Experienced self-isolators: what did you learn?
August 27, 2020 9:54 AM Subscribe
I live in an area that is about to experience a serious COVID outbreak. I'm very lucky, in that I'm in a position to stay at home, and I have a perfectly nice home to stay in. However, I'm worried about all the things that one worries about: how will I handle isolation? How will I manage logistics? If you've been on self-imposed lock-down for a while, what did you learn? What did you do right? What do you wish you'd done differently?
My county is experiencing a localized outbreak: today our testing positivity rate was 47%, and we're experiencing a rapid increase in the number of cases. Unfortunately, the state government refuses to take COVID seriously and has limited what local and county governments can do to stop the spread. Things are going to get ugly for a while. I'm really lucky, all things considered: I live alone in a small house with a yard, can work from home, and am not responsible for small children. I have laundry facilities in my house. I'm pretty introverted, although not quite introverted enough that I think I function well on absolutely no social interaction. But all things considered, I think I'm in good shape to deal with this. I plan, as much as possible, not to leave the house/ yard until we can get things under control. The only exception is that there's a network of parks connected by a walking/running/biking trail, and I may walk or run on the trail, because I think it would be pretty easy to avoid coming into close contact with other people. I will need to pick up a prescription in mid-September, and I plan to get my flu shot at the same time. I can get grocery delivery or, at worst, do curbside pickup, and I can't really see any other reason that I would need to leave for a while.
I know that a lot of people have been doing this since March. I haven't: I was dealing with a family emergency, and I was definitely not locked down alone in my house. So I'm wondering if experienced self-isolators have any advice for me. What did you learn? What should I avoid doing? Is making sourdough bread all that its cracked up to be?
My county is experiencing a localized outbreak: today our testing positivity rate was 47%, and we're experiencing a rapid increase in the number of cases. Unfortunately, the state government refuses to take COVID seriously and has limited what local and county governments can do to stop the spread. Things are going to get ugly for a while. I'm really lucky, all things considered: I live alone in a small house with a yard, can work from home, and am not responsible for small children. I have laundry facilities in my house. I'm pretty introverted, although not quite introverted enough that I think I function well on absolutely no social interaction. But all things considered, I think I'm in good shape to deal with this. I plan, as much as possible, not to leave the house/ yard until we can get things under control. The only exception is that there's a network of parks connected by a walking/running/biking trail, and I may walk or run on the trail, because I think it would be pretty easy to avoid coming into close contact with other people. I will need to pick up a prescription in mid-September, and I plan to get my flu shot at the same time. I can get grocery delivery or, at worst, do curbside pickup, and I can't really see any other reason that I would need to leave for a while.
I know that a lot of people have been doing this since March. I haven't: I was dealing with a family emergency, and I was definitely not locked down alone in my house. So I'm wondering if experienced self-isolators have any advice for me. What did you learn? What should I avoid doing? Is making sourdough bread all that its cracked up to be?
Supply chain issues were surprisingly long-lasting here. I would strongly recommend looking at your household needs in terms of supplies: groceries, shelf-stable food, paper goods, OTC medicines and first aid, cleaning supplies, other. Don't wait until you're down to your last three rolls of paper towels or the last three boxes of pasta to shop for these things - assume that if you see it in the store and you use it, you should buy ~3 months worth of it. In the beginning we tried to not catastrophize and not buy the cases of toilet paper that people were buying and hoarding, we made fun of those people and thought they were prepper nutjobs. It wasn't so funny when we wiped our butts with the fast food napkins from our car's glove box for a week while we negotiated getting toilet paper from complete strangers.
posted by juniperesque at 10:04 AM on August 27, 2020 [26 favorites]
posted by juniperesque at 10:04 AM on August 27, 2020 [26 favorites]
Honestly, if I could do lockdown over (and maybe I'll have to, depending on how things go in my location) I'd probably do something a little counterintuitive -- for at least the first few weeks, I would go a bit hermitlike and limit contact with the outside world and news media, and instead focus on fun or fulfilling activities that I could enjoy by myself.
In the first few weeks of lockdown I was so shell-shocked that I went overboard planning Zoom hangouts and video chats, and spent hours scrolling social media. What I eventually learned was that I don't personally find group video hangouts very satisfying, and all the social media scrolling was making me very anxious. One-on-one video chats are a little better, but it's easy to overdo it. Obviously some news media consumption is needed to keep safe and up-to-date with Covid status, but that can be limited to checking a local news org once a day or every few days.
When I'm ready for a bit more social contact, I would pick a small number of friends I wanted to catch up with, and focus on the video-chat-while-doing-an-activity sort of hangout, which I think are less awkward because there's not the same pressure to keep talking every minute. It's a great time to explore solo hobbies. Cooking, painting, and music (if you already have an instrument and some basic skills) are some of the things I've picked up during this whole quarantine thing.
This is based on my own experience and personality type, so YMMV!
posted by mekily at 10:17 AM on August 27, 2020 [9 favorites]
In the first few weeks of lockdown I was so shell-shocked that I went overboard planning Zoom hangouts and video chats, and spent hours scrolling social media. What I eventually learned was that I don't personally find group video hangouts very satisfying, and all the social media scrolling was making me very anxious. One-on-one video chats are a little better, but it's easy to overdo it. Obviously some news media consumption is needed to keep safe and up-to-date with Covid status, but that can be limited to checking a local news org once a day or every few days.
When I'm ready for a bit more social contact, I would pick a small number of friends I wanted to catch up with, and focus on the video-chat-while-doing-an-activity sort of hangout, which I think are less awkward because there's not the same pressure to keep talking every minute. It's a great time to explore solo hobbies. Cooking, painting, and music (if you already have an instrument and some basic skills) are some of the things I've picked up during this whole quarantine thing.
This is based on my own experience and personality type, so YMMV!
posted by mekily at 10:17 AM on August 27, 2020 [9 favorites]
I had to go into self-quarantine for a couple weeks back in March (someone at work tested positive). Boredom was my biggest hurdle; I worked from home, but if you're an admin, working from home when your boss also works from home and was actually a little under the weather himself * is a bit tedious.
The fact that I live in New York and can easily access food and necessities by delivery did help a lot. If you're in a more rural area, I'd figure out how you're going to cope with that - come up with a two-week meal plan and make sure you have the food you need for that (even if that's just two weeks' worth of frozen pizzas). I'd get a couple big packs of toilet paper and paper towels as well, plus any medications you might need just to be safe. (Also check on things like bandaids and cold medicine just in case.)
One thing that I did to keep my spirits up was: every day I shared a link to something fun or funny on my Facebook page. The first thing I posted was a link to a meme I saw where someone said "Don't think of it as being in quarantine, think of it as being 'Exiled For the Good Of The Realm' because that sounds way more bad-ass." That's how I jokingly referred to things for those two weeks, and that let me end my quarantine with a link to a GIF from GAME OF THRONES about a character's exile being over.
If you do go out on trails, for safety's sake I'd suggest doing so really early in the morning, in case you run into someone else. You never know when someone might be taking their kids out for a walk on those trails at the same time.
The thing about visiting your doctor during your self-isolation worries me, only because it was my understanding you're not supposed to do that...I'd check with your own doctor about what the protocol would be.
Despite the boredom, it actually felt kind of quick. Dull, but quick. Good luck.
* I know what you're thinking and yes, but not the only one.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:30 AM on August 27, 2020
The fact that I live in New York and can easily access food and necessities by delivery did help a lot. If you're in a more rural area, I'd figure out how you're going to cope with that - come up with a two-week meal plan and make sure you have the food you need for that (even if that's just two weeks' worth of frozen pizzas). I'd get a couple big packs of toilet paper and paper towels as well, plus any medications you might need just to be safe. (Also check on things like bandaids and cold medicine just in case.)
One thing that I did to keep my spirits up was: every day I shared a link to something fun or funny on my Facebook page. The first thing I posted was a link to a meme I saw where someone said "Don't think of it as being in quarantine, think of it as being 'Exiled For the Good Of The Realm' because that sounds way more bad-ass." That's how I jokingly referred to things for those two weeks, and that let me end my quarantine with a link to a GIF from GAME OF THRONES about a character's exile being over.
If you do go out on trails, for safety's sake I'd suggest doing so really early in the morning, in case you run into someone else. You never know when someone might be taking their kids out for a walk on those trails at the same time.
The thing about visiting your doctor during your self-isolation worries me, only because it was my understanding you're not supposed to do that...I'd check with your own doctor about what the protocol would be.
Despite the boredom, it actually felt kind of quick. Dull, but quick. Good luck.
* I know what you're thinking and yes, but not the only one.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:30 AM on August 27, 2020
If it were me, and I was planning a solo lock-down, I would have things on hand I might need for doing some kind of art or knitting or what have you. This would be the time to get some creative projects done. I would also schedule some amount of time per day to do a decluttering and organizing, if there's any part of your house that needs to be sorted out. One challenge is in the midst of a hard core lock-down it can be harder to get rid of unwanted items, so plan for that (if you have a lot to donate do it now, etc). Getting out of the house daily for neighborhood walks and nature visits is really necessary and can be done safely by wearing a mask and crossing the street as needed.
posted by JenMarie at 10:37 AM on August 27, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by JenMarie at 10:37 AM on August 27, 2020 [4 favorites]
If you're me: You're going to be in a lot of video conferences, both for work and as a means of social contact with friends and family.
Up your game. Get a comfortable pair of headphones, a decent microphone, reasonable lighting and a camera that isn't the one built in to the lid of your laptop, in that order. Learn OBS. Set up either a nice IRL background or a green-screen.
Dedicate a small corner of the house to WFH / video conference / streaming. It doesn't have to be big, but you should be able to leave it up rather than doing setup and tear-down every single day.
Record yourself speaking and listen critically. Work on enunciation, cadence, eliminating filler words. Find and practice your Best Radio Voice.
Cooking every single meal at home, it's easy to fall into ruts. Try to make a new recipe (or at least shake up a favorite in some significant way) at least every couple of days.
