In the weeks following 9/11, I quickly stopped watching TV and cable coverage of the unfolding drama and stuck to newsprint. I did the same with the rise of Trump. That helped me avoid high levels of anxiety.
I'm finding that now, partly because news alerts I get on my phone and partly because of social media, it isn't enough to avoid TV and cable, because each new alert increases my anxiety levels. I need to step away from all media for some periods of time.
I do think it is important to keep abreast of new developements and also to be in dialog with others about how to achieve social distancing and remain sane, as well as coping the the growing social disruption and all the changed expectations for the coming months and years. So it is a matter of finding the right balance.
I'm also doing things like running regularly, and making sure I eat healthily.
What are you doing to stay calm?
Drinking wine. :-)
Taking the time as gift, using extended deadlines to go into more depth into parts of my work.
Since one paper won't be given until fall, now, and another looks as if it's going to go that way, I'm deliberately waiting to work on them and putting the time towards a book project that's been getting short shrift instead.
I'll also be figuring out how to do all my students lessons virtually, since that's what they've decided they want. (And do more of my own practicing.)
Oh, and, let's see....watching old "What's My Line?" re-runs, seeing all the (all too short) two seasons' worth of Nero Wolfe mysteries, making jewelry, helping my godsister with sewing projects (see the new thread!/sorry for the pun), and, um....hmmm...probably some cleaning and clearing.
I just usually don't have enough time to become anxious, if that makes any sense.
M.
I have enough Ativan to sedate the entire 319 area code. Better living through chemistry.
Though streets are vacant
Blossoms emerge as before
The birds keep singing
Running and walking
Playing with the cats (they are the only real winners in all this)
Feeling useful by taking proactive steps to support my lab and students
Texting with friends and family
Re-reading favorite books
Netflix/Prime video
Quote from: dismalist on March 16, 2020, 01:58:20 PM
Drinking wine. :-)
Manhattan. Retired. Out camping in AZ. 91 year old mother in retirement community in SC. 4 day jaunt back east to beach house, a few hours from mother older than me. Canadian friends who are here 'til end of March....left tonight. We "social distanced" along with 4 bags of groceries from them. And a quick handover of a Manhattan.
F*ck the orange turd. Long live Justin.
Weeding my garden (taking out my anxiety on the weeds is VERY therapeutic). Hiking, and spending a LOT of time in the fresh air. I'm finding it helps a lot. This IS very stressful; I agree. My yard is going to look spiffy when this is over.
I'm staying calm by not following things too closely, working on my transition to online, and watching movies.
I'm trying very hard to keep my hypochondriac brother in Neighboring State calm. At his suggestion, we're filling out fake March Madness brackets and he is going to use an old video game to simulate the whole tournament. He has warned me that will mean a lot of upsets since it will matter more how strong the teams were in 2006 than this year. We've been filling out brackets for years and he still hasn't figured out my criteria for picking teams is how much I like the name of the school.
Grading, planning virtual classes, getting out that article, waiting for job news, and gaming - - Finishing Red Dead Redemption II for now, then the Assassin's Creed games I missed are planned for extended Spring Break (so French Revolution, Egypt, Peloponnesian War)...thinking about how to get ahead of moving woes, but hard to do when future is uncertain....thoughts of scrapbooking important life events over the last 10 years, but will likely only get as far as collecting all of the scrapbook worthy things...hanging out with lovely spouse and 19-year-old cat (she's got another three years at least, but good to cherish right now). Sigh. Good things, hard things. I hope you are all finding ways to enjoy this unprecedented time.
Setting the alarm for 8, working on transition to on-line, organizing office & such-like, then pets and yardwork and checking up on family in the afternoons with beer and tidying the house and reading in the evenings with wine, and cooking - lots of cooking since I guess I'd better not eat out anymore.
I'm baking more and will probably begin making sauerkraut today. Stay safe everyone.
Gyms closed by state Guv.
The worst case scenario
Fatness will kill me
Turning off my email for longer periods each day.
Have managed to start running again after nearly two years of medical problems caused by medical incompetence and misdiagnoses. Covid-19 social distancing is nothing compared to be told you will need a liver transplant, and then being told oops, it was all a mistake.
Will increase my pie baking frequency.
Woke up this morning with a slightly sore throat, which is not unusual. But I started to get worried about it and my heart was beating faster and I was wondering if I had shortness of breath.
