Everyone in the world is going through a difficult time right now, and the world is too. People are losing their jobs, college seniors are missing graduation, high school seniors don’t have prom or graduation, and we are basically forced to stay inside. Nothing seems to be getting better; it may even feel like your whole world is flashing before your eyes. The amount of coronavirus cases in the United States is increasing dramatically every day, and the only thing that we can do to help is social distance. This, by all means, is not a good situation, and we have no clear vision of the future. The only thing that any of us can do is to try to be hopeful, try not to overthink, and keep people that we care about safe. So, I am going to provide a guide of how I have been staying sane during all of this chaos, and I hope this will give people ideas of what they can do as well.
I am currently living with my sister in her apartment. We are keeping each other company while she works from home and I do my remote classes. We also watch shows together and cook meals. I am staying with her so I don’t risk getting my parents sick.
I have found good shows to binge on Netflix because it’s a nice distraction. Bates Motel is my go to show at the moment, and by the end of this article I will probably have finished all five seasons…whoops.
If you do not have a Nintendo Switch I am sorry because it is a great form of entertainment, and makes you feel young again. I have been playing games from my childhood, and playing new games. Zelda Breath of the Wild is an amazing game even though I suck at it…
I have been going outside for fresh air. I go on walks for at least 30 minutes every day; it is so nice to get outside, but I just make sure to stay six feet apart from people.
I have been FaceTiming and texting my friends! Almost 99% of the time they are also bored and doing nothing, the other 1% they are in class. Remember game pigeon? Yeah, I have been using that almost every day, and if you’re in a group chat I highly recommend playing “Crazy 8!” It is fun and keeps you focused on something other than the virus, and to make it even better. I FaceTime my friends at the same time so we can hear each other’s reactions, which makes the game 10 times better than it already is. It is fun to catch up with friends and we all need people we can lean on right now and people who make us happy. Send the occasional meme or make funny jokes.
Sleeping is key. You’re bored? Take a nap. You’re done with all of your remote learning for the day? Take a nap. Sleeping makes time go by much quicker.
All of these activities have really helped me through this pandemic. Mental health is extremely important and we all need to take care of ourselves. Things will get better soon. We all just need to be hopeful and patient, and we can all get through this together.