36 - Coronavirus Consternation
I've had this on my mind as well recently so may as well get it out. I'll try to slow down on the Rona content, but in the meantime please bear with me!
I hope y'all are looking after your mental health, because I know that these times of crisis can cause a lot of stress and uncertainty. Sometimes it's just incredibly overwhelming, and I find that taking each day by each day helps - focussing on the things you can control (like how you set up your space, or catching up with friends) and letting go of the things you can't (the unceasing news cycle of new cases of coronavirus and fatalities).
One of the things I've seen, though, is the incessant positivity and silver linings of the crisis.
"What a great opportunity to live through this time of our lives!"
"Look at the bright side - you have more time to do things at home"
And while that's good, I think that it might be too...much? Like, sure, it's good to focus on the positives and what's going to be better (being an optimist is good for your health, right??), but processing what's been lost is really important too.
To help my own processing, I answered these three questions:
-
What have you lost? I've stopped being able to hang out with my friends in person (the most intense change!!), I've stopped playing futsal, I can't go out to fun restaurants or daytrips to wineries. I don't get to wander the city finding nifty nooks and sublime shopping strips, or experience the hustle and bustle of crowds. I miss the transit times which I used to use to read articles and listen to podcasts. I can't go to bars, I can't see people at work...it's just hard. Depending on how long the Rona stays around for, I might not be able to do my food trip this year, or celebrate my birthday with a big party (like my Zodiac said I should). Urgh.
-
What have you replaced it with/What are you doing instead? Exercise has been the hardest thing to deal with, because it's not as intense as futsal, nor do I have any weights that I can use like I could at a gym. I try to do a lot more bodyweight fitness (like I did before I went to the gym). I have had to make sure I set up my WFH office ergonomically so that I can get into the right 'work' mode (which works to varying levels). I now announce at home when I'm going to work, and when I finish work, just to remind myself (and my parents) about the ritual of the day. I walk a lot more outside since it's the only thing I can really do. I cook a bit more now because well, we have to. And I'm reading a lot more books (panic borrowed at the library before it shut down!)
- What are you looking forward to? Fresh air, hiking, seeing people in real life, restaurants, travelling, brunch, late night boardgames in person, futsal, karaoke...so many things. The first thing I want to go get is a satay beef noodle soup from our local HK cafe because damn I am craving it now. And also some fried chicken. And some laksa! ALL THE THINGS!!!
I know that everyone has different ways to grieve, but this is mine. Maybe it'll help you too.
Chat soon :)
✔️ Real Life Recommendations
-
Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales - I just finished this book yesterday! It's Leigh Sales, of 7:30 fame, who wrote a book about how people deal with grief, and loss, and how a life-changing moment can start just like any ordinary day. I really liked the meta aspect of the book, where she weaves together some big questions at the start of the chapter, shares personal stories about her own life, discusses her meta-cognition of how she's approaching interviews, and the verbatim interviews themselves. It's a really great book, and I think perfect for our times.
-
Stephen Colbert and Anderson Cooper talk about grief - a friend reminded me of this video and I think it's relevant to this discussion - what grief is, and how to deal with it. It's a beautiful, vulnerable moment that makes for great watching.
🚌 On A Lighter Note, Memez
-
AusPol TikToks - some EXCELLENT tiktoks are coming out during this time focussed on the politics, this one about Scomo scolding a journo. This one as well - using Julia Gillard's 'Misogyny' speech and endorsed by the ex-PM herself!
🌱 The Calathea Corner
Variety is the spice of life
Needed to change up where Feleafcia was hanging out because I think next to the window was too cold. Or too sunny? I don't know - she got a bit yellow so I thought I'd move her around a bit :) We'll see what happens!
