Have you been listening to the same playlist or album over and over? Watching and rewatching the same TV show? Playing the same video game you’ve beaten before? We’re all kind of stuck. The tangible stuckness of being in our homes with the same people all day may be impacting the types of media we are interested in consuming. When life is unclear, we tend to lean toward and stick to what makes us comfortable. Even though listening to Mitski every night is making me sad, I do it because I still know all the words, and it’s familiar to me. When we end up stuck, we can start to feel helpless and depressed.
Pandemica
Graphic by Anjali Rao-Herel ‘22
By Woodlief McCabe ’23
Staff Writer
Staple Meal
If you’re living at home again, or even living in your own place off-campus, making sure you eat well and often may seem like an unattainable goal. There are plenty of ready-made single-serving meals out there that you can microwave or pour boiling water over — but you already knew that, you’re a college student.
These Troubling Times have thrown us unexpectedly from the coddling arms of the educational institution to the cold harsh world of Getting Groceries Every Week? Oh My God, When Does It End?
One of the best ways to survive is off of leftovers. What you’re going to want to do is make a large helping of a meal, preferably something simple that will last in the fridge. I make several cups of rice seasoned with lemon pepper and a little tomato paste for color and flavor. I heat up some beans, put it in a bowl with cheese, tomatoes, sour cream and avocado (if I just got paid). It’s filling, tasty and contains the major food groups. Once you’re done, put the rest in the fridge and all you have to do is heat it up when you’re hungry.
Keeping rice on hand is a lifesaver. If your vegetables are about to go bad, throw them in a stir fry with the rice and an egg, and boom! Fried rice. A pot of soup is also a great choice. Be sure to eat bread or rice with it to feel fancy and make the meal more substantial.
Bonus tip: dipping pretty much any toasted bread in olive oil will make you feel like you’re a European aristocrat and not someone sitting in their kitchen eating four slices of bread for dinner.
Go Find a Dog
“Go for a walk, get out in nature, go outside!” These are things we always hear when it comes to self-care. And while they are admittedly effective, motivation can be hard to come by. Sometimes it feels like wandering aimlessly outside doesn’t make sense, especially when there are plenty of things to do inside. Instead, make a partial plan. You can run an errand, or find a place to stop and make art, or take photos or eat lunch. If you’re stressed out, sometimes the solitude of just leaving your house spontaneously can really help get your head back on straight.
The other great thing about the outside is that there are dogs there.
Figure out where people in your area walk their dogs. You might live near a trail or a walking path. Parks are usually a great spot since you can stop and watch all the dogs come through the park. As long as you have a mask on, a good portion of people will let you pet their dogs or even throw a ball or frisbee for them. Make sure to always ask before you pet the dog, and hold out the back of your hand for them to sniff first.
Pandemica
Edition #2
By Woodlief McCabe ’23
Staff Writer
Pandemica is an advice column for anyone struggling to make life function normally in isolation. I’ll address different challenges we are all facing, and give you some tips that will ease the stress.
Lists
Without the change of scenery that normally comes with going between classes, you might be finding that certain assignments or tasks are slipping through the cracks. With less visual and sensory variety, we have fewer unique cues in our memories to help us remember that our World Politics professor assigned an essay or that we need to change our car’s oil. Having a notebook or digital checklist is a great way to organize your thoughts. And it’s not just for assignments! Make a list of things you want to buy, long-term goals or skills you want to learn. Checking something off a list is a hell of a release and can become its own motivator. When you make a list, include a few simple things that you can do right away to get your productivity flowing. For a particularly long task or something with multiple parts, use multiple checkboxes so you can get that sweet, sweet crossing-off feeling throughout the task. Really, it’s all about maximizing the number of times you get to use a nice pen and cross something off.
Free Time
Planning out your day is a good way to stay on task. Calendar apps let you designate time for your hobbies and errands. Not only is it a good idea to prioritize having free time during the day, but so is putting it in your calendar. Don’t let other people eat into your time for yourself. Get comfortable with the idea of time when you have nothing planned. As soon as 2:30 hits, you do whatever you want. Video games? Art? Goose-spotting? Just don’t make a hard-and-fast plan. It’s also important to forgive yourself if you go a little over into your free time zone or if you forget. Don’t throw away your whole system if you can’t get it right away.
Date Night
Whether or not you have a significant other, “date nights” are always on the table. We all have a person or a group of people we miss. When meeting in person isn’t possible, it’s quite easy to turn to online conferencing. Zoom and Discord both allow screen sharing, which makes it possible to watch YouTube and Netflix (via the Netflix Party extension) with anyone you want. Watch something scary or romantic, or grab a drink (of water if you’re under 21!) and watch a telenovela. Get on Steam and find some games you can play together. There are also plenty of online alternatives to card or board games like Cards Against Humanity (online as Pretend You’re Xyzzy), Uno, Scrabble and more. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what you’re doing, but that you’re with someone else and enjoying their company. Sometimes when we become isolated, we forget how much we really do need company, and it’s an excellent excuse to watch the movie or TV show you’ve been putting off.
