Things I’m Doing/Not Doing

There are a lot of lists like this running around at the moment, but as I’m a single person without kids or a partner (I live with a roommate but we are not a couple) my list might look quite different from that of a mom of two or a health worker’s right now, so, everyone’s mileage will vary.

I find I’m relying on a lot of cheap psychological tricks these days, like making the bed, to keep up my sense of normalcy (even though nothing about any of this is normal). Here are some of the things I’ve made it a point to keep doing (or not doing) as the madness unfolds:

Meditation and Prayer

I group these together because they’re two parts of the same practice for me. I actually really enjoy meditation when I get into it, and I’ve bumped up the length of my daily sits to compensate for how much longer it takes me to settle my mind these days. I start out doing a toes-to-head body relaxation, silently asking a blessing on each part of my body (including a number of key organs, like my lungs, which remain stalwart and healthy); then I sit and talk to Deity in whatever way feels right. Usually this ends up being a round with my prayer beads, repeating four or five lines of a prayer. When I finish that I just sit, and try to rest in the Source for as long as I can.

Even if I can’t concentrate for crap, I try to stay with the whole session, and not lose patience with myself. It might seem like we all have tons of quiet space these days, but even if we don’t have a lot of outward activity, finding quiet on the inside is a whole different pile of puppies.

My Day Job

It’s funny – I was so burnt out on my day job before all this, because the first quarter of the year is utterly bananaballs in that particular industry. I had scheduled two days off way back in early March when things still made sense. I argued with myself on whether to take them or not – on the one hand it’s not like I could go anywhere on “vacation,” but on the other, burnt out is burnt out and work from home is still WORK.

Well, I took the two days, and they sucked. I had emotional lows and was bored and listless for most of the time I was awake, which wasn’t a lot. It turns out I need that structure and routine even more now. I like my day job okay, and my company is doing pretty well by us right now; I don’t think I’ll be taking another day off until we’re out of shelter-in-place unless I actually feel ill.

Avoiding the Ever-Living Shit out of the News

I swear if I have to see that goddamn smug orange clown face one more time I’ll wind up on the news myself! The weaponized soullessness of Republican “leadership” has left me so viscerally angry…and I can’t live like that, not when I have fewer constructive outlets. I try to stick to local news, as it affects me most immediately. Washington isn’t doing shit for us, our local governments are. Maybe making themselves perniciously useless is how they plan to have “small government,” whatever. If I want to poison myself I’ll just drink. At least that starts out fun.

“Making” the Bed

I don’t make my bed as a general rule, and I haven’t started per se so much as I try to pull the blankets up and at least cover up the sheets when I get up for work. It’s an interior signal that I’m “at the office” now. It also keeps the near-microscopic cat litter bits that always end up in the bed at bay for a while longer.

Using My Planner

I’ve always said that planning for me is less about productivity and more about sanity. I use my lists and calendars to anchor myself in time and space, to remind myself I was here and I did things. Coupled with the creativity I apply to my bullet journal, I rely on my planner to help me remember every day is not the same, time hasn’t evaporated completely, and this is not forever. I don’t look farther ahead than this month but I try to keep at least a page per week of things I’d like to do and things I’ve done. I don’t worry too much about actually checking everything off. Again, it’s a grounding exercise more than anything else.

Drinking Cold Brew, Literally, By the Gallon

It’s not much, but I try to order things from local places when I can, and one that I’ve been really enjoying is the cold brew from Epoch Coffee, a place a dear friend and I always went to on Thursday nights for a writerdate. They’re delivering cold brew by the gallon as well as some baked goods and packaged coffees, and using the proceeds to help maintain health insurance for their employees. Not only do I get to caffeinate with abandon, I can contribute a tiny bit to alleviating the strain of all this on a few people. I also try to shop frequently at Rabbit Food, our local vegan grocery store which thank God is still open for all my vegan junk food and specialty item needs. Buy local! Do it a lot if you can!