Shopping every three weeks instead of every few days means you'll have to plan fridge and freezer space carefully. Shelf-stable things will exceed the capacity of the normal places you store them. So, allocate overflow storage for bulky items where you can. (You're not setting up for a photo spread in Better Homes than Yours(tm), you're trying to survive a disaster. If you have a mountain of bogroll and instant ramen in the corner of the living room, that just means you're being a responsible adult.)
I find TV awful, but there are podcasts and YouTube channels that are calming and fill the silence (and, in some cases, let me learn interesting stuff).
Don't feel bad about turning to "comfort food" books and movies and music. There's a time and place for exploring stuff outside your comfort zone, but there are also times when it's OK to wallow in the exact center of that comfort zone.
posted by sourcequench at 10:42 AM on August 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
Up your game. Get a comfortable pair of headphones, a decent microphone, reasonable lighting and a camera that isn't the one built in to the lid of your laptop, in that order. Learn OBS. Set up either a nice IRL background or a green-screen.
Dedicate a small corner of the house to WFH / video conference / streaming. It doesn't have to be big, but you should be able to leave it up rather than doing setup and tear-down every single day.
Record yourself speaking and listen critically. Work on enunciation, cadence, eliminating filler words. Find and practice your Best Radio Voice.
Cooking every single meal at home, it's easy to fall into ruts. Try to make a new recipe (or at least shake up a favorite in some significant way) at least every couple of days.
Shopping every three weeks instead of every few days means you'll have to plan fridge and freezer space carefully. Shelf-stable things will exceed the capacity of the normal places you store them. So, allocate overflow storage for bulky items where you can. (You're not setting up for a photo spread in Better Homes than Yours(tm), you're trying to survive a disaster. If you have a mountain of bogroll and instant ramen in the corner of the living room, that just means you're being a responsible adult.)
I find TV awful, but there are podcasts and YouTube channels that are calming and fill the silence (and, in some cases, let me learn interesting stuff).
Don't feel bad about turning to "comfort food" books and movies and music. There's a time and place for exploring stuff outside your comfort zone, but there are also times when it's OK to wallow in the exact center of that comfort zone.
posted by sourcequench at 10:42 AM on August 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
I'd been wanting to get the sourdough starter from this thread because I like sourdough. It's been a good starter, useful when yeast vanished from grocery shelves. And bread was hard to get, too. I hope that's not an issue where you are. I still have a ton of white flour because I could only buy a ton of flour. So I hope you have TP, shelf-stable food, masks, hand sanitizer. Ha, yes, liquor, wine, beer, pot, whatever will help you manage the anxiety and boredom.
I live alone with my dog. I prefer Skype to Zoom for videoconference chats with friends - better audio & video, and decent captions. The chats do help avoid isolation, but I like small chats better than large. I have been able to get outdoors a lot and we now know that the air movement outside is dramatically better and safer. I still wear a mask if I'm with people even outside. I get together with a friend at a time for outdoor masked visits and occasionally small groups up to 6 people practicing distancing.
I have noticed I'm more likely to leave the tv on, running a CBS news online, for the illusion of company. Though today's news has me in knots. Reading comfortable fiction helps a lot; I get immersed and feel like I've been with those people in that English countryside. I used to hate reading on a tablet, and now I do it a lot. My library has a decent selection of ebooks.
Safety is all about managing risk. Every contact represents risk to you and them. I grocery shop @ every 10 days and miss being able to dash to the store to satisfy a craving. Maine is doing pretty well so I'm okay with medical appts; would cancel if things flared up. Outdoors is much safer than indoors. Physical distance helps, masks, frequent, thorough hand-washing.
People get very stressed. Some get militant about policing mask-wearing, or get cranky with grocery checkers, or hoard toilet paper. Check up on yourself, family and friends, it is a time for kindness.
posted by theora55 at 10:42 AM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
I live alone with my dog. I prefer Skype to Zoom for videoconference chats with friends - better audio & video, and decent captions. The chats do help avoid isolation, but I like small chats better than large. I have been able to get outdoors a lot and we now know that the air movement outside is dramatically better and safer. I still wear a mask if I'm with people even outside. I get together with a friend at a time for outdoor masked visits and occasionally small groups up to 6 people practicing distancing.
I have noticed I'm more likely to leave the tv on, running a CBS news online, for the illusion of company. Though today's news has me in knots. Reading comfortable fiction helps a lot; I get immersed and feel like I've been with those people in that English countryside. I used to hate reading on a tablet, and now I do it a lot. My library has a decent selection of ebooks.
Safety is all about managing risk. Every contact represents risk to you and them. I grocery shop @ every 10 days and miss being able to dash to the store to satisfy a craving. Maine is doing pretty well so I'm okay with medical appts; would cancel if things flared up. Outdoors is much safer than indoors. Physical distance helps, masks, frequent, thorough hand-washing.
People get very stressed. Some get militant about policing mask-wearing, or get cranky with grocery checkers, or hoard toilet paper. Check up on yourself, family and friends, it is a time for kindness.
posted by theora55 at 10:42 AM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
Shelf-stable things will exceed the capacity of the normal places you store them.
Very true. We often keep overflow items in the reusable bags we bought them in, stuffed in various corners of our kitchen. We call this our "floor pantry."
posted by JenMarie at 10:46 AM on August 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
Very true. We often keep overflow items in the reusable bags we bought them in, stuffed in various corners of our kitchen. We call this our "floor pantry."
posted by JenMarie at 10:46 AM on August 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
If there's anything you still feel safe doing, but you've been procrastinating on, do it now. I'm seriously downsizing and had a lot of boxes to donate, but organizations stopped taking donations, and Goodwill completely changed its system when they reopened in a way that makes my previous packing up totally worthless. I also had been putting off getting my hair cut and the oil in my car changed - all things I really wish I'd done now. If there's any medical stuff you need to take care of (eye exam, etc.), try to do that too. If your library is open and you feel safe going there, pick up some books now. I've ended up buying lots of books I would have normally gotten from the library.
If there's a project you're interested in, set up an amount of time to spend on it every day. I've used lockdown to improve my piano skills - I practice 15 minutes a day, which isn't much, but I've definitely gotten better since March.
I hope your trails work for you, but people can be awful about social distancing. I quit going for walks because joggers and cyclists without masks were getting too close for my comfort (I'm also immunocompromised, so you may not need to be as fanatical as I do).
If you're in the US, NextDoor can be a good source for finding out more about what's going on in your area (though it can also add to your stress. If there's an obnoxious racist who posts a lot of anti-government diatribes, mute him now - don't wait).
Agree with others about stocking up - particularly on cleaning products.
posted by FencingGal at 10:49 AM on August 27, 2020 [4 favorites]
If there's a project you're interested in, set up an amount of time to spend on it every day. I've used lockdown to improve my piano skills - I practice 15 minutes a day, which isn't much, but I've definitely gotten better since March.
I hope your trails work for you, but people can be awful about social distancing. I quit going for walks because joggers and cyclists without masks were getting too close for my comfort (I'm also immunocompromised, so you may not need to be as fanatical as I do).
If you're in the US, NextDoor can be a good source for finding out more about what's going on in your area (though it can also add to your stress. If there's an obnoxious racist who posts a lot of anti-government diatribes, mute him now - don't wait).
Agree with others about stocking up - particularly on cleaning products.
posted by FencingGal at 10:49 AM on August 27, 2020 [4 favorites]
I’m preparing for another period of more intense distancing this fall, and the big thing I’m going to do differently is way less screen time. Now, I know some people feel differently, but I found that after a long workday of staring at my screen the last thing I wanted to do was attend a freaking Zoom happy hour. And social media just felt like a stress generator because everyone was posting about Covid non-stop. Now is a great time to pick a new offline hobby to pursue. I also found classic one-on-one phone calls with friends and family to be way more satisfying than video chat. YMMV
posted by vanitas at 10:50 AM on August 27, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by vanitas at 10:50 AM on August 27, 2020 [6 favorites]
IMHO, Jisti Meet is a strict upgrade from Zoom along every available axis. You can use a web browser as a client, and it just works. If you prefer a standalone client, the Electron client is nice.
In terms of "this is exactly what I needed and I didn't know I needed it" software tools, OBS.ninja is right up there.
VB Cable Virtual Audio Device is a thing that exists, and solves a chunk of otherwise-hasslesome production problems.
I've been having a lot of fun playing games from the Jackbox Party Packs in online meetings. (One easy method is to have a dedicated game machine join the meeting as "Game" and share its screen and audio. Then other players join as normal, and play using another browser window or their smartphone/tablet.)
posted by sourcequench at 11:04 AM on August 27, 2020 [11 favorites]
In terms of "this is exactly what I needed and I didn't know I needed it" software tools, OBS.ninja is right up there.
VB Cable Virtual Audio Device is a thing that exists, and solves a chunk of otherwise-hasslesome production problems.
I've been having a lot of fun playing games from the Jackbox Party Packs in online meetings. (One easy method is to have a dedicated game machine join the meeting as "Game" and share its screen and audio. Then other players join as normal, and play using another browser window or their smartphone/tablet.)
posted by sourcequench at 11:04 AM on August 27, 2020 [11 favorites]
As much as possible, try to get an extra bottle/box/etc now for everything shelf-stable that you use routinely or are likely to want within the next ~3 months or so, in case of supply chain disruptions (including something like everyone in your county trying to buy flour or ketchup or dishwasher soap at once). Not 10 extra bottles of anything, but a little extra of everything you would miss if stores ran out for a month or two.
If safe in your area, daily walks help a lot for mental health, especially if you can find some nature.
Most things can be ordered online quickly during quarantine if you suddenly realize you want hair clippers or something so you don't need to go too overboard preparing, I would stick to the things you're pretty confident you'll want. One exception to that might be bulky things like if you're really overdue for something like patio furniture or a bbq or an appliance or something, this would be a good time to get that. Especially if it's something very useful these days like a chest freezer.
posted by randomnity at 11:05 AM on August 27, 2020 [5 favorites]
If safe in your area, daily walks help a lot for mental health, especially if you can find some nature.
