10 things I’m doing to stay sane during the pandemic and 1 that I’m not

The coronavirus pandemic has got a lot of us sitting at home. And while I’m blessed to be healthy and safe I do feel uncertain and stressed by the tragedy the world is experiencing. The virus is spreading and taking lives, exhausting health care workers and laying off non-essential ones. It is overwhelming and unsettling and we should feel no shame in spending time unproductively or processing everything in a way that is different from others.

Personally I have spent equal amounts of time doing nothing and thinking about doing nothing. But somewhere in between, I did manage to participate in activities that kept me preoccupied and helped my mental health. I really wish I could have included exercise, meditation and keeping a gratitude journal in the list, but that would be lying.

Here are ten things I’ve done during the Covid-19 pandemic to keep my brain occupied:

1. Reading the books I skipped in my book club. While I signed up to a book club, I didn’t really read every single book that was assigned. So now, I’m using some free time to very very slowly catch up.
2. Deep cleaning. I have organized the pantry, Konmari-ed my closet and scrubbed the bird cage. I am also trying my best to keep everything as tidy as possible because as they say, a clean space leads to a clear mind. Right?
3. Repotting my plants. The weather’s getting warmer and it’s time to give some TLC for my little green children. Most of my indoor plants are low maintenance but they could do with a little extra attention.
4. Batch cooking. The month of Ramadan will shortly arrive in the midst of this pandemic and it seems like a god-given opportunity to prepare some make-ahead meals. My stomach will thank me later. 
5. Taking courses on Skillshare. I’ve been subscribed to the online learning platform for a while and finally got down to taking a course on Adobe Illustrator. Of course, my roommate had to literally sit me down and play the course for me to get started, but I take full credit for finishing it. 
6. Playing Stardew Valley. Ok, not all my activities are productive. This charming game has me farming crops, petting goats, and fishing idly in the town’s river- all the things I wish I could be doing in real life. 
7. Re-watching rom-coms. In uncertain times, I want some light-hearted feel-good movies whose plot won’t give me additional anxiety. (For the exception, see #9) I know exactly which guy Renée Zellweger ends up with and what consequences she faces for leaving her diary around.
8. Learning how to juggle. While I still haven’t mastered this skill, as proven by the basket of bruised clementines, this is a fun mindless trick to practice in the kitchen as the lasagna defrosts.
9. Watching a movie via video conference. My brother was aghast that I hadn’t watched Knives Out and insisted we watch it together on his Prime account through Zoom. It’s a great movie and having someone else to watch it with was also amazing.
10. Drawing a comic of my emotions. Usually I process my feelings through journaling but with extra amount of time that I have, I decided to draw them instead. Watch out Instagram! There’s another comic artist coming your way!

What I’m not doing

Looking at the news. The one thing I am actively not doing is checking the news updates. I know things are going to get worse before they get better but seeing the rising death toll and hospital horror stories is just heart-breaking. In situations where we can help, we should. But staying informed obsessively can also lead to panic and despair and that is not helpful to anyone. The biggest support most of us can provide right now is by staying indoors and practice social distancing. So stay in and take care of yourself, physically and mentally. There are better days ahead.