Togetherness and Creativeness; Things to Keep Us Going During COVID-19

Gone are the days where we can meet up with friends, have Sunday dinners with loved ones, or simply go to our favorite workout class; our normal routine that I’m sure lots of us took for granted. I know I did. So, how can we stay connected even though we may be physically separated?  

I’ve seen a bunch of things popping up on the internet and social media about ways we can change up our normal routines, but find comfort in these new circumstances we’re all forced to be in. It can feel overwhelming at first, for me especially I tend to shrink at the thought that I should be more productive during this time, simply because I have so much more free time. If I feel pressure that I should be accomplishing that much more, it will oftentimes have the opposite effect on my productivity. My husband however thrives at the prospect of all these new, oftentimes, creative ways in which we can keep busy. He loves when he feels useful and productive, whether someone is telling him to be so or not. I guess a lot of the times I have to come to my creativeness on my own terms.  

While sometimes my coping mechanisms revolve around staring at a screen all day being anything but productive, I have found it encouraging to see new ways in which we can tap into our creative side, whenever we feel the urge to do so. My husband loves lists like this, so if you’re anything like him I think you’ll enjoy the plethora of suggestions. If you’re like me, you can take this list with a grain of salt. if you’re having a good day and feel like you need some more art in your life or simply want to throw on the latest virtual MET concert as you fall asleep at night, check it out. 

This is a time filled with anxiety, sleepless nights, and simply the unknown of how long, and how bad this will get is unsettling. But if we can use this time to learn from each other and grow stronger from this terrible pandemic, to support the arts, support our local businesses who are struggling, then I think we can grow exceptionally stronger from this whole situation. This affects us all disproportionately, I know I oftentimes feel bad, to feel bad, seeing as I have a lovely home to quarantine in and a supportive partner that lifts me up when I’m feeling my worst, but all our problems are valid and it’s how we try and make the most of this situation and come together even though we’re apart that we’ll get through this. See you on the other side. 

INTROVERTS:

• Free audio books on Audible

• Or video games I guess… like my husband is into…

THE ARTS:

• A lot of museums are offering free virtual tours. Musee D’orsay is a favorite of mine, check it out! Skip the line, virtually, for free!

• Or check out Marquee TV (basically Netflix for the arts)

 MUSIC MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND:

• The arts are what helps us get through the tough times, yet it’s artists and musicians that will have some of the hardest times getting through this recession. The MET is offering free streaming of their concerts every night. 

• Celebrities are joining in by offering free concerts via streaming; Miley Cyrus, John Legend and Willie Nelson have hosted virtual concerts, check out the hashtag #TogetherAtHome to find more virtual concerts to come

• My father in law, Kim Mitchell hosted a concert on Facebook Live, check it out here!

 CHEERS! :

• In lieu of supporting small businesses, a lot of our favorite bars are finding it difficult to stay afloat. If you’re NYC based, try ordering a big batch of premade cocktails from The Garret (and then host a virtual happy hour with friends!)

•  If you’re outside of NYC, get creative by making your own cocktails. This is a favorite of mine; the Paper Plane.

 KEEP THE PARTY GOING:

• In addition to virtual happy hours, join Zoom or Google Hangout to connect with friends, celebrate each other’s birthday parties, or to meet new people. 

• Club Quarantine is hosting an online queer party every night of the quarantine. 21:00-00:00 ET on zoom app.

 FEED ME:

• Get cooking!! This is a great site for recipes, and my all-time favorite is this chickpea, coconut milk stew that keeps well for a few days and is really easy to make!

 STAY ACTIVE TO SUPPORT ALL YOUR BINGE EATING:

• Beyond feeling good, a lot of the workouts I previously did were to stay fit because I had to for work. While I thought I would lessen the amount of movement I did seeing as I’ll be out of work for a while, I realized that it actually helps me alleviate stress and anxiety and is a great tool to get through these times. So, keep moving!! For you, and not because you have to. 

• A couple of my favorite workouts are by Sky Ting yoga and Pvolve streaming. 

 SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES:

• If you can shop locally from that mom & pop store that’s still open versus another Amazon order! 

• If you’re ordering in, leave a box of snacks and water for your local delivery man, they’re still out there working and keeping us afloat, let them know you appreciate them!

• Order takeout from that Indian or Chinese restaurant you’ve been wanting to try. A lot of these small businesses will not survive, do what you can to support them during these rough times 

HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR:

• My friend Sinead Bovell, founder of Waye Talks is giving out weekly advice for the young entrepreneur. Check out her site for incredible advice on entrepreneurship and simple solutions on how to stay motivated and productive during this pandemic. 

 GET SMART:

• No more excuses!! Seeing as I only completed one year at UofT before moving to NYC full-time to pursue modeling, now is my time to get back into academics!

• This is a great resource, as is this class by Yale which is now offering their most popular class to date for free! And the topic is without a doubt going to help you get through these depressing times. 

 REWATCH THE TORONTO RAPTORS WIN AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND AGAIN: 

• Yeah baby ,thank you TSN!

 NIHONGO O MANABU (LEARN JAPANESE): 

• All I can seem to remember is how to order a beer and food (useful), but perhaps I should re-learn a bit more… Check out this site!

BE CALM: 

• Try that mediation class you’ve always been wanting to try.

 NETFLIX, DRINK, AND CHILL:

• A new way to watch Netflix together with friends; Netflix Party, check it out!!

TRYING TO STAY SUSTAINABLE? : 

• It’s okay to feel overwhelmed at the prospect of having to use more plastic when stocking up on goods during this pandemic. Look at sustainability in a new lens. Lauren Singer, founder of Package Free Shop sums it up pretty perfectly in her latest Instagram post.

I’m thankful for all of those putting their lives on risk to support the economy and keep us all safe. The heroes who work in hospitals, doctors offices, delivery men, firefighters, small businesses who are being hit hard more than ever. These are tough times, but we will get stronger from this. We’ll have good days, and terrible days, but we will learn from this and grow together even stronger than before. Thank you again for everyone staying inside, washing their hands, and continuing to follow protocol. Do it for your loved ones, the elderly, your friends, and own family.

New Normal- Contribution by Co-Founder Maria Bromley

There's something about March.  March 12 more specifically, which happens to be my birthday. Nine years ago, I was planning to kick off my birthday "weekend" celebrations on Friday March 11.  Little did I know that afternoon a massive earthquake and tsunami would strike Japan (where I was living at the time). Needless to say, my birthday celebrations were put on hold and we struggled with our new reality. This year I had planned to visit the SXSW festival for my birthday.  Then the coronavirus hit and the world shut down.  My friends held a subdued birthday dinner for me on March 11.  Then on March 12, we all began to practice social distancing and self-isolation if necessary. All this to say, I am getting pretty good at handling natural disasters on my birthday.

I started writing a blog after the earthquake which helped me to process my emotions during those turbulent days after the nuclear meltdown which followed the earthquake and tsunami. Here is a portion from one post I entitled "aftershock adrenaline".

We've had 25 aftershocks in the last 16 hours. It is hard to concentrate on anything else.  This morning before school my sons were looking on the earthquake website betting each other what size it was.  “I think it was about 5.0!”  “No way, it was about 6!”  It’s great they have something new to argue about.  But dropping them off at school is difficult.  I want to keep everyone together at home.  But I can’t do that forever.  I have to pretend that everything is fine.  My daughter takes a bus to a school one hour away.  It took her 8 hours to get back the night of the 9.0 earthquake.  When I say goodbye in the morning, I think about it.  Again, and again.  Last night we all slept together on the upper floor.  I felt safer being up there.  I brought up a case of water, our shoes and a backpack with supplies.  Flashlight, passports, money etc.  The boys packed a big jar of peanut butter.  Which I actually thought was a good idea. 

The Coronavirus pandemic is a very different situation.  It's global and longer term. But trying to manage the stress and deal with the anxiety is very similar. I am going to include another post I wrote for my blog...as I think it will resonate.

