Coping During COVID

I haven’t written anything on the blog since the start of the year. Honestly, 2020 has been super rough for me even before COVID-19 started that I just didn’t have the energy or enthusiasm to do anything for the blog. I spent my birthday, the 8th of January, and the weeks surrounding it, worrying about whether or not I’ll see someone I love ever again. It’s all been downhill from there.

For majority of people, 2020 sucks on so many levels. Many have been hit by its events to some degree, while others like myself have been affected quite personally and deeply. In less than 8 months, I have had a number of traumatic experiences, including losing my mom to cancer and tetanus seemingly out of nowhere.

With so much overwhelming events and experiences happening simultaneously to billions of people around the world for the past 8 months, mainly because of the pandemic, it’s kind of funny that we still haven’t been able to navigate this situation.

However, I think I have finally had a sort of handle on things. Just this week, I finally had the energy and gusto to do things I’ve been putting off for months. Here are other things that I have done in 2020 that might help you cope with COVID too.

Family

I grew up super close with my family. Even when I moved away, I tried to visit them at least once every two weeks, once a week if I had the physical energy. When my father passed in 2018, this transitioned into weekly visits to his grave instead, with occasional lunch, snacks, or dinner during that day. When quarantine restrictions got in the way, we started having more video calls than ever, whether individually or as groups. When our mom was hospitalized for two months and then subsequently passed away, we still visited at least once a week whenever quarantine restrictions allow.

Friends

I’ll be honest, I hadn’t been in touch with many friends as often as I should have. Thanks to quarantine restrictions, video calls have been all the rage, and online drinking sessions became a thing. Heck, even coworkers from abroad whom I’ve never met in person even invited me a few times for virtual happy hour sessions! Additionally, I made new friends, albeit online only for now.

Food

I realize that everything I’ve written this far has started with the letter F. It’s not intentional, I swear! A rarely known fact about me is that I love food — so much that I not only cook or dine out, but I also am very fond of watching cooking shows. During quarantine, I’ve cooked so many dishes from scratch, and even learned to make my own recipes based on what’s available in my pantry, mainly because grocery hours are super limited for me (I work at night so my time is reversed).

Music

Up until 2017, I was super active in music. For personal reasons, I stopped. With the exception of occasionally singing to myself and listening to my favorite songs, the role of music in my life was significantly decreased. I stopped playing shows or even going to shows, attending them at a rate of maybe 1-2 a year since. When I temporarily and indefinitely lost my job during the start of quarantine, I found myself falling back in love with music. I picked up my guitar again, started singing loudly in the shower again, and blasted music loudly again, sometimes dancing along while the blinds are closed. And online concerts are a new love!

Romance

I was single for a really long time. However, having a constant in my life made quarantine slightly easier for me. Knowing someone is there to talk to you every night, despite all the heartaches and unimaginable distance, gives me something to live for and want to wake up for, and possibly something to look forward to if ever this pandemic ends. i’m not saying everyone should have a significant other, I know that a lot of people are fed up with their’s because of over exposure during quarantine, but having someone is nice.

Games

I bought a Nintendo Switch Lite sometime around September of last year. I initially only played Pokémon games, and then kept adding a few cheap games to entertain me every now and then. When Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out, a friend of mine bought it for me as a very late birthday gift. I have played a ridiculous 730 hours, apparently! I’ve also been playing a bunch of games on my phone, including Pokémon Go and an obscure tower defense game called Carrot Defense.

Hair

It’s no secret I love playing with my hair. Since quarantine started, I went from icy white with pink, to blonde, to pure pink, then back to blonde, then back to pure pink. Every once in a while, I’d put on a wig, clip-in bangs, or a ponytail add-on. I experimented with some hair products as well. I have also been moderating a local hair coloring Facebook group a friend of mine started.

Pets

Our family now has 8 pets in total, spread over 4 households. I adopted a lovely kitten I named Banana Bread, and while she isn’t my first cat or first pet, she’s the first one I’ve had to completely take care of ever. All other pets I’ve had, I’ve had help. It feels good. She and her sister Cheesecake live with me in my tiny apartment, and they’ve been giving me all the love I could handle. Additionally, I actually have the other pets on video call whenever I can’t visit them in person.

Plants

Similarly, I had a fortune/jade plant for a while. Half a year ain’t bad, but I wish I would’ve been able to have that plant longer. I received it as a Christmas gift, and had my mom help me out with the basics of taking care of it. She even helped repot it for me, which made it even more special. Unfortunately, as Philippine summer rolled in, my plant’s health started declining. I was able to keep it alive for a few more weeks, but when my mom was hospitalized, I had neglected the plant a lot and it eventually died. I know a lot of people have turned to plant care this quarantine, and I recommend it as it’s both fulfilling and healthy for your home.

Reading

I started getting back to books, as well as reading any and all articles I could get my paws on. Whether it’s news, something new I want to learn, or me just geeking out on a topic I find interesting, there’s a plethora of good reads available online. Plus of course, physical books on my shelf need to stop collecting dust.

Movies

While the cinema as we know it is likely changed, I have found myself watching so many movies these days. I mostly go with movies I have already seen, but I’ve lately also been scratching off things that have been on my list for so long. I don’t limit myself to just Netflix or any other online streaming service either, as I do have a nice enough library available on my hard drive for whenever my Internet provider decides to punk out on me. Additionally, I’ve indulged in so many movie-length stand-up comedy specials for whenever I need an instant laugh.

TV Shows

In the same vein, I’ve seen more TV shows than ever before. It has been a mix of seeing newer shows and revisiting older ones I either haven’t seen in a long time or have abandoned during the later seasons. At present, I am more than halfway through rewatching Bones, and have just finished the Netflix show Hoops a few days after it came out. I might jump into Boy Meets World or something else nostalgic next.

Liquor

I was fortunate enough to live in one of the cities that did not experience a liquor ban during quarantine. With that, I not only bought things that were ready to drink such as beers, but I also learned to make a few cocktails thanks to available recipes online, and a bartender friend who freely gave me tips in improving some of my cocktails.

Health

Because COVID is ridiculous in that you don’t know who’s infected or not, I’ve been extra careful with health and fitness. I took vitamins and supplements like a maniac and tried to at least work up a sweat every now and then. Being trapped inside my apartment for months, along with not fully recovering from my ankle injury, I have limited options, but I do have options. Besides, that copy of Power Yoga for Dummies is staring at me from my bookshelf.

Household

During the time my mom got hospitalized until well after the time we laid her to rest, my apartment became disorganized as hell. I had zero energy to clean up, and while it wasn’t messy by general standards, there was clutter piling up in corners, shelves, and tables where there previously was none. The other day, I finally had the push I needed to start reorganizing and cleaning. I’m far from done, but on my way.

Photographs

Photography is a huge part of my life. Especially with my dad being a professional photographer in his heyday, taking pictures is second nature to me. Even while confined to the four walls surrounding me, I still took time to take photos not just for my social media but also for myself. I also backed up photos from my phone into my laptop, and organized other photos from important events. There’s more for me to do since I have such a huge backlog, but it’s highly satisfying and entertaining for me.

Introspection

For about two weeks, I had temporarily and indefinitely lost my job. When I was cleared to work from home, I also regained time that I used to spend commuting to work. Plus, the things surrounding my mom’s death made me question my own mortality. These things allowed me to have more time to myself and think about so many things more than usual.

If anything, 2020 has affirmed the thought that life is short and that we really should live it to the fullest. Am I coping with COVID well? Maybe. All I know is I am trying to make use of whatever cards were handed to me instead of doing nothing about it.