I went out and did an 18 mile bike ride, and feel better now.
It is a good time to connect with old friends and more distant family. I've been sending and getting a bunch of messages.
Quote from: spork on March 17, 2020, 11:21:58 AM
Turning off my email for longer periods each day.
Have managed to start running again after nearly two years of medical problems caused by medical incompetence and misdiagnoses. Covid-19 social distancing is nothing compared to be told you will need a liver transplant, and then being told oops, it was all a mistake.
Will increase my pie baking frequency.
Glad to hear it. Those forumites on the old fora who were cake people have it all wrong. Pie is where it's at.
You're three days too late!
(3.14)
I've seen several articles on this response in Italy:
https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/videos/quarantined-italy-musicians-play-sing-balconies/
I was considering taking my accordion out to the porch, but someone has already done that...(third picture down)!
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/world/europe/italians-find-a-moment-of-joy-in-this-moment-of-anxiety.html
Here's a third report:
https://www.insider.com/coronavirus-quarantined-italians-sing-together-from-balconies-and-windows-2020-3
M.
Quote from: secundem_artem on March 17, 2020, 07:33:28 PM
Quote from: spork on March 17, 2020, 11:21:58 AM
Turning off my email for longer periods each day.
Have managed to start running again after nearly two years of medical problems caused by medical incompetence and misdiagnoses. Covid-19 social distancing is nothing compared to be told you will need a liver transplant, and then being told oops, it was all a mistake.
Will increase my pie baking frequency.
Glad to hear it. Those forumites on the old fora who were cake people have it all wrong. Pie is where it's at.
Cobbler! It's always cobbler with ice cream. Some people. Sheesh.
To stay busy, my home office is all set up and I'm getting a lot done now that practically all meetings are canceled (still on the hook to help with tomorrow's phone interview, though).
Quote from: mamselle on March 17, 2020, 08:58:15 PM
You're three days too late!
(3.14)
M.
It's NEVER too late for pie!
Quote from: secundem_artem on March 18, 2020, 09:03:19 AM
Quote from: mamselle on March 17, 2020, 08:58:15 PM
You're three days too late!
(3.14)
M.
It's NEVER too late for pie!
My early-bird stocking up included pre-made crusts for 4 pies. I've been meaning to try adding sliced cranberries to grated apple, tossing the filling with a little sugar and the typical spices, then making a free-form tart. If I remember to get a crust out of the freezer as soon as I get home, I'll be able to have this for dessert!
We've been trying to do more of what we usually do to relax and bring down the stress: NYT crossword, cooking, watching DVDs (The Wire right now), reading. The work situation keeps changing for my spouse, though, and because he's essential personnel in a secure facility they have moved to shift work as they do when there are work shut downs. He got afternoons/evenings, and I mostly work in a timezone earlier than ours. So, we will just have to adjust for now. I don't know how long they will continue with this and not go to as much telework as is possible, but security is security and someone's got to do the work. I have a couple semi-routine medical tests to get early tomorrow and am hoping to get that over with and not have any issues from it. Spouse is in a higher risk category, so we are just trying to keep things as anxiety-free as possible given what's got to be done and how long this might last. But, we will still be making our pizzas! I just try to keep in mind all that we are fortunate for and try not to go too far around the bend worrying, at least about things that we cannot control.
Quote from: secundem_artem on March 18, 2020, 09:03:19 AM
Quote from: mamselle on March 17, 2020, 08:58:15 PM
You're three days too late!
(3.14)
M.
It's NEVER too late for pie!
We missed pie day by a day, so we made
two pies (one quiche, one apple-blueberry).
That helped a lot.
I made some ooey gooey chocolate chip cookie bars today. Too bad we don't have any ice cream. That would have been great, but these are still pretty good.
Friends told me they just bought a 5000 piece jigsaw puzzle and set it up on their dining room table.
M.
Well, at least I'm not driving. My nemesis.
A tall, limbless tree
One sprig of leaves at the top
Against a grey sky
Breakfast with Coconut the Baby Sloth (https://www.facebook.com/1510874892541060/videos/2639086629707272/)
Penguins go for a stroll (https://www.ksdk.com/article/life/animals/stl-zoo-penguins-explore/63-4662c528-9d0d-437c-bfbe-aaca3ec575f8)
Quote from: AmLitHist on March 19, 2020, 09:05:38 AM
Breakfast with Coconut the Baby Sloth (https://www.facebook.com/1510874892541060/videos/2639086629707272/)
Penguins go for a stroll (https://www.ksdk.com/article/life/animals/stl-zoo-penguins-explore/63-4662c528-9d0d-437c-bfbe-aaca3ec575f8)
Cool!
