As 2020 and now 2021 have dragged on, there have been a few things that have kept me sane during this immensely stressful and lonely time. During the spring semester of my freshman year, I took a Buddhism class with Professor Stuart Young, and it truly has changed my perspective on life (this class fulfills the global connections requirement, FYI!). In this class, we dove headfirst into what Buddhism is all about and how it came to be. I had been interested in Buddhism in high school when we spoke about it briefly, but we never went in depth, and I wanted to learn more.
Buddhism is all about inner peace and not desiring material goods because that is what leads to suffering. As someone who struggles with anxiety, inner peace is something I have always searched for. Once classes were cancelled, Professor Young took an asynchronous approach to his class and posted material online. Closer to the summer, he emailed his students and asked if anyone would be interested in meditating with him. I, having wanted to get into meditation for some time, responded yes, I would love to join a Zoom meditation with him and fellow students. The first Zoom, he talked us through meditation and the different kinds and what the goal was. At first, I found it incredibly difficult and uncomfortable to sit still, just breathing for 20 minutes. But as the summer went on, I found it almost necessary to continue, especially as the world around me seemed to be falling to pieces. This act of sitting for 10-20 minutes has strengthened my heart and mind and has made me more comfortable and even appreciative of being alone and in touch with my body.
Besides meditation, there are other coping mechanisms to implement in your life during this strange time. I had also begun painting over the summer, which led to more inner peace and allowed me to connect with my creative side, something I felt had been lacking in this new life I found myself in. Painting is one of the best stress relievers, in my opinion, because you can paint any way you want, with any medium of paint, and paint whatever you want, and, if you hate it, you can simply throw it out, or scribble over it. There is something about sitting, painting, listening to chill music that helps you appreciate life more and not want to do or worry about anything else. Painting allows you to again, just sit in solidarity with yourself and create something beautiful. It is easy to bring painting to college as well. I brought my little watercolor pad, paints, and brushes to school with me this year because I knew I would be spending more time in my room with, in theory, more time to paint. 7th Street Studio also has had various painting activities throughout the year where you can grab a kit to bring and paint with.
While there are many other things that have helped me and I’m sure others cope with this pandemic, meditation and painting are the two most prominent ones in my mind that have helped me be content while unable to physically be with others. These forms of self-care can work no matter how often you do them or in what capacity, and the flexibility alone is enough to try it out, even just for a week! Being lonely is tough, but with hobbies to do that strengthen your mind and sense of self-love and growth, you come to realize that everything is temporary, and it is ok to be alone.