“Oh boy … another piece about the pandemic”.
I am not anticipating your reaction, but this is my genuine reaction when I started writing this piece.
Jokes aside, in these hard times, it is important to follow instructions diffused through official governmental channels for your safety and the safety of the public. We are lucky to be in a country that has the resources and the will to protect everyone within its borders.
God bless you KUWAIT!
Now … let’s put jokes back on the table.
(Read the following line in a telemarketing voice)
Are you stuck at home? Are you bored out of your mind? Did you finish counting all the kitchen tiles and find nothing else to do?
Worry not … here is your guide on what to do until this is over.
(You can stop using that voice now)
If by any chance and by the time you are reading this, the quarantine is over, worry not … I am sure, and judging by how 2020 is going, soon enough you will need it again.
So here is a fun guide on what to do during these Corona-tine days:
Wake-up early, shower and get dressed. Pretty standard on a working day, but by doing so while stuck at home, you will fool your brain into thinking it is in a different setting.
Start your day by opening your laptop and getting to work. While in this day and age, this stands true for most of us and we can still do most of our work remotely, this does not mean anybody else cannot do it as well. Remember that book you said you wanted to read? That side project you wanted to chart? That goal you had in mind? This is the perfect time to get to it. Keeping your mind busy is a key ingredient to staying sane and keeping your brain engaged for the post-apocalyptic times.
Repurpose your house. Yes, you read that right. The first day the quarantine was imposed, I immediately repurposed every room in the house.
My home office/studio became an experimental lab for me to test and play with all the DIY projects I had in mind.
The kitchen counter became a make-shift workspace for emails and editing.
The bedroom became a make-shift cinema using a projector I own, complete with popcorn service and beverages.
The Living room became a hang-out spot / movement space for training and dancing.
The bar table and stools became my wife’s private office space.
The bathroom … well … no changes there.
By doing so, I created mental departments. My brain knows that every time I need an essential activity (growth, work, leisure, physical) I have a separate space for each, which makes it fresh and amusing.
Cook food … genius I know! But when you cook, you release happy hormones in your brain. The aromas and the fact that you are making something and you can see it being made from start to finish and reap the benefits, make things seem a lot more attainable in your brain.
Get playful! Play board games, take a quiz, make-up your own game, shoot a video, get on tiktok, learn a magic trick … whatever it is, just have fun as much as possible. In times like these, keeping the mind busy but not occupied with the news outside is essential.
Stay calm, whichever way you choose to do so: Meditation, prayer, music, not reading the news … it’s really your choice to keep yourself at peace. It is vital for your own sanity to remain bubbled up in your mind.
I thought long and hard about a joke to end this piece … but as a matter of fact, I am still working on my number 6 from this list. Anxiety hits the most in times like these, but … at least I’m in my writing department now.
George Tarabay
From the Kitchen Counter, March 2020
George Tarabay is a marketing expert Filmmaker/ Comedian/Podcaster. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, SoundCloud @GeorgeTarabay. Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash.