Most things can be ordered online quickly during quarantine if you suddenly realize you want hair clippers or something so you don't need to go too overboard preparing, I would stick to the things you're pretty confident you'll want. One exception to that might be bulky things like if you're really overdue for something like patio furniture or a bbq or an appliance or something, this would be a good time to get that. Especially if it's something very useful these days like a chest freezer.
posted by randomnity at 11:05 AM on August 27, 2020 [5 favorites]
Absolutely get yourself some yard hobbies, if you didn't have them before. Assuming your weather is amenable for the next couple of months, if you don't have some comfortable outdoor seating work on that now. If you have an actual covered area, put a real chair out there, or a secondary sofa or loveseat, or at least a comfortable chair and maybe a table you can eat/work/hobby on.
You don't realize how much vital natural light/fresh air exposure you get just in the course of a normal life until you lock down at home. You will suffer without it.
We really lost the ability to follow most things with plotlines, so we watch a lot of nice youtube channels - cooking, diy, gardening, RV and van builds (all the travel vloggers we used to watch have pivoted to builds under the circumstances), animals - on the TV from comfortable seating instead of at desks right in front of screens, which makes a difference.
You can make yourself a wishlist of all the things you never have time to do, but you can also set it on fire and dance around it. If you're still working, the only time you're getting back is commute time, and you're going to spend those minutes dealing with the extra stress. The only thing I kiiiinda got done, occasionally, when it was useful for venting frustration or making sure I was tired enough to sleep, were some decluttering projects. My house is still a sty, but these couple of things had been particular pain points so that's nice. Do not set the bar too high for yourself.
If you don't want to Zoom with friends (even just every other week for a few minutes) at least figure out an online game or group chat game or watch party or something that happens *at a specific time* so you have some kind of pleasant anchor event going on. I have a few of those going on, and one thing that happens every Friday at 5:30pm so I for real walk away from work by then.
Make sure you drive your car every two or three weeks, and I have stopped going terribly far on the grounds that I don't want my car to break down or some other thing happen 20 miles from home, but I have started taking a 30-45-minute drive around my immediate community, both to shake the car out and be out of the house and see what's up, what's open and closed, re-connect with the slightly larger world around me.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:06 AM on August 27, 2020 [6 favorites]
You don't realize how much vital natural light/fresh air exposure you get just in the course of a normal life until you lock down at home. You will suffer without it.
We really lost the ability to follow most things with plotlines, so we watch a lot of nice youtube channels - cooking, diy, gardening, RV and van builds (all the travel vloggers we used to watch have pivoted to builds under the circumstances), animals - on the TV from comfortable seating instead of at desks right in front of screens, which makes a difference.
You can make yourself a wishlist of all the things you never have time to do, but you can also set it on fire and dance around it. If you're still working, the only time you're getting back is commute time, and you're going to spend those minutes dealing with the extra stress. The only thing I kiiiinda got done, occasionally, when it was useful for venting frustration or making sure I was tired enough to sleep, were some decluttering projects. My house is still a sty, but these couple of things had been particular pain points so that's nice. Do not set the bar too high for yourself.
If you don't want to Zoom with friends (even just every other week for a few minutes) at least figure out an online game or group chat game or watch party or something that happens *at a specific time* so you have some kind of pleasant anchor event going on. I have a few of those going on, and one thing that happens every Friday at 5:30pm so I for real walk away from work by then.
Make sure you drive your car every two or three weeks, and I have stopped going terribly far on the grounds that I don't want my car to break down or some other thing happen 20 miles from home, but I have started taking a 30-45-minute drive around my immediate community, both to shake the car out and be out of the house and see what's up, what's open and closed, re-connect with the slightly larger world around me.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:06 AM on August 27, 2020 [6 favorites]
The thing I most wish I had done differently, in retrospect, is all of the time I spent in mid-March outside of my house, stocking up and preparing to be in isolation. In retrospect, those were by far the most dangerous weeks in my area, and everyone else trying to stock up was packing into stores that didn't have capacity controls or masking requirements in place yet. I should have waited a few weeks, run through the stuff I had in my house, and only then ventured outside to stock up.
Hopefully your area is a little more covid-savvy now than mine was in March. But realistically, remember that "about to have an outbreak" is going to be based on people who got infected a week ago. The situation now is worse. As much as you can make the shelter-in-place start yesterday, do.
My other suggestion is to do an inventory of what you have on hand. I found stuff I didn't realize I had, stuffed into corners and at the back of cabinets. Once you've run the inventory and know what you actually need, try to get an order in to stock up ASAP, and don't be afraid to look for alternatives. Now is not the time to be loyal to brands or even specific product types, if someone else will do the same job.
posted by pie ninja at 11:18 AM on August 27, 2020 [16 favorites]
Hopefully your area is a little more covid-savvy now than mine was in March. But realistically, remember that "about to have an outbreak" is going to be based on people who got infected a week ago. The situation now is worse. As much as you can make the shelter-in-place start yesterday, do.
My other suggestion is to do an inventory of what you have on hand. I found stuff I didn't realize I had, stuffed into corners and at the back of cabinets. Once you've run the inventory and know what you actually need, try to get an order in to stock up ASAP, and don't be afraid to look for alternatives. Now is not the time to be loyal to brands or even specific product types, if someone else will do the same job.
posted by pie ninja at 11:18 AM on August 27, 2020 [16 favorites]
1. In the spring I got antsy about starting seeds and ended up with meter-tall indoor tomato plants that were starting to put out fruit before it was remotely warm enough for them outside. "4-6 weeks before the last frost" was such a lie: more like "around the last frost" would have been fine. However, apart from the stress of managing their sheer size, it was a nice daily, mildly fussy but also very habitual sort of hobby that helped the weeks add up to something meaningful. So for this autumn/winter, I've bought seeds of dwarf varieties to have as an indoor garden, and will start my outdoor plants at a much more reasonable time.
2. There is still so much volunteer non-profit work available to do. None of the organizations I am part of have enough people, even for completely remote work. I and others have had to step way back due to the sudden surge in childcare/other family responsibilities, and many people in "essential" fields turned out to be very essential indeed, and both of those took a big whack at our volunteer bases. If having work would help, it's out there.
3. If your library has ebooks, get on that. There's a lot of very easy reading out there that makes for wonderful distraction, even if it's just to marvel at the trainwreck of a plot. I've also found genuinely fantastic works I'd never heard of before.
posted by teremala at 11:20 AM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
2. There is still so much volunteer non-profit work available to do. None of the organizations I am part of have enough people, even for completely remote work. I and others have had to step way back due to the sudden surge in childcare/other family responsibilities, and many people in "essential" fields turned out to be very essential indeed, and both of those took a big whack at our volunteer bases. If having work would help, it's out there.
3. If your library has ebooks, get on that. There's a lot of very easy reading out there that makes for wonderful distraction, even if it's just to marvel at the trainwreck of a plot. I've also found genuinely fantastic works I'd never heard of before.
posted by teremala at 11:20 AM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
I ordered a bunch of masks in funky machine-washable fabric patterns from a crafter friend. They're so colorful and they bring me a lot of joy to look at. I have something like 12 or 14 - enough to go for a walk before and after work (working from home) for an entire week and have a fresh mask every time. This was such a great investment.
FYI, my routine is: I mask up, I go out, I come back in, and I avoid touching anything in my house. I chuck the used mask on top of my bookcase, and I wash my hands. Once a week, I wash the pile of masks.
posted by cadge at 11:21 AM on August 27, 2020 [6 favorites]
FYI, my routine is: I mask up, I go out, I come back in, and I avoid touching anything in my house. I chuck the used mask on top of my bookcase, and I wash my hands. Once a week, I wash the pile of masks.
posted by cadge at 11:21 AM on August 27, 2020 [6 favorites]
Give some structure to your week, something to look forward to other than work (if you are working remotely.) At our house, Wednesdays we take a little drive at lunch time and usually eat fast food for lunch, or at least pick up an ice cream cone from a drive-through or something. Fridays are takeout dinner and Netflix. Saturdays are for chores and a weekly grocery run. Sundays are for cooking a nice meal, maybe some meal prep for the week, and a few regular video calls with family. Etc. It's nice to have a rhythm to the days, helps me feel less lost and trapped.
Try to get outside every day if you can do so safely. Even if it's just walk around the block, or ten minutes of puttering in the yard.
See if you can borrow e-books from your library. Fanfiction has been a solace for me, too, and there's mountains of it online, all sorts of amazing stuff. Now would be a good time to sign up for a streaming TV service if you don't have access to one.
If there's a new hobby you'd like to try, this is a good opportunity. I fired up my sewing machine that I'd used once in the last eight years, and I've slowly learned how to make fabric masks. There are some aspects to that which I've found really satisfying - researching patterns, finding the best places to order materials, developing the skills to make them turn out nice, sending them to family members, plus it's challenging enough to be kind of mentally absorbing but not exhausting to spend an hour at a time on. Maybe there's a hobby along those lines you could look into. Maybe it's a type of art, or a craft. Maybe it's writing, or reading, or music. Or video games. Remind yourself that this isn't forever.
posted by beandip at 11:25 AM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
Try to get outside every day if you can do so safely. Even if it's just walk around the block, or ten minutes of puttering in the yard.
See if you can borrow e-books from your library. Fanfiction has been a solace for me, too, and there's mountains of it online, all sorts of amazing stuff. Now would be a good time to sign up for a streaming TV service if you don't have access to one.
If there's a new hobby you'd like to try, this is a good opportunity. I fired up my sewing machine that I'd used once in the last eight years, and I've slowly learned how to make fabric masks. There are some aspects to that which I've found really satisfying - researching patterns, finding the best places to order materials, developing the skills to make them turn out nice, sending them to family members, plus it's challenging enough to be kind of mentally absorbing but not exhausting to spend an hour at a time on. Maybe there's a hobby along those lines you could look into. Maybe it's a type of art, or a craft. Maybe it's writing, or reading, or music. Or video games. Remind yourself that this isn't forever.
posted by beandip at 11:25 AM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
Routine is so important.