Thanks!
M.
Just made dark chocolate brownies and ate some before they cooled because who wants to wait that long?
Whole place smells like chocolate.
Ooohhh...aaahhhh...
M.
We are
- unpacking the bought-but-still-in-the-wrapper DVDs that we thought looked so interesting during past holiday sales
- learning new recipes
- reading old books that we haven't reread in a while
- catching up on the National Geographics and other reading materials that've come into the house that we were at the time too busy to read
- cleaning things up and moving things around so I can have a real home office instead of just the recliner in the living room
- downloading more games on our smart phones
- debating the relative merits of puppies and kittens
- pumping up the tires in the bicycles, because they may soon become a combination of transportation and exercise
- learning and relearning how to play different card games
- exploring the depth and breadth of the entertainment available via our Netflix and Hulu subscriptions
- working on various projects that we'd been thinking about but hadn't started because we were too busy
- learning how to use meditation and other calming techniques at those times when the bombardment of pandemic-related news gets to be too damned much
Since my library is closed until the end of April, I'm enjoying the fresh air during my morning walk around the neighborhood.
Went to church yesterday at the usual time for Sunday school. Normal services had been cancelled, but I was able to talk with the pastor, his wife, and a couple of their grandchildren for quite a while and have prayer time with them. Then, at the usual time for morning worship service, we watched the message he had earlier recorded for streaming over Facebook Live. He had never done recorded messages before, so having to preach to an empty auditorium was a new experience for him. He and the music director who was recording him were also having to learn how to use some borrowed equipment. All things considered, it came out pretty well. Feedback was positive. If anything the message seems to have had more people viewing it than a usual Sunday message.
The church I was raised in, in Col's, OH, has done taped services ever since I was a kid--but with a full choir, congregation, etc., as you say.
It was definitely different to hear a hisband-and-wife duet and a pianist instead of the 40-voice chorale, but I was glad they'd included a children's sermon as well as the adult message, and an instrumental prelude and postlude.
The children's sermon was appropriate, really, to everyone. The minister joked about making a tablecloth fort--or "you could use toilet paper!"--not really...and how it could be both comforting (I thought of our hiding place forts online, here) and also scary.
She talked about how unknown things and entering unknown places could be frightening--then she brought out a flashlight, and called it "Hope."
Pandora's box as Gospel.
M.
Quote from: hmaria1609 on March 22, 2020, 06:28:18 PM
Since my library is closed until the end of April, I'm enjoying the fresh air during my morning walk around the neighborhood.
I've learned to love the public on-line library. It's in most of the States too. Try Googling : Overdrive
Or you might be able to access it via your own public library website.
Quote from: Catherder on March 23, 2020, 08:31:04 AM
I've learned to love the public on-line library. It's in most of the States too. Try Googling : Overdrive
Or you might be able to access it via your own public library website.
Yay! Glad to hear.
I should have mentioned the library is where I work.
Our state's Secretary of Education has officially recommended that those needing wi-fi for educational purposes head to the parking lots of the state's public libraries. The State Library is helpfully creating an online map of libraries where wi-fi is available.
Quote from: apl68 on March 23, 2020, 12:40:29 PM
Our state's Secretary of Education has officially recommended that those needing wi-fi for educational purposes head to the parking lots of the state's public libraries. The State Library is helpfully creating an online map of libraries where wi-fi is available.
I'm a bit confused. Are they going to made special efforts to point the wifi to the parking lot? Otherwise this is a suggestion that seems unlikely to be very helpful. You have to get close to the building for the wifi to kick in strongly enough to be useable. Otherwise it tends to fade in and out.
Several libraries I know of have the wifi already aimed on the parking lot all the time after hours. It's not just "spill," it's on purpose.
I've had to send in midnight-due-NOW abstracts and so on (taxes, once) when I didn't have home wifi that way.
Our little branch library at the end of my street has a porch you can sit on, which I've also used on occasion.
Just another reason I'm a huge fan of libraries and librarians....
M.
P.S. - I meant to add this: Yale's "Happiness Course" is free online to auditors:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/23/health/yale-happiness-course-wellness/index.html