The things keeping me sane right now
Tomorrow will mark two full months of quarantine for me. And in New York City, at least, it will probably be at least a few more months. I remind myself every day to be grateful, that I’m lucky to be at home, safe, healthy, and employed. But it’s also, admittedly, hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel right now while we wait. So here’s a list of the things keeping me sane while spending my days, weeks, and months in my 600 sq ft apartment:
Workout videos at home. Disclaimer: of course, no one has to work out right now. We’re all just trying to survive a global crisis! That said, workout videos feel like the thing holding me together right now. I’ve been doing barre videos on Classpass, Yoga with Adriene, pilates and HIIT and kickboxing videos on YouTube, literally anything to get 30 minutes of exercise every day.
Meditating for 10 minutes a day. I’ve been using the Insight Timer app and trying to practice mindfulness meditation for 5-10 minutes a day most days. (A few months ago in this newsletter I wrote about how hard it was for me to develop a meditation habit; turns out all it took to get me in the habit was a literal pandemic.)
The NYT’s Spelling Bee. I love this little game so much and literally look forward to playing it at the end of every workday.
The nightly cocktail hour ritual. Honestly, cocktail hour is such a nice ritual. The Chittal/Borelli home bar has been fully stocked and we’ve made everything from Palomas to Amaro Spritzes to Boulevardiers.
Books. I’ve been trying to work through my to-read list: so far in quarantine I’ve read Emma Straub’s All Adults Here, Jacqueline Woodson’s Red at The Bone, Lily King’s Writers & Lovers; and I’m trying to work through some bucket-list reads and classics like Anna Karenina, short stories from Flannery O’Connor, and Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood.
Quarantine cooking
Yesterday I made these slow cooker asian short ribs. Today I made these scallion pancakes (if you’ve got a jar of regrowing scallions on your windowsill this is the perfect way to use them all up). And last weekend I made Samin Nosrat’s Big Lasagna, which was by far the best lasagna I’ve ever had.
What I’m reading
The woman who finds peace in productivity, Zora/Medium.
The race to capture the exploding market for sweatpants, Marker/Medium. As a person who has live in sweatpants for the last two months, this felt extremely relevant.
Cooking while the world falls apart, The New Republic.
Chile oil is so hot right now, Eater. I have been putting spicy chili crisp on pretty much everything lately and highly endorse.
Yoga alone, together, Vox. A delightful profile of Yoga with Adriene.
It’s okay to be okay during a pandemic, Vox. Some really good advice here on what to do instead of feeling guilty.
When the small things are everything, Cup of Jo.
Work from home is here to stay, The Atlantic.
You don’t have to emerge from quarantine a beautiful butterfly, New York Times.
The irresistible intimacy of Normal People, The Atlantic. I just finished the show tonight and felt completely emotionally devastated!!
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