Planning my days, even my leisure helps me appreciate my down time instead of feeling like I should be working constantly.
Meal boxes have helped me stick to my cooking routine, which in turn helps my work-life balance, because cooking dinner is a clear bright line between daytime and evening.
Whatever you can do to make your outdoor space low-key inviting. Shade, plants, a comfy seat that's OK to get wet, etc.
If you can get a friend group to do a weekly online cocktail hour, that helps. If not, don't be shy about asking to schedule an occasional phone call with friends you might not normally do that with, just to shoot the shit. It's not weird anymore.
posted by lampoil at 11:27 AM on August 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
Planning my days, even my leisure helps me appreciate my down time instead of feeling like I should be working constantly.
Meal boxes have helped me stick to my cooking routine, which in turn helps my work-life balance, because cooking dinner is a clear bright line between daytime and evening.
Whatever you can do to make your outdoor space low-key inviting. Shade, plants, a comfy seat that's OK to get wet, etc.
If you can get a friend group to do a weekly online cocktail hour, that helps. If not, don't be shy about asking to schedule an occasional phone call with friends you might not normally do that with, just to shoot the shit. It's not weird anymore.
posted by lampoil at 11:27 AM on August 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
Also the one thing I'd do differently would be to merge quarantine bubbles with my parents sooner. Both our households isolate pretty carefully, and being able to see them regularly is a great incentive to continue to do so. The ability to spend time with them in person a couple times a week has made a huge huge difference to my mental health. I know we're lucky that we can make that work, and tons of people can't, but those first couple months that we stayed away from them were the hardest by far.
posted by beandip at 11:28 AM on August 27, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by beandip at 11:28 AM on August 27, 2020 [5 favorites]
Make sure you drive your car every two or three weeks
Oh yeah. My car battery was dead when I went to drive it after about three weeks. Luckily I had a Halo Bolt and jumped it quickly myself. But driving at least weekly to get out of the house and different scenery is good.
posted by JenMarie at 11:36 AM on August 27, 2020 [6 favorites]
Oh yeah. My car battery was dead when I went to drive it after about three weeks. Luckily I had a Halo Bolt and jumped it quickly myself. But driving at least weekly to get out of the house and different scenery is good.
posted by JenMarie at 11:36 AM on August 27, 2020 [6 favorites]
The right podcasts and the right audiobooks (I like memoir-ish books read by the author) are better company/loneliness-prevention than TV and movies, at least for me. YMMV but watching TV has often left me feeling kind of sad or empty afterwards, and it also anchors me to the spot in front of the TV. Podcasts + comfortable bluetooth headphones mean maybe I’ll go chop vegetables or do hand laundry or something.
posted by needs more cowbell at 11:57 AM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by needs more cowbell at 11:57 AM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
If you can afford to treat yourself foodwise, do it — being locked down meant cooking EVERY DAMN MEAL ALL DAY, and it realllllyyyyyyyy started to suck. And I like cooking!! Buy some pre-made stuff, buy some fancy salads or whatever, buy some frozen burritos — whatever your "let me have this one vice" thing is, indulge. Also buying a lot of different kinds of sodas/selzters (one of my passions) was a huge relief because otherwise every day was THE SAME. But if it's Fresca Friday, well, you know what to do!
posted by Charity Garfein at 12:03 PM on August 27, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by Charity Garfein at 12:03 PM on August 27, 2020 [8 favorites]
What did you learn?
I learned that it's OK not to do stuff, and to not to want to do stuff.
All this time at home! I was going to paint, teach myself bass, get a whole lot of reading done. In the end, none of that happened. The stress of the situation, of the unknown -- it was exhausting. I simply didn't have energy to do all those things I didn't have time for before -- and I had to learn that that was fine.
You don't have to do everything, you don't have to be productive. It's a strange time, a period of adjustment, figuring out a new way of being. This doesn't make you lazy, it makes you someone who is taking care of themselves.
posted by Capt. Renault at 12:20 PM on August 27, 2020 [15 favorites]
I learned that it's OK not to do stuff, and to not to want to do stuff.
All this time at home! I was going to paint, teach myself bass, get a whole lot of reading done. In the end, none of that happened. The stress of the situation, of the unknown -- it was exhausting. I simply didn't have energy to do all those things I didn't have time for before -- and I had to learn that that was fine.
You don't have to do everything, you don't have to be productive. It's a strange time, a period of adjustment, figuring out a new way of being. This doesn't make you lazy, it makes you someone who is taking care of themselves.
posted by Capt. Renault at 12:20 PM on August 27, 2020 [15 favorites]
It has taken me months to recognize that I'm going to be working from home for a long time and I need to set up my work space as my real office - with things around me that help me focus and get into the right mood instead of just feeling perched in the corner of the spare bedroom. Start with upgrading the technology but also changing out the curtains, adding plants made a big difference. Some thing you might need to order asap, others you can do over time, especially if you are just rearranging and repurposing. Also, just having a designated work space helps.
posted by metahawk at 12:24 PM on August 27, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by metahawk at 12:24 PM on August 27, 2020 [6 favorites]
I'm relying on deliveries during the pandemic. I stocked up right before our lockdown started, but then I didn't order my next delivery until I was mostly out of things. This was a mistake because while normal delivery times were maybe 1-4 days, delivery times during the lockdown were around 2-3 weeks. So if you're getting deliveries be prepared to refill sooner than you think you need to, and do some research on stores that deliver beyond the ones you're used to using.
Since you have a yard you might get some food plants (tomato, greens, herbs, etc). Nice to have and a way to make grocery shopping less frequent.
posted by trig at 12:27 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
Since you have a yard you might get some food plants (tomato, greens, herbs, etc). Nice to have and a way to make grocery shopping less frequent.
posted by trig at 12:27 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
Also if you have the bandwidth, this is a good time to reach out to people in your area that you think could use some help (getting groceries, for example, or just having someone to talk with).
posted by trig at 12:29 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by trig at 12:29 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
Also, if you're prone to coronavirus anxiety and don't already have a tongue thermometer, get one. I don't use it often, but it's useful for bringing me back to reality when the OMG I have the coronavirus and I'm going to die anxiety spiral gets out of control.
posted by mekily at 1:21 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by mekily at 1:21 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
My gf did a "spring cleaning" for the first time in 20 years. EVERYTHING out of the closets and kitchen shelves and drawers and tossed out so much, gave away even more and has such a sense of satisfaction at the end of the week period it took her.
I would make sure I have a cooler and a lawn chair to sit in the yard and get some sun/fresh air. I had somewhat unimportant projects that forced a routine on me such as recording all ~500 albums I have to a hard drive, I scanned 1,000s of photos onto a different hard drive, and I sat and shred a lot of documents while watching TV.
I agree with stocking up on supplies. Also test your supply chain. Get a grocery delivery. Order food from Amazon or somewhere else. See how long it takes and how efficient they are. If you are a gun owner, clean your weapon and buy ammo.
If you are considering adopting a pet, now is a good time to get that puppy or that kitty.
posted by AugustWest at 1:47 PM on August 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
I would make sure I have a cooler and a lawn chair to sit in the yard and get some sun/fresh air. I had somewhat unimportant projects that forced a routine on me such as recording all ~500 albums I have to a hard drive, I scanned 1,000s of photos onto a different hard drive, and I sat and shred a lot of documents while watching TV.
I agree with stocking up on supplies. Also test your supply chain. Get a grocery delivery. Order food from Amazon or somewhere else. See how long it takes and how efficient they are. If you are a gun owner, clean your weapon and buy ammo.
If you are considering adopting a pet, now is a good time to get that puppy or that kitty.
posted by AugustWest at 1:47 PM on August 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
Honestly, knowing what I do now, I wish I had stocked up on new friends, because some of the ones I had turned out to go with Team Hoax.
posted by sageleaf at 1:49 PM on August 27, 2020 [16 favorites]
posted by sageleaf at 1:49 PM on August 27, 2020 [16 favorites]
I already knew this about myself but I really need some kind of structure. When a day just spools out in front of me with no plans and no agenda, it makes me kind of anxious and I just start doing unhealthy things. So I would have put some small but firm routines in place sooner, because they brought me a lot of pleasure and structure to my time. For example, I watched Survivor with a friend and we texted each other throughout the show. We didn't even talk on the phone but knowing we were watching together meant way more to me that I ever would have guessed.
Also I would have ordered a lot of jigsaw puzzles immediately! They were out for weeks. In fact I have several 1000 piece puzzles that need a new home - if you're interested memail me and I'll send you your options.
Go to the dentist.
posted by lyssabee at 2:36 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
Also I would have ordered a lot of jigsaw puzzles immediately! They were out for weeks. In fact I have several 1000 piece puzzles that need a new home - if you're interested memail me and I'll send you your options.
Go to the dentist.
posted by lyssabee at 2:36 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
I’ve got pretty much your exact same setup and have been living the WFH/lockdown life since March, with a brief interlude in June.
- Don’t bother setting big home improvement goals. You probably won’t meet them.
- Take care of your WFH ergonomic needs. I just broke down and got a standing desk converter. I should have done that months ago. Stupid. Don’t be like me.
- Treat your free time like Christmas break and do the kinds of things you enjoy then. Jigsaw puzzles, special cooking, binge watching, etc.
- Control the urge to doomscroll.
- Plan way ahead for any necessary ingredients or better yet let go of any expectation of getting exactly what you ordered from curbside pickup/delivery.
- Go for a walk 3x/day. Ride your bike as weather allows. Go for a drive. Get out.
- You will get so used to feeling safe at home that it will be hard to go back to being a germophobe out in the world.
- Biggest advice: If you have someone trustworthy that you could double bubble with, do it. It is so good to have the physical presence of another human.
posted by HotToddy at 2:36 PM on August 27, 2020 [4 favorites]
- Don’t bother setting big home improvement goals. You probably won’t meet them.
