“What the f@c# is going on?” seems to be a question I’m asking myself a lot lately. Jokes aside, the past couple weeks have been a whirlwind of everything coronavirus related. Schools all across the nation have made the choice to teach classes remotely via the internet, or in some cases they’ve made the choice to call off classes in all forms. People in various occupancies have temporarily lost their jobs—and for many that’s without any form of financial compensation. Toilet paper is literally a thing of the past and grocery stores look desolate and sad. Self-isolation, maintaining physical and mental health, saving money and trying to get the resources and goods you may need is a whole lot to navigate and may certainly leave you feeling overwhelmed.
First and foremost, take a deep breath in and out. Second, remind yourself that we live in a technological age and use that to your advantage. Friends and family are in our lives for a reason, so if you need help, a shoulder to lean on or someone to entertain yourself with, ring someone up.
Third, make a plan to tackle your everyday life. No class or work schedules makes laying around in our PJs and eating chips on the couch too easy. And as nice as that may seem, it can lead to unproductivity and for some, poor mental health. Creating your own self-isolation schedule can be helpful to make sure you’re still staying on top of online classes and work. Besides that though, making time for things you enjoy and activities that are good for you will turn this into something at least the slightest bit more enjoyable.
Luckily, a number of businesses and programs have offered discounts or free services during these trying times. Food delivery services such as UberEats and DoorDash have waived their delivery fees for those purchasing food from local restaurants. LinkedIn has made 16 of their learning courses free and Scholastic has created a free 30-day educational program for kids pre-K to sixth grade. For those struggling with their mental health right now, Headspace has opened up more of their meditation guides free of charge. Another useful website, Talkspace, has free therapist-lead Facebook virtual support groups.
Above all, utilizing these resources to our benefit and trying our best to take care of ourselves will allow us to better help others. Offer up a roll of toilet paper, let a dorm-less friend crash at your place (considering all parties are healthy), check in on loved ones and remember to be kind to strangers.