the best we can do is have group zooms. I participate in weekly zooms with my girlfriend’s family where we catch up on the week and talk about what we’re looking forward to in the upcoming week. It’s necessary to focus on the positive as much as possible. You can also watch movies together or play games that you don’t need tools for (think road trip games) to keep your mind off what’s happening in the world. Or, in the very best case scenario, have socially distant hangouts or picnics in outdoor common spaces, like the beach or a park. This is risky for a lot of people, because you have to trust that everyone else has not been in contact with anyone with even the possibility of contracting the novel coronavirus, so if there’s even an ounce of worry, stay home. Call your loved ones instead. 

To prevent the spread of this disease, don’t leave the house without a mask, and wear it. Maintain a safe distance from anyone you are not living with. Six feet or more. Do limit the amount of time you are in public, high-contact spaces. Do not assume you’re immune because you’re young and bored — you could be unknowingly spreading it. It’s advised this year, even more than in the past, to get a flu vaccine. While this isn’t a vaccine against COVID-19, it is still recommended as it will “reduce your risk from flu but also to help conserve potentially scarce health care resources,” according to the CDC. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. If you’re on the go, sanitize your hands with 60%+ alcohol.  Be safe and do your very best. 

All my love, 
Nazara