- Take care of your WFH ergonomic needs. I just broke down and got a standing desk converter. I should have done that months ago. Stupid. Don’t be like me.
- Treat your free time like Christmas break and do the kinds of things you enjoy then. Jigsaw puzzles, special cooking, binge watching, etc.
- Control the urge to doomscroll.
- Plan way ahead for any necessary ingredients or better yet let go of any expectation of getting exactly what you ordered from curbside pickup/delivery.
- Go for a walk 3x/day. Ride your bike as weather allows. Go for a drive. Get out.
- You will get so used to feeling safe at home that it will be hard to go back to being a germophobe out in the world.
- Biggest advice: If you have someone trustworthy that you could double bubble with, do it. It is so good to have the physical presence of another human.
posted by HotToddy at 2:36 PM on August 27, 2020 [4 favorites]
If you are working from home, get dressed when you work. You don't have to wear actual work clothes - I literally wore sweats and hoodies while I was working throughout March, April, and May - just don't stay all day in your pajamas.
Spending time outside is also good. I'm thinking of getting snowshoes so I can go for walks in the winter and get some exercise.
posted by Constance Mirabella at 2:59 PM on August 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
Spending time outside is also good. I'm thinking of getting snowshoes so I can go for walks in the winter and get some exercise.
posted by Constance Mirabella at 2:59 PM on August 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
If there are any maintenance issues that need attending to before winter, do those now.
Change your car's oil and rotate the tires. Make sure you have plenty of air filters for your AC unit. (Fridge filters, pest control, vet, etc.) Call your doctor and ask for a three-month prescription, for example, not just a 30-day refill.
Find a hobby that doesn't involve screen use. Purchase that fat, difficult book you've put off reading: James Joyce, John Barth, and so on. A gratitude journal is helpful, if you're feeling especially pessimistic or prone to doom-scrolling. I'm totally sick of looking at screens...
Buy some beautiful paper and teach yourself origami. I've been doing this and it's a nice, mechanical thing I can do to ease stress without staring at another screen.
Don't try to subsist on shelf-stable groceries for too long. Make a point of eating fresh, healthy food often, because it will help improve your emotional state.
Make a list and catch up on subtitled films and TV shows you missed because you finally have time and can pay attention.
Have one day a week where you give yourself permission to do nothing at all that's productive and stick to it. If you're working from home, it's incredibly easy to live like you're sitting on a Lazy Susan that rotates between bed and your work area, for example. I took a second job thinking I'd need the distraction on weekends; nearly 6 months later, I find myself not having time off at all for 20-30 days at a time and I'm starting to feel like a Lazy Susan WFH Zombie. Now, I genuinely regret doing that-- it's hard for me to concentrate some days from all the awfulness going on.
Make sure you have someone you trust who can get help to you quickly in case of an emergency. I'm talking about if you fall and break your leg or get horrific food poisoning. Set up a protocol for what needs to happen in such situations; hide a house key outside or share your alarm code, etc. If I lived alone I'd feel much more comfortable isolating for unknown periods of time if I had a trusted friend to call in emergency situations.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 3:50 PM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
Change your car's oil and rotate the tires. Make sure you have plenty of air filters for your AC unit. (Fridge filters, pest control, vet, etc.) Call your doctor and ask for a three-month prescription, for example, not just a 30-day refill.
Find a hobby that doesn't involve screen use. Purchase that fat, difficult book you've put off reading: James Joyce, John Barth, and so on. A gratitude journal is helpful, if you're feeling especially pessimistic or prone to doom-scrolling. I'm totally sick of looking at screens...
Buy some beautiful paper and teach yourself origami. I've been doing this and it's a nice, mechanical thing I can do to ease stress without staring at another screen.
Don't try to subsist on shelf-stable groceries for too long. Make a point of eating fresh, healthy food often, because it will help improve your emotional state.
Make a list and catch up on subtitled films and TV shows you missed because you finally have time and can pay attention.
Have one day a week where you give yourself permission to do nothing at all that's productive and stick to it. If you're working from home, it's incredibly easy to live like you're sitting on a Lazy Susan that rotates between bed and your work area, for example. I took a second job thinking I'd need the distraction on weekends; nearly 6 months later, I find myself not having time off at all for 20-30 days at a time and I'm starting to feel like a Lazy Susan WFH Zombie. Now, I genuinely regret doing that-- it's hard for me to concentrate some days from all the awfulness going on.
Make sure you have someone you trust who can get help to you quickly in case of an emergency. I'm talking about if you fall and break your leg or get horrific food poisoning. Set up a protocol for what needs to happen in such situations; hide a house key outside or share your alarm code, etc. If I lived alone I'd feel much more comfortable isolating for unknown periods of time if I had a trusted friend to call in emergency situations.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 3:50 PM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
Plan how you'll get exercise / outside. If you don't normally have a daily step goal, consider setting one. Even if you don't have any exercise "routine" today, the amount of motion your body gets from just ordinary errands is an order of magnitude more than what you will get walking to your computer and back everyday.
Also, use the phone sometimes, not zoom. It frees up a whole chunk of your brain if you can talk to someone while you make dinner, say. You can also use a video chat and set up your phone or computer off to the side, but I find it so nice to be able to just wear a headset and walk around, do my gardening, do my chores, without a tether. Also helps reduce the severity of the impact on my RSI.
posted by Lady Li at 3:59 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
Also, use the phone sometimes, not zoom. It frees up a whole chunk of your brain if you can talk to someone while you make dinner, say. You can also use a video chat and set up your phone or computer off to the side, but I find it so nice to be able to just wear a headset and walk around, do my gardening, do my chores, without a tether. Also helps reduce the severity of the impact on my RSI.
posted by Lady Li at 3:59 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
I've been pretty much locked down since early March. Yes to all the supplies. I worked remotely for a few hours every morning until mid-May at which point I retired completely.
What's helped me is taking long walks every single morning, occasionally with a neighbor. Even in my mask-resistant southern city and state (Savannah, GA) people are very conscientious about maintaining distance when outdoors walking or running, It probably helps that walking down the middle of quiet residential streets is commonplace.
A couple of weeks ago I decamped and drove north to see my family in Ithaca, NY. People out walking and even running wear masks, it's great! Even little kids wear masks in public. I'm almost done with the two week quarantine for people arriving from places like Georgia and am looking forward to spending more time with family.
If you have any inclination this is a good time to grow some food. Depending on your climate you might consider growing some greens of various sorts, lettuce and cooking greens. Fresh fruits and vegetables are the things I missed the most. If you can, join a CSA that delivers.
posted by mareli at 4:32 PM on August 27, 2020
What's helped me is taking long walks every single morning, occasionally with a neighbor. Even in my mask-resistant southern city and state (Savannah, GA) people are very conscientious about maintaining distance when outdoors walking or running, It probably helps that walking down the middle of quiet residential streets is commonplace.
A couple of weeks ago I decamped and drove north to see my family in Ithaca, NY. People out walking and even running wear masks, it's great! Even little kids wear masks in public. I'm almost done with the two week quarantine for people arriving from places like Georgia and am looking forward to spending more time with family.
If you have any inclination this is a good time to grow some food. Depending on your climate you might consider growing some greens of various sorts, lettuce and cooking greens. Fresh fruits and vegetables are the things I missed the most. If you can, join a CSA that delivers.
posted by mareli at 4:32 PM on August 27, 2020
- Being in the house all day, everyday will make you want to do projects around the house, the more you can identify those things and get those supplies ahead of time, do it. I've done a ton of small projects and upgrades since I suddenly have a lot more time at home.
- Ditto all the recommendations on stocking up on supplies, but also learn to be more judicious. Don't use paper towels when a dish rag will do, etc.
- Have hobbies or interests you think you want to explore? Always wanted to learn a new skill? Now's the time to buy/order/acquire those materials to do so.
- Have a daily routine. One of the best things I did was implement some structure to my day. It's been something that I'm glad I did and still continue 95% of the time.
- Take advantage of the fact you'll be in a controlled environment. I've been able to start a new diet and keep to it longer than I've ever had because I can control exactly what comes in my house. You don't have to deal with so any external factors.
- Make sure you have a first aid kit, basic over the counter medications, including cold medicine, etc.
- Buy masks (both cloth and disposable ones). The disposables come in handy in emergencies or when you need outsiders to come to your house.
- Spend time outside, get some fresh air, go for walks.
- Be mindful of your mental health and allow yourself some grace. Yes, there are a lot of people who have it tougher than you, but this is still hard and challenging. Sometimes it is okay to whine and cry.
- When you do need to go out in the world, keep some masks and hand sanitizer in your car.
- Take care of yourself -- shower regularly, eat good quality food, get adequate sleep, etc. The grind will wear on you.
- Keep a tidy home or at least keep a cleaning routine.
- I can't 2nd or 3rd enough the advice around what to do if you're going to be working from home. Invest or acquire what you need to make it comfortable.
posted by SoulOnIce at 4:37 PM on August 27, 2020
- Ditto all the recommendations on stocking up on supplies, but also learn to be more judicious. Don't use paper towels when a dish rag will do, etc.
- Have hobbies or interests you think you want to explore? Always wanted to learn a new skill? Now's the time to buy/order/acquire those materials to do so.
- Have a daily routine. One of the best things I did was implement some structure to my day. It's been something that I'm glad I did and still continue 95% of the time.
- Take advantage of the fact you'll be in a controlled environment. I've been able to start a new diet and keep to it longer than I've ever had because I can control exactly what comes in my house. You don't have to deal with so any external factors.
- Make sure you have a first aid kit, basic over the counter medications, including cold medicine, etc.
- Buy masks (both cloth and disposable ones). The disposables come in handy in emergencies or when you need outsiders to come to your house.
- Spend time outside, get some fresh air, go for walks.
- Be mindful of your mental health and allow yourself some grace. Yes, there are a lot of people who have it tougher than you, but this is still hard and challenging. Sometimes it is okay to whine and cry.
