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Lockdown Ten

Ten Things I Have Learned During the State-Wide Quarantine

Diplomacy: I'm taking my time before I e-mail or post to double-check myself and make sure I'm not being too blunt or potentially (and inadvertently) triggering someone else. Also making an effort to include happy thoughts and pics whenever possible in case the person on the other end needs a boost. When I'm in a very bad mood I don't answer e-mails until I get myself out of it.

Fan Fic: I've never read much fan fiction, as I can't in good conscience condone it (although I understand why people write it, which is why I'm on the fence about it.) Recently I found myself on a FF site where I read some. A lot of it is clumsy, but there are also some professional-level works out there. The passion of FF writers is what mostly impressed me. I wish they'd try to write in their own worlds.

Food: I discovered that cooking with limited supplies calls for a lot of creativity and flexibility, but is sometimes more fun than when I could run out to the store whenever I liked. Also, I have made terrible meals -- truly terrible -- and laughed at myself for them.

Happiness Sourcing: Because of all the bad news and online hatred I'm now actively looking for ways and opportunities to feel happy every day. Staying unplugged as much as possible is helping, but so is reading and journaling. Looking at pics of my grandson is always an instant mood booster. As you can see by this latest pic with his grandfather he's a hat lover.

Juggling: Mentally I have a lot going on (work/home/kids/baby/my guy/food/supplies/finances/neighbors/being safe/staying smart/staying motivated and creative), but I think I'm getting a little better at switching gears and managing most of it. When I don't, I forgive myself. Not a machine is my favorite catch-phrase these days.

No Big Dealing: I'm learning how to let go of my OCD need for perfection. Two months ago it would have made me crazy not to vacuum/mop the floors once a week. Now? Eh. There's always next week.

Routine: In keeping with No Big Dealing, I'm allowing myself have days when I just do whatever needs to be done rather than sticking to a schedule -- and occasionally I give myself the damn day off from all my routines.

Sleep Disruptions: I'm not sleeping much, but I'm finding ways to keep from waking up when I finally do. Everything is unplugged at night except one phone for emergencies.

Stressing Out: I have been stressing out a lot, so now I'm focused on how I can combat that. My guy and I are taking a ride at least once a week to get out of the house (we don't get out of the truck, we just drive through the country back roads.) I'm buying our veggies and fruit from local farmers now, which makes me feel like I'm helping them a little, and sharing the wealth with the kids. I'm breaking my rule about no naps and take one if I'm too tired to make it through the day. I'm printing out pictures that inspire me to glue them in my journal. I haven't been able to meditate so I may start using a guided meditation every morning. Anything I can do to relax is important now.

Unplugged = Productive: I've figured out that the more I stay off the internet, the better I write, so I'm not checking the Covid-19 stats every five minutes like I did at the beginning of the pandemic. I watch a nightly news broadcast on Youtube each day but since they're becoming repetitive I may stop doing that, too.

So how are you coping? Any tricks or tips you want to share? Let us know in comments.

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Comments

nightsmusic said…
I have to do a bit more self-checking before I post the occasional comment here and there, but I am getting better. Being crabby definitely has its drawbacks so I'm trying not to be. Up until a few days ago, we weren't allowed to just 'go for a ride' since that would precipitate us having to buy gas which meant, touching the handle and the pay pad, I guess. But we could still mow our lawns which precipitated touching the handle and...you get it, I think, which is a part of the reason I've been crabby. And today is the first day where it's above 50 degrees before noon and there's very little wind. Once I pick up my grocery order, I hope it will still be like that outside. I might not work in the yard, but I can sit in the sun.

I wrote one fanfic years ago. It was the first thing I wrote other than a box full of short stories I have. I put it on a site and someone commented that they read through the whole thing for a minor sex scene at the end. I had no words... I still go through once a year or so and read it though. I can see how much I grew through it and while it's not brilliant by any means, it's a good record of how far I'd come between the beginning and the end.

Other than that, my newest JD Kirk book, The Last Bloody Straw, dropped this morning so that will keep me busy. :) And I've been trying to write myself out of that corner, but my creativity is very low right now. :( I'm hoping it picks up again.
April 27, 2020 at 8:41 AM
Maria Zannini said…
I'm prone to panic attacks so I learned some coping mechanisms long ago. The most important one is to focus on the things I can control.

I think this is why this pandemic hasn't affected me much. I simply kicked into gear and did what I could to keep me and mine safe.

That alone not only kept me physically busy but my brain didn't get squirrelly (like usual) because I was thinking about the next step.

I'm sleeping better and longer than before all this happened which has been a bonus for me since I usually can't sleep for more than 5 hours. Maybe I'm built for apocalyptic events. LOL!
April 27, 2020 at 11:47 AM
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