I have been watching various mindless videos on YouTube. For example, videos where an adult dog meets a puppy for the first time, or something similar. I find these videos cute, distracting, and heartwarming. I also love watching videos from architectural digest where they show celebrity homes, unique homes, and insanely expensive homes on the market. I find it really interesting to see what people do with large spaces or a lot of money, and it offers a bit of escapism.
Listening to upbeat or calming music is another way feel better. Spotify has a few curated playlists I’ve been listening to, like ‘Mood Booster’, ‘Mellow Mood’, and anything Jazz related because I love Jazz.
Burning candles and running my diffuser have created a nice atmosphere to my room. It’s something I didn’t do while in my dorm room, so it’s a small way to be appreciative of this unique situation.
Talking to family and friends more has been a fortunate result of this pandemic. It’s uncertain times that really remind me of the important people in my life. Checking in during a crisis is the perfect excuse to talk more with the people I love, but why should I need an excuse? After this pandemic I’ll make sure to keep in touch more often with the people who I feel lucky to know and who really brighten my day.
Sometimes it’s the little things that can make a big difference. It shouldn’t take a pandemic to remind you to do things that make you happy, but if it does (like it has for me), I hope you’ll continue to do whatever those things may be all year, every year.