- When you do need to go out in the world, keep some masks and hand sanitizer in your car.
- Take care of yourself -- shower regularly, eat good quality food, get adequate sleep, etc. The grind will wear on you.
- Keep a tidy home or at least keep a cleaning routine.
- I can't 2nd or 3rd enough the advice around what to do if you're going to be working from home. Invest or acquire what you need to make it comfortable.
posted by SoulOnIce at 4:37 PM on August 27, 2020
I've been isolating since March. We've been under our strictest form of restrictions so far (Stage 4) for the past ~four weeks or so.
Caveat: I have a young baby, so some of the ways I've been doing things are based around limitations due to that. We don't have a lot of time to cook and bake.
* Suss out all of your delivery options for essential items. Food, toilet paper, vitamins, toiletries etc.
* Stock up on a few weeks worth of essentials. Please do not panic buy, please do not buy up the whole shelf leaving nothing else for anyone else.
* Keep an eye on your essential items and order more before you are getting to critically low levels, but do have a back up plan in case delivery takes a while. You can wipe your bum with rags if it comes down to it.
* Frozen vegetables, canned beans, rice and dried red lentils are incredibly handy, easy to use in quick meals and are nutritious.
* Maybe start taking a multivitamin if you don't already, just in case you can't eat as well as you would like.
* Try to get outdoors everyday, weather permitting.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 4:46 PM on August 27, 2020
Caveat: I have a young baby, so some of the ways I've been doing things are based around limitations due to that. We don't have a lot of time to cook and bake.
* Suss out all of your delivery options for essential items. Food, toilet paper, vitamins, toiletries etc.
* Stock up on a few weeks worth of essentials. Please do not panic buy, please do not buy up the whole shelf leaving nothing else for anyone else.
* Keep an eye on your essential items and order more before you are getting to critically low levels, but do have a back up plan in case delivery takes a while. You can wipe your bum with rags if it comes down to it.
* Frozen vegetables, canned beans, rice and dried red lentils are incredibly handy, easy to use in quick meals and are nutritious.
* Maybe start taking a multivitamin if you don't already, just in case you can't eat as well as you would like.
* Try to get outdoors everyday, weather permitting.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 4:46 PM on August 27, 2020
A note on groceries: try not to buy stuff unless you know exactly what you're going to make with them or if you actually really like them. It sounds silly, but I did that. I bought stuff that I like (because nobody else was buying them so no guilt) but don't regularly eat. And now I've got two costco-sized wedges of cheese taking up room in my fridge because ordering sliced cheese is much more convenient.
And be smart about the size of your fridge and freezer. Lots of people hoarded then threw out meats and perishables because they simply didn't have the freezer space for them.
If you can afford it, don't be afraid to spend money on things that make you happy. Mental health is important.
posted by Neekee at 5:14 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
And be smart about the size of your fridge and freezer. Lots of people hoarded then threw out meats and perishables because they simply didn't have the freezer space for them.
If you can afford it, don't be afraid to spend money on things that make you happy. Mental health is important.
posted by Neekee at 5:14 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
We found it took some practice to use grocery delivery effectively. Generally speaking, you dont get exactly what you ordered. Sometimes you get a alternate as replacement for an out of stock item, sometimes you don't get anything. You have to plan a balance between what you want for the immediate future and stocking the pantry to cover unplanned gaps.
Lots of people are doing more baking, especially of bread, than before the lockdown. This caused shortages of flour and yeast that have mostly been alleviated nationally, but which may be a problem locally. I bought yeast via Amazon and it took a couple weeks to arrive because Amazon had virus problems in the Phoenix area.
We feel the most dangerous place is the pharmacy. Sick people go there! You can get common otc items like toothpaste and Tylenol with your groceries.
posted by SemiSalt at 6:06 PM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
Lots of people are doing more baking, especially of bread, than before the lockdown. This caused shortages of flour and yeast that have mostly been alleviated nationally, but which may be a problem locally. I bought yeast via Amazon and it took a couple weeks to arrive because Amazon had virus problems in the Phoenix area.
We feel the most dangerous place is the pharmacy. Sick people go there! You can get common otc items like toothpaste and Tylenol with your groceries.
posted by SemiSalt at 6:06 PM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
I keep running out of sympathy cards. Blank cards are fine of course, but I wish I could find better/more personal/less religious sympathy cards. I hope YMMV.
posted by MichelleinMD at 6:26 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by MichelleinMD at 6:26 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
Spend as much time as you can outdoors. Take long walks or runs in the park. Go for walks on sidewalks and such. If you are outdoors and wearing a mask and give folks plenty of room when you pass, then being outside can be a pretty okay place to be. I'd say a good habit or routine is to go at least once a day but maybe twice.
Do you know your neighbors? It's a good time make sure you know folks in your neighborhood.
posted by bluedaisy at 6:45 PM on August 27, 2020
Do you know your neighbors? It's a good time make sure you know folks in your neighborhood.
posted by bluedaisy at 6:45 PM on August 27, 2020
Mostly mentioned above, but the two things I really regretted: Not stocking up on library books (our library was shut down for months) and disinfecting wipes.
I had an idea at the beginning that quarantine would be the time to tackle personal goals. My house would be organized and spotlessly clean (because what else would I have to do in my free time?) and I would lose weight because I stocked up on healthy foods and couldn't impulse buy junk. Thing is, the "free time" never materialized because I was just as busy working at home and had no mental energy to tackle major organization/cleaning projects, and the first thing I did when getting groceries was throw in some comfort foods. You may be different, but lockdown and the general state of things is stressful enough that piling unreasonable goals on top just made it worse, so don't beat yourself up if you are the same person during quarantine that you were before it.
Also, oatmeal is never going to work out for me.
posted by Preserver at 6:52 PM on August 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
I had an idea at the beginning that quarantine would be the time to tackle personal goals. My house would be organized and spotlessly clean (because what else would I have to do in my free time?) and I would lose weight because I stocked up on healthy foods and couldn't impulse buy junk. Thing is, the "free time" never materialized because I was just as busy working at home and had no mental energy to tackle major organization/cleaning projects, and the first thing I did when getting groceries was throw in some comfort foods. You may be different, but lockdown and the general state of things is stressful enough that piling unreasonable goals on top just made it worse, so don't beat yourself up if you are the same person during quarantine that you were before it.
Also, oatmeal is never going to work out for me.
posted by Preserver at 6:52 PM on August 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
You might not need to wait until mid-September to pick up your prescription. My insurance plan removed all the refill restrictions on chronic disease meds so people can set up a backup supply. This has been the biggest stress relief for me - I was able to quickly get several extra months backup supply for my kid’s mail-order-only specialty medication, which is something I’ve previously fought insurance on for literally 7 years. You could call your pharmacy now to see when you’re eligible to refill next.
It sounds like you might be in Iowa - if so, the summer heat will pass soon! Due to life shutting down I started running and have managed for the first time in my life to run for 30 minutes without stopping. I run around my quiet neighborhood park after kid bedtime on sidewalks but hop over to the street (facing oncoming traffic) if other people are approaching. It’s a regular residential neighborhood, and I literally run circles around the park so I don’t have to worry about street crossings. It’s so much less crowded than the dedicated walking trails around the lake/river. You might find quiet residential streets much less crowded/stressful than your main parks.
I don’t know if there’s really much you can grow from seed at this point besides salad greens, but if you think you might want to garden in the spring, you might want to pick up any big in person supplies now or collect enough gardening catalogs to plan out and make your orders around Christmas. For example, I ordered all my seed online by early January but had a hard time tracking down stuff for my seed starting soil mix - the local place I buy from pretty much shuts down in the winter (and all of their soil stuff freezes solid outdoors over the winter), and the shit hit the fan in the spring.
That’s all I’ve got. I’ve been staying home with the exception of grocery shopping since March with my husband and kid, and it has been really hard. I figured I’d save the Instacart/delivery slots for someone who really needed them, so I alternate between my local Trader Joe’s and food coop, which are taking COVID much more seriously than the Target in the neighboring suburb. Aldi in the neighboring suburb was so terrifying back in April that I haven’t been back there since.
posted by Maarika at 8:12 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
It sounds like you might be in Iowa - if so, the summer heat will pass soon! Due to life shutting down I started running and have managed for the first time in my life to run for 30 minutes without stopping. I run around my quiet neighborhood park after kid bedtime on sidewalks but hop over to the street (facing oncoming traffic) if other people are approaching. It’s a regular residential neighborhood, and I literally run circles around the park so I don’t have to worry about street crossings. It’s so much less crowded than the dedicated walking trails around the lake/river. You might find quiet residential streets much less crowded/stressful than your main parks.
I don’t know if there’s really much you can grow from seed at this point besides salad greens, but if you think you might want to garden in the spring, you might want to pick up any big in person supplies now or collect enough gardening catalogs to plan out and make your orders around Christmas. For example, I ordered all my seed online by early January but had a hard time tracking down stuff for my seed starting soil mix - the local place I buy from pretty much shuts down in the winter (and all of their soil stuff freezes solid outdoors over the winter), and the shit hit the fan in the spring.
That’s all I’ve got. I’ve been staying home with the exception of grocery shopping since March with my husband and kid, and it has been really hard. I figured I’d save the Instacart/delivery slots for someone who really needed them, so I alternate between my local Trader Joe’s and food coop, which are taking COVID much more seriously than the Target in the neighboring suburb. Aldi in the neighboring suburb was so terrifying back in April that I haven’t been back there since.
posted by Maarika at 8:12 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
The books. Our library is now on curbside / online orders, so no browsing the shelves. E-books are available, but I hate the idea of getting halfway through and not getting a renewal.
I have stepped briefly into Barnes and Noble for Hilary Mantel's The Mirror and the Light and have gotten some Amazon orders, but for the most part it's checking the paperbacks behind the paperbacks in the living room.
Just before the March lock downs I went on a Jane Austen-themed library crawl and finally saw some of the recent videos and Austen-like novels. So satisfying.
