Coronavirus Care Package #4

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday the Buzz will be posting a Coronavirus Care Package. Our goal is to give you things to distract from the daily deluge of bad news and confusion. Think of these posts as a daily respite from COVID-19.

Advice for Those Struggling to Adapt to Sheltering in Place

Many people are struggling to adapt to this new way of life. Being isolated can take a toll on our social lives; we are not able to be physically connected to our friends. Isolation is difficult mentally for those who don’t like being alone and feel trapped. Quarantine even limits our ability to exercise and stay physically fit. This situation can be an all around bummer fest for a lot of us, but I’m actually starting to handle it quite well. Not to brag, but I’ve gotten pretty good at being alone over the years. If this global pandemic proves anything, it’s that I’ll only need a man if I’m in financial trouble, not because I’m feeling lonely. So, on that note, here are some tips for embracing life in social isolation:

Make a Schedule for what you will do tomorrow.

Often people make To-Do Lists for what they want to get accomplished that day. I find this time management strategy unappealing, because I find that I am wasting my time that day scheduling what I will do (I might as well put “Make a To-Do List” on the To-Do List itself) and I am very lenient (I only schedule what has to be done and not including what should be done). Instead of the Day-Of To-Do, I have decided to make my schedule for what should get done the night before. I do this for two reasons: 1. I am more ambitious when I am not immediately faced with the tasks I should do 2. I have a better mindset when I go to sleep knowing that what needs to be done is written down.

Don’t read if you don’t want to.

For the longest time, I have tried to be a better reader. Every so often, when I am feeling like I haven’t accomplished anything in the way of extracurricular enhancement, I have forced myself to sit down, pick up a book, and read at least a chapter. This behavior has increased while in quarantine, because I’ve felt like I should spend my time wisely. But, what I’ve come to realize is that I don’t really enjoy reading books very much. Sure, from time to time I do enjoy a good (short) book, but mostly I prefer to read articles and listen to podcasts to keep informed; I have always felt a little ashamed at how few books I have read.

There is this mythology that I think the media and English teachers alike have propagated. It’s the idea of the college professor in his winter cabin clad in tweed sitting in a comfortable leather chair smoking a pipe next to a fire: a book *always* in their hand. They are intelligent, well-informed, and articulate, because they keep well-read. They’ve read everything from Kant to Angelou and, because of this, they are a part of the intellectual elite (the people who are the foremost experts in every conversation).

If you’re like me, you want to be well-informed and you want to contribute your ideas to these conversations. And to do that, we’ve been told, you have to read. You have to eat your Intelectual Broccoli in order to be worthy of a place in the upper echelons of cocktail party conversation. Now, I am by no means anti-book nor am I advocating a cessation of homework. You should probably be keeping up with your Frankenstein or Huckleberry Finn. But, what I am arguing in favor of is the idea that, to grow intellectually, we should be doing what we like to do.

In quarantine, I have felt this immense pressure to spend my time wisely. With all of this free time has come a burden. On top of my school work, because I am stuck inside, I feel I should do more than just watch Netflix. And, to me, that has meant sitting upright in my bed and forcing myself to engage with a book. But, over the course of this week, I have realized that, although I probably should spend some time learning or growing while stuck inside, that doesn’t mean forcing myself to do something that I don’t enjoy, even if I have been told it’s good for me!!

Now, I’ve begun to explore topics and media that, although they are classically frowned-upon, are fun and creative journeys for me. Have I increased my podcast intake? Yup. Have I tried to look up the children of celebrities to see which one’s are eligible for marrying? You betcha, because we are in a stressful situation already and there is no need to add to that stress with additional societal pressures about what it is we should and shouldn’t do with our time. If you’re passionate about it, go for it! Should you take a break and switch up what you’re doing from time to time? Yes (looking at pictures of Julia Louis-Dreyfuss’s son for an hour is not healthy). But, if you find joy in something, explore it, because you have time.

Nailed It! Season 4

There are a lot of TV shows in this world that get worse as they go along. The Office was not too great in its last few seasons; I’ll be the first to admit the last season of 30 Rock was absolutely bonkers; but, Nailed it, now heading into its fourth season (sixth if you count the two holiday-themed seasons), seems to never lose its brilliance. A baking show with contestants whose sole qualification is their terrible baking skills, where the hosts and special guests spend their time making fun of the bakers, Nailed It! is a piece of reality TV that will make your quarantine feel brighter, because you can say, “At least I’m not those dummies.”