Everyone handles stress in a different way.  Some are fighters, some are flighters. According to website thebodysoul.com, when fight or flight hits, your nerve cells fire and chemicals are released into your bloodstream. You breathe more rapidly. Your blood is redirected from your digestive tract into your muscles and limbs. Your pupils dilate. Your awareness intensifies. Your sight sharpens. Your impulses quicken. Your perception of pain diminishes. Your immune system mobilizes. You become prepared—physically and psychologically—for fight or flight. The fight or flight response to acute stress can save your life.  It prepares you to flee or fight in order to defend yourself from danger. This is the potentially life-saving response to acute stress.   

But what about what we are experiencing now?  Long-term acute stress?  Or chronic stress. How will living under the new normal of long-term aftershocks, threat of radiation and feelings of survivor guilt, affect us physically and psychologically?  Chronic stress is a negative physiological and emotional response when it is intense and unresolved.  This kind of stress leads to wear and tear on the body and mind.  It can compromise your immune system.  You get more colds and feel run down.  Many of my friends are feeling tired and listless.  The evidence is overwhelming that a cumulative buildup of stress hormones, if not properly metabolized over time, can lead to disorders of our autonomic nervous system (causing headache, irritable bowel syndrome, high blood pressure and the like) and disorders of our hormonal and immune systems (creating susceptibility to infection, chronic fatigue, depression, and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and allergies. Positive fighter behavior may include confronting the issues, doing charity work, or starting a blog?  Negative fighting behaviors could be aggressiveness or argumentativeness. Similarly, flight behaviors can be positive or negative. Hopping on a flight out of Japan is a flight response, literally.  Withdrawing from social interaction, even by watching television or surfing the internet, could be viewed as a flight behavior.

We are all dealing with stress, anxiety and the uncertainty of the unknown. We need to learn a new normal. Social distancing doesn't mean isolation.  We can chat with friends through text, set up Netflix viewing parties, hold skype book clubs. It is important to maintain our social connections, over virtual margaritas or latte's.  We can work out more, channeling that adrenaline into a walk in the forest or on the beach. We can do yoga at home (yoga with Adriene on YouTube is an awesome free source). We can do charity work, there are SO many opportunities to help out right now, groups are forming locally and globally to help those most affected by coronavirus. Hourly workers will be especially hit as businesses shut down.  Be generous if you are able.  Buy gift certificates to give cash flow to local businesses that can be used at a later date.  A friend of mine is a fashion designer and was feeling helpless.  She decided to take some old fabric she had leftover and sewed up face masks to donate to the hospital where supplies are running short. She says, "surprisingly, the sense of purpose and contribution has made me feel loads better and less tired."

We can update Facebook with helpful information and share tips.  We can try not to obsess about the news and try to keep our kid’s routines as normal as possible. We can take the time to clear out the clutter of our lives and our minds.  You’ve been meaning to clean your closets and organize your photos, right? I found a wonderful meditation app that I love called Synctuition. It is a digital sound technology which relaxes the brain and stimulates intuition. Through a unique combination of 3D soundscapes, gamma waves, binaural beats and personalized sound journeys, users are guided into deep relaxation and meditative states. Check it out in the app store. 

But we also make lots of mistakes.  We yell at our kids and lose patience too quickly.  We wonder how much screen time is appropriate. We are too indulgent in an attempt to make them less worried about the issues at hand.  We argue with our spouses when they seem to be oblivious to the stress we are facing.

Eating well, not too much, getting enough sleep, spending time with nature, getting enough exercise and being involved in community work is recommended.  In short, pretty much what you should be doing anyways.

Resiliency is the inborn way you cope in the midst of hardship.  If you are born resilient you are fortunate.  For others it will take some time to rebound from the trauma we’ve endured and to adapt to the new normal. 

Here’s one place to donate. 

COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. 

Since we launched it on Friday, more than 110,000 people have contributed almost 19 million U.S. dollars. 

These funds will help to buy diagnostic tests, supplies for health workers and support research and development.

If you would like to contribute, please go to who.int and click on the orange “Donate” button at the top of the page.