So I have been binge-reading collections, starting with what is on my own shelves. I just finished the most recent Seanan McGuire and Ben Aaronovich and am considering another round of Terry Pratchett.
AskMe is a great source for author-adjacent styles and content.
Find your authors and get all the books.
posted by TrishaU at 8:22 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
I have stepped briefly into Barnes and Noble for Hilary Mantel's The Mirror and the Light and have gotten some Amazon orders, but for the most part it's checking the paperbacks behind the paperbacks in the living room.
Just before the March lock downs I went on a Jane Austen-themed library crawl and finally saw some of the recent videos and Austen-like novels. So satisfying.
So I have been binge-reading collections, starting with what is on my own shelves. I just finished the most recent Seanan McGuire and Ben Aaronovich and am considering another round of Terry Pratchett.
AskMe is a great source for author-adjacent styles and content.
Find your authors and get all the books.
posted by TrishaU at 8:22 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
Is making sourdough bread all that its cracked up to be?
There are more ways of making bread than sourdough. Yeast bread, Soda bread, Beer bread are all viable options.
If you have the time and inclination, there's something quite luxurious and satisfying about fresh home-baked bread, so give it a go if you have the means and ingredients.
On the subject of supplies, my tip is to note down whenever you use up a unit of something - e.g. even if you still have a dozen packets of pasta in the cupboard, note down whenever you use one up - that way when you do shop it's easy to know what and how much to buy to maintain your stock.
posted by HiroProtagonist at 8:34 PM on August 27, 2020
There are more ways of making bread than sourdough. Yeast bread, Soda bread, Beer bread are all viable options.
If you have the time and inclination, there's something quite luxurious and satisfying about fresh home-baked bread, so give it a go if you have the means and ingredients.
On the subject of supplies, my tip is to note down whenever you use up a unit of something - e.g. even if you still have a dozen packets of pasta in the cupboard, note down whenever you use one up - that way when you do shop it's easy to know what and how much to buy to maintain your stock.
posted by HiroProtagonist at 8:34 PM on August 27, 2020
FOUR THINGS THAT HELP WITH MENTAL STABILITY:
Exercising! Find something you like to do in the house. There are online gyms doing "bootcamp" things, rebounder trampolines, Nintendo Ring Fit, and I have gotten a ton out of dance cardio on Youtube (this great African-inflected dance workout called Kukuwa, and these wild and crazy mostly-NYC dancers called 305 Fitness). Online yoga is a thing, too.
Gardening! is helpful too. If you're in the northern hemisphere, it's coming on time to plant winter kale and garlic and fava beans.
Meditating! There are great free meditation on Insight Timer and 1GiantMind.
Recurring "video coffee dates" with friends. I find group video chat to be fairly terrible, but one-on-one talks over coffee or dinner can be surprisingly nice. Set a recurring time to see the people you like (i.e. "Thursday at 6 every week").
STUFF WORTH BUYING:
Food treats. Cooking constantly is a bit of a grind and some little treats -- sauces, bags of easy-to-eat snack foods -- can go a long way.
A thermometer and an oximeter.
An e-reader if you don't have one (and like ebooks). Getting ebooks from the library has been a boredom-saver for me during the pandemic.
posted by hungrytiger at 9:06 PM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
Exercising! Find something you like to do in the house. There are online gyms doing "bootcamp" things, rebounder trampolines, Nintendo Ring Fit, and I have gotten a ton out of dance cardio on Youtube (this great African-inflected dance workout called Kukuwa, and these wild and crazy mostly-NYC dancers called 305 Fitness). Online yoga is a thing, too.
Gardening! is helpful too. If you're in the northern hemisphere, it's coming on time to plant winter kale and garlic and fava beans.
Meditating! There are great free meditation on Insight Timer and 1GiantMind.
Recurring "video coffee dates" with friends. I find group video chat to be fairly terrible, but one-on-one talks over coffee or dinner can be surprisingly nice. Set a recurring time to see the people you like (i.e. "Thursday at 6 every week").
STUFF WORTH BUYING:
Food treats. Cooking constantly is a bit of a grind and some little treats -- sauces, bags of easy-to-eat snack foods -- can go a long way.
A thermometer and an oximeter.
An e-reader if you don't have one (and like ebooks). Getting ebooks from the library has been a boredom-saver for me during the pandemic.
posted by hungrytiger at 9:06 PM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
Walk. Being outside and not with other people is not a risk for contagion. Being shut in may send you stir crazy. (I have not managed it, to be honest, but apparently I don't mind being in the house.)
Batch cook. Pasta sauces work well, as do stews, lasagne if you're feeling creative, roasts that end up as sandwich meat; also cookies. You will not feel like cooking every day so the freezer to microwave thing you made earlier is useful. Label things in the fridge with your cooked date to save worry about what is still good.
Batch buy. I've not done food home delivery, but I can shop once every two weeks and that works. I'm still trying to stay out of public where not necessary, but I feel reasonably safe in a supermarket (assuming you're in a place where people mask up, which I know is not universal, but if you aren't then curb side pick-up is another option if delivery doesn't work). Include a couple of canned or frozen meals for 'I'm hungry and it's all too much like work' moments.
Baking bread is fun in its own way but most of it is waiting. Bread can take three hours by the clock on the wall but it does not hold your attention for three hours - it has to rise - and you need something else to do. Bread you forgot about while doing something else is often the best bread. (I'm a yeast person, to caveat that.)
Hobby projects and home improvement. Make a list of things you'd like to try and do some of them. Do not beat yourself up for not getting to the bottom of the list, it is a list of suggestions and not a list of things that must be done or the world will end. Include things you have felt like trying but never have, as now is an opportunity. It might not be the thing for you, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. (Crafts, woodworking, hanging pictures, gardening, the content does not matter.)
Mail order is your friend. You are not likely to catch anything from a parcel and you can leave it out in the sun for a day or two if it gives you the fear.
I've done my fair share of video socials, usually with a beer in hand. It's actually been a great way to connect with friends where we've moved away from each other. It's easier one on one or in small groups, conferences work less well for just shooting the breeze where you're not sure who will talk next.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 10:11 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
Batch cook. Pasta sauces work well, as do stews, lasagne if you're feeling creative, roasts that end up as sandwich meat; also cookies. You will not feel like cooking every day so the freezer to microwave thing you made earlier is useful. Label things in the fridge with your cooked date to save worry about what is still good.
Batch buy. I've not done food home delivery, but I can shop once every two weeks and that works. I'm still trying to stay out of public where not necessary, but I feel reasonably safe in a supermarket (assuming you're in a place where people mask up, which I know is not universal, but if you aren't then curb side pick-up is another option if delivery doesn't work). Include a couple of canned or frozen meals for 'I'm hungry and it's all too much like work' moments.
Baking bread is fun in its own way but most of it is waiting. Bread can take three hours by the clock on the wall but it does not hold your attention for three hours - it has to rise - and you need something else to do. Bread you forgot about while doing something else is often the best bread. (I'm a yeast person, to caveat that.)
Hobby projects and home improvement. Make a list of things you'd like to try and do some of them. Do not beat yourself up for not getting to the bottom of the list, it is a list of suggestions and not a list of things that must be done or the world will end. Include things you have felt like trying but never have, as now is an opportunity. It might not be the thing for you, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. (Crafts, woodworking, hanging pictures, gardening, the content does not matter.)
Mail order is your friend. You are not likely to catch anything from a parcel and you can leave it out in the sun for a day or two if it gives you the fear.
I've done my fair share of video socials, usually with a beer in hand. It's actually been a great way to connect with friends where we've moved away from each other. It's easier one on one or in small groups, conferences work less well for just shooting the breeze where you're not sure who will talk next.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 10:11 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
If you're a movie person and don't have one already, getting a 5.1 stereo/subwoofer will make watching them on a TV a lot more like being at a theatre.
If you don't have one already and have space for it in the house, a chest freezer will greatly expand your ability to buy in bulk and reduce your need to go out/have food delivered.
If possible, having one or two other people that you enjoy the company of and trust to be taking similar precautions as you, having a small bubble is really helpful.
posted by Candleman at 10:52 PM on August 27, 2020
If you don't have one already and have space for it in the house, a chest freezer will greatly expand your ability to buy in bulk and reduce your need to go out/have food delivered.
If possible, having one or two other people that you enjoy the company of and trust to be taking similar precautions as you, having a small bubble is really helpful.
posted by Candleman at 10:52 PM on August 27, 2020
If there is a kitchen appliance that would make cooking more fun for you or open up more possibilities, order it now. Maybe you've been thinking for a while that you'd kind of like a breadmaker, a food processor, a rice cooker, an ice-cream maker...? Now's the time. When you're preparing every meal for yourself, and you can't just nip out and get that one ingredient you don't have on hand, and you're not shopping often enough to always have perishables in the fridge, the more tools you have to help you keep your diet varied and interesting with the least effort, the better.
(I've been at home alone since early March, grocery delivery didn't open up to non-vulnerable people in my area till recently, and I don't drive. It has been a struggle, but my stand mixer has been a godsend, and I wish I'd bought a rice cooker way, way sooner than last week.)
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 3:50 AM on August 28, 2020
(I've been at home alone since early March, grocery delivery didn't open up to non-vulnerable people in my area till recently, and I don't drive. It has been a struggle, but my stand mixer has been a godsend, and I wish I'd bought a rice cooker way, way sooner than last week.)
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 3:50 AM on August 28, 2020
Oh I can weigh in on this!
Is making sourdough bread all that its cracked up to be?
Maybe?
The only reason that sourdough became such a Thing for a while was that it was super hard to find yeast in the supermarkets in late March, and that became a Thing itself ("omigod I wanted to try baking my own bread but there's no yeast, now what?") and someone wrote about how "you can get wild yeast for free, that's what sourdough is" and people jumped on it. Now that things have calmed down in the supply chain you can get yeast in the stores again.
