Catching Hobbies, not Epidemics… P.S. Stay the Heck at Home.
Covid 19.
This is the scariest thing I think most of us have ever experienced in our lifetimes, and I am sure I am not alone when I say that I am having a hard time figuring out how to deal with it.
2020, for me personally, was supposed to be MY year. I just got out of a job that was not a good fit for me at all; a job that was wearing on my mental health and was making me miserable. I was offered my dream job as a program coordinator for a Town’s Recreation and Senior & Social Services departments, and I was feeling like my life was about to start getting a little bit better.
My first day was March 3rd, and don’t get me wrong- It is AMAZING. The people I work with are lovely, they have plans for my position that I am so excited for, and they have been absolutely wonderful to work with.
Unfortunately, during my first week on the job, the Corona virus began to become a lot more serious than we thought. Within two weeks of me starting a job involving coordinating community programs, all of the sudden we had to cancel every single program and event in the foreseeable future.
This was SUCH a disappointment. I was supposed to start meeting families, start building relationships with the seniors, begin planning for my summer camp, and fall programs for the Seniors. And now our Town Hall and Senior center is closed to the public for who knows how long.
I was even scared that they would end up letting me go. No programs to be held, I was the last one hired- it seemed like that would be the obvious choice if they were looking to cut somewhere to save money.
Thankfully, they did not do that, but I still have a fear that later down the line that could still happen. I know it’s irrational, but I know that will be at the back of my mind until this is all over.
Meanwhile, I am keeping busy by writing a newsletter/checking in with our seniors and putting together resources for the kids to have a spring break “at home”, as well as planning for summer camp (cross your fingers please).
Despite all of this, I know that I am one of the lucky ones. I am working from home part time and in the office the rest of the time. I feel grateful to have gotten out of my old job when I did, and of course I am counting my blessings that I now have a full-time job in my field, and I am still working.
In any case, I know so many people who are unable to work right now at all, and my heart goes out to them. My own mental health is struggling, and I know that is the truth for a lot of us right now – especially for those who are completely out of work.
I don’t think that anyone thought things were going to get this bad. Honestly, I am really embarrassed with how unprepared our country and many others were for this virus. Of course, I am not blaming the president, or any political party. I just think that this should be a huge wake up call to this country on healthcare and being prepared for epidemics regardless of if we “Think” it will be a real threat or not.
What makes me even more upset is how many people I see NOT following the Social Distancing guidelines. Having friends over, still going out to shops just because, going to bars up until the day they closed. Honestly SHAME on you. It is mostly people in my age bracket as well.
This. Needs. To. Stop.
I don’t give a fuck if you think that you will be okay.
You know who might not be okay? My family member who has been battling cancer and is in the middle of chemo and radiation treatments. Your elderly neighbor who waves to you on the way to work and again when you come back. Your friend who has an underlying medical condition that you might not know about.
It is incredibly selfish to still be continuing on with your social life when you could in turn be the cause of someone else’s life ending.
We have another month of social distancing, and it would do us all a favor if you would just STAY AT HOME. We have a responsibility to do this, and ya’ll better get to it.
Meanwhile, because I AM staying at home, I have also come to the realization that I don’t have hobbies besides going to see friends and eating out. So, I am dedicating this time to figure out how to fill my time in a productive way.
I think it is a great idea for all of us to use this time to rediscover ourselves and find new hobbies to find passion in. I know that’s hard to do when we can’t go out and buy things for our new hobbies. But here are a few that I have been trying to do that might inspire you:
- Cooking – I absolutely love food and I have been really enjoying finding recipes on Pinterest to try. This is something I have been doing with my mom and could be a great way for you to bond with your quarantine buddies as well.
- Painting – I suck at art (or at least my Virgo, perfectionist ass thinks I do because I am not perfect at it). So, I have a few canvases that I want to practice on. If I mess up, the beauty of paint is that you can paint over it when it dries. Plus, painting for me is super relaxing and allows me to take my mind off things for a while.
- Hikes and walks – While we can’t actually go over friends houses or go out to eat, I have found that taking a hike or a walk with them helps us stay social and get some exercise. Exercise = Endorphins my friends.
- Reading – I actually have started a mini book club with two of my friends. We are reading Harry Potter, and zooming each other every Saturday to talk about the chapters we read during the week. It is super fun so far, and another great way to stay connected during this time.
- Organizing my stuff – I am trying to move out in a year or so, so I am using this time to really sort through all my crap so that eventually it will be easier to move.
- Stress cleaning – What a time to stress clean. Personally, all of this Corona mess is making me even more afraid of germs, and I stress clean as it is! At least it makes me feel a little bit of control over my own space.
- Facetime dates – We might not be able to visit our friends and family, but thank goodness it is 2020 and we have phones that allow us to video chat with anyone at any time.
- Binge watching shows you have wanted to watch – I know this isn’t a productive one but come on! Who else is completely appalled by the mess that is Tiger King (If you know, you know)?
- Having movie nights with your quarantine buddies – this is a great time to spend some quality time with the people you live with.
So, there you have It folks, a list of things to do that don’t involve going out and risking ourselves and the people in our lives.
This is by far the most anxiety inducing, unknown, unbelievable period of time I have ever lived through. What is crazy too is that the whole world is going through it together as well. But I think that is something we can use as an advantage, to come together and work towards a solution as a world. It is very rare that we all are experiencing something at the same time.
I hope that through this we can all learn a little more compassion for one another. I hope that we continue to support local businesses, I hope that we can band together as a community and fight for each other.
If you know someone that might need a little extra love to get through this lonely and crazy time- make sure you reach out to them. Help your neighbors when you can, and make sure you take care of yourself and everyone around you.
We will get through this. We will survive. We will come out stronger.
With so much love,
Stephanie