Making sourdough bread, if you've never made any bread before at all, is a little like jumping in the deep end. Not that sourdough is that tough, but it's a few extra fussy steps that you have to navigate before the actual "baking bread" part; you have to have a sourdough starter going for a couple weeks or so before you try baking bread with it, and you have to keep the starter going after you've made the bread. Which can be fun for the first couple loaves of sourdough, but then if you're not that into baking it can feel a bit like a burden. If you're new to any bread baking, you may want to stick with a more standard yeast bread - French bread, sandwich bread, focaccia, something like that. Or even skip the yeast and try Irish soda bread (that is DEAD easy).
On the other hand, if you do want to play with sourdough, there's other things you can make with sourdough aside from bread. I got some sourdough starter a year ago (one of the few times that I can be properly hipster and say that I was doing something before it was cool), and I think I've made bread only once - but I've made pancakes and pizza crust way more times. If you start or acquire some sourdough starter, you're going to have to do something with some of the starter on a regular basis; you'll need to regularly "feed it", which means you're taking most of the starter out and adding fresh flour and water to whatever's left. The starter you took out has to be dealt with in some fashion - some people simply throw it away, others use it to bake with. That's why I opted for pancakes at first, because I knew I wasn't going to have the time to make bread with that leftover starter each and ever time I went through that process (I do it weekly) - making pancakes with it was much quicker and easier and gave me a nice Sunday morning ritual. I've switched to pizza as of late, which takes a bit more work but is still a nice Sunday Ritual thing ("It's Sunday - yay, homemade pizza for dinner tonight!")
Happy to offer more targeted sourdough advice if you (or anyone else) wants. But if you've never made bread at all before, I'd suggest holding off on sourdough and going with regular yeasted bread instead; it's an easier thing to pick up and put down.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:12 AM on August 28, 2020
Is making sourdough bread all that its cracked up to be?
Maybe?
The only reason that sourdough became such a Thing for a while was that it was super hard to find yeast in the supermarkets in late March, and that became a Thing itself ("omigod I wanted to try baking my own bread but there's no yeast, now what?") and someone wrote about how "you can get wild yeast for free, that's what sourdough is" and people jumped on it. Now that things have calmed down in the supply chain you can get yeast in the stores again.
Making sourdough bread, if you've never made any bread before at all, is a little like jumping in the deep end. Not that sourdough is that tough, but it's a few extra fussy steps that you have to navigate before the actual "baking bread" part; you have to have a sourdough starter going for a couple weeks or so before you try baking bread with it, and you have to keep the starter going after you've made the bread. Which can be fun for the first couple loaves of sourdough, but then if you're not that into baking it can feel a bit like a burden. If you're new to any bread baking, you may want to stick with a more standard yeast bread - French bread, sandwich bread, focaccia, something like that. Or even skip the yeast and try Irish soda bread (that is DEAD easy).
On the other hand, if you do want to play with sourdough, there's other things you can make with sourdough aside from bread. I got some sourdough starter a year ago (one of the few times that I can be properly hipster and say that I was doing something before it was cool), and I think I've made bread only once - but I've made pancakes and pizza crust way more times. If you start or acquire some sourdough starter, you're going to have to do something with some of the starter on a regular basis; you'll need to regularly "feed it", which means you're taking most of the starter out and adding fresh flour and water to whatever's left. The starter you took out has to be dealt with in some fashion - some people simply throw it away, others use it to bake with. That's why I opted for pancakes at first, because I knew I wasn't going to have the time to make bread with that leftover starter each and ever time I went through that process (I do it weekly) - making pancakes with it was much quicker and easier and gave me a nice Sunday morning ritual. I've switched to pizza as of late, which takes a bit more work but is still a nice Sunday Ritual thing ("It's Sunday - yay, homemade pizza for dinner tonight!")
Happy to offer more targeted sourdough advice if you (or anyone else) wants. But if you've never made bread at all before, I'd suggest holding off on sourdough and going with regular yeasted bread instead; it's an easier thing to pick up and put down.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:12 AM on August 28, 2020
We've been strictly self-isolated since March.
What was helpful:
-Stocking up on toilet paper.
Not hoarding, but more than we normally get.
-Getting a bidet attachment
-Puzzles and a variety of craft supplies
At least for the start when you're out of things to do and haven't gotten into a groove.
-Recognizing that it's ok to not be as productive as you expect to be.
-Ordering pantry staples in bulk if you're not planning on getting takeout
-Planning meals in advance.
-Having a treadmill.
We live near a trail but found that when things began shutting down, everyone took to the trail so it was very crowded and social distancing was inconsistent.
What to avoid:
-Buying more than 10 lbs of flour upfront unless you already know how to bake.
A lot of people get tired of baking really quickly and then you're left with too much flour and you've contributed to shortages.
-Going to the library when it reopens.
A lot of systems right now are reopening without proper precautions and endangering staff and customers while keeping positive cases under wraps. If you can afford to, support local bookstores instead. They sometimes deliver and need continued purchases to survive the economy closures.
-Getting a puppy if you have not had one before.
Puppies are a lot of of joy and also a lot of work. Socialization is really important for dogs but it's hard at the moment because you can't really get too close to other pet owners right now and people will frequently come up and try to pat your dog. Veterinarians are also pretty overwhelmed right now with the amount of new puppies and experiencing vaccination and appointment delays.
What to be prepared for:
-Feeling mad at friends or family who aren't taking the same precautions that you are.
Everyone assesses risk differently. Try to acknowledge their decision and then just keep doing your best.
-Running out of things to talk about.
Everyone's life is pretty much the same from day to day right now.
-Feeling like time doesn't exist.
posted by donut_princess at 9:03 AM on August 29, 2020 [2 favorites]
What was helpful:
-Stocking up on toilet paper.
Not hoarding, but more than we normally get.
-Getting a bidet attachment
-Puzzles and a variety of craft supplies
At least for the start when you're out of things to do and haven't gotten into a groove.
-Recognizing that it's ok to not be as productive as you expect to be.
-Ordering pantry staples in bulk if you're not planning on getting takeout
-Planning meals in advance.
-Having a treadmill.
We live near a trail but found that when things began shutting down, everyone took to the trail so it was very crowded and social distancing was inconsistent.
What to avoid:
-Buying more than 10 lbs of flour upfront unless you already know how to bake.
A lot of people get tired of baking really quickly and then you're left with too much flour and you've contributed to shortages.
-Going to the library when it reopens.
A lot of systems right now are reopening without proper precautions and endangering staff and customers while keeping positive cases under wraps. If you can afford to, support local bookstores instead. They sometimes deliver and need continued purchases to survive the economy closures.
-Getting a puppy if you have not had one before.
Puppies are a lot of of joy and also a lot of work. Socialization is really important for dogs but it's hard at the moment because you can't really get too close to other pet owners right now and people will frequently come up and try to pat your dog. Veterinarians are also pretty overwhelmed right now with the amount of new puppies and experiencing vaccination and appointment delays.
What to be prepared for:
-Feeling mad at friends or family who aren't taking the same precautions that you are.
Everyone assesses risk differently. Try to acknowledge their decision and then just keep doing your best.
-Running out of things to talk about.
Everyone's life is pretty much the same from day to day right now.
-Feeling like time doesn't exist.
posted by donut_princess at 9:03 AM on August 29, 2020 [2 favorites]
I have found e-books and audiobooks from the library downloaded to my laptop and then my ancient iPod Nano to be very helpful, and I can put popular books on hold online and look forward to them becoming available. Supporting the library is good for the library system because it encourages them to stock more books, and it's free for you and eliminates cluttering the house with stuff.
Some library systems require that you get a library card in person for the first time, and my library also required a yearly in-person renewal to use the electronic resources. If you need a new card or might need a renewal or haven't used your library before, I'd look into that before hunkering down.
posted by answergrape at 12:07 PM on August 31, 2020
Some library systems require that you get a library card in person for the first time, and my library also required a yearly in-person renewal to use the electronic resources. If you need a new card or might need a renewal or haven't used your library before, I'd look into that before hunkering down.
posted by answergrape at 12:07 PM on August 31, 2020
I may have overlooked these comments, but just in case these haven't been mentioned:
Consider a treadmill desk or a bike desk if you anticipate working from home for a long time. All the conference calls start to blend together and this has helped improve my concentration considerably.
Consider investing in the blue apple or the Oxo version that neutralizes ethylene gas. This has made fresh produce last much longer and helps limit trips to the store.
I also upgraded my office chair to one of those recliners on wheels and it's proven to be worth the investment.
If there's any weather related supplies you may need go ahead and get those. On a similar note, if there's anything related to fall outdoor living you might enjoy, get it if you can. We invested in a fire pit. I ordered supplies to make apple cider.
I'm getting involved in a new hobby that can also yield some Christmas presents.
Consider having virtual video chats with a tangible purpose. Take turns teaching friends how to cook a new dish, or share in a book club, or just have a close friend on Zoom while you fold your laundry. This seems a bit more fulfilling than just sitting and talking to a screen.
posted by crunchy potato at 9:11 AM on September 2, 2020
Consider a treadmill desk or a bike desk if you anticipate working from home for a long time. All the conference calls start to blend together and this has helped improve my concentration considerably.
Consider investing in the blue apple or the Oxo version that neutralizes ethylene gas. This has made fresh produce last much longer and helps limit trips to the store.
I also upgraded my office chair to one of those recliners on wheels and it's proven to be worth the investment.
If there's any weather related supplies you may need go ahead and get those. On a similar note, if there's anything related to fall outdoor living you might enjoy, get it if you can. We invested in a fire pit. I ordered supplies to make apple cider.
I'm getting involved in a new hobby that can also yield some Christmas presents.
Consider having virtual video chats with a tangible purpose. Take turns teaching friends how to cook a new dish, or share in a book club, or just have a close friend on Zoom while you fold your laundry. This seems a bit more fulfilling than just sitting and talking to a screen.
posted by crunchy potato at 9:11 AM on September 2, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by joycehealy at 10:02 AM on August 27, 2020 [26 favorites]