The Unwind: How we're finding calm during quarantine, from virtual cocktail nights to genealogy
Flattening the curve by self-isolating at home is a small sacrifice during the coronavirus pandemic, but it’s not without its challenges. How does one ward off loneliness in the absence of community? What can we do to keep anxiety at bay during such an emotionally fraught time? How do we fill the hours stretching out before us, and use this time to make connections, pursue long-neglected hobbies and discover new ones, and inject a little positivity and calm into our everyday lives?
Introducing The Unwind, a new, recurring feature in which Yahoo staffers share the ways we’re finding moments of peace, levity and inspiration during these trying times. From adopting soothing strategies to boost our mental health, to losing ourselves to virtual social calls, newfound passions and other joyous diversions, these are the things getting us through the quarantine. The days may feel uncertain, but beauty and bright spots abound.
For more, check out the first edition of The Unwind.
Plant identification app
I'll admit that if you'd told me three months ago I'd be deeply attached to a plant identification app, I would have laughed. But in the midst of an unprecedented global pandemic — where even the experts are confused — being able to take a long walk outside and get a concrete answer to the question "What is that plant?" is comforting beyond words. I use PictureThis, which not only identifies the plant within seconds of you uploading a picture but provides a lot of other interesting factoids like the plant's history and watering tips. It's a yearly subscription, but there are plenty of plant ID apps to choose from — many of which are free! In summary: COVID-19 is still a mystery, but plants don't have to be. - Abby Haglage, Yahoo Life senior editor
DanceBody classes
Before New York’s stay-at-home order took effect, I committed to taking DanceBody’s dance cardio classes after I found how much they significantly improved my mood. The instructors are incredible, the music is spot-on, the class is upbeat and the sweat is real. I sprung for a streaming membership in quarantine and haven't looked back. I've learned TikTok dances (looking at you, "Toosie Slide"), and kept up with the heart-thumping choreography even when I wanted to take a water break. While I’m not dancing in studios, I’m still having a great time in my living room. - Alexis Shaw, Yahoo Life and Entertainment news editor
Cheering for first responders
I've had one social obligation in the last two months: nightly clapping (7 p.m. sharp) with my neighbors for first responders. We live outside NYC, where cheering is a ritual, but our neighbor here in the ‘burbs is a nurse at a city hospital. His wife got it going here — and you can hear cheering up and down the block. We use kiddie instruments to make noise, but neighbors bang pots, toot horns and ring bells. The nurse plays the didgeridoo while his son performs "Lean on Me" on the clarinet. There's not a lot to love about this situation, but I love this. And when this is all finally over, we won’t miss the coronavirus, but we’ll definitely miss this. - Suzy Byrne, Yahoo Entertainment writer and editor
Virtual Shabbat services
Something that has surprised me in its ability to soothe has been joining weekly virtual Friday night Shabbat services. I was raised barely moderately religious, and am less so now, although I've always connected to Jewish rituals and music, and had a bat mitzvah at 13. Now, with my daughter, 11, heading towards her own such event, we joined a synagogue, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST). And while I had yet to attend a Friday night service in real life, I've joined the virtual ones weekly, on Facebook, since the start of quarantine. Between the cool rabbi's words of pandemic wisdom and the comfortingly familiar music and prayers, it's been my favorite way to quietly wind down the week and settle into the peace of the weekend. - Beth Greenfield, Yahoo Life senior editor
Driving along the Pacific Coast Highway
It's week nine of quarantine, and I'm pretty sure my apartment walls are starting to close in on me like a garbage compactor on the Death Star. I've found the best way to combat claustrophobia is to go for a drive, and the Pacific Coast Highway is a great place to do that. Driving along the coast through Malibu is a breathtaking combination of lush green hills, waves crashing on rocky cliffs and houses I’ll never be able to afford. And if you pick the right hill to hike up, you can see it all from a big comfy couch. In case you were wondering, the soundtrack of today's drive was Jurassic 5's Power in Numbers and The Heavy's Sons — two albums that definitely put me in a happy place. - Nick Paschal, Yahoo Entertainment senior producer
Movie club
Since my comedy troupe's performance days are on pause right now, we've been using time when we would normally practice or have shows to stay in touch. Once a week we have a group FaceTime call and each week one person will pick a movie that the rest of the group has to watch. We try to pick a film most of the team hasn't seen or someone's all-time favorite. On the following virtual playdate, we discuss and dissect why — on earth — some people like the movies they do. When it came my time to pick, I was timid because I desperately wanted to pick Dirty Dancing but I didn't want to make such a hodgepodge of people watch arguably the most romantic movie of all time. But when I found seven out of the eight people on my team hadn't seen the classic, I made it my mission to make sure they knew no one puts Baby in a corner. - Allison McHugh, Yahoo Life and Entertainment social video producer
Zoom cocktail hours
My friends and I have made Zoom cocktail hours more exciting by challenging each other to create our own custom drinks. One website that’s helped me to do just that is MakeMeACocktail.com, which allows you to curate your own “bar” with any alcohol that you already own, as well as mixers, fruit, seasonings or other grocery store items that you have on hand. It’s a fun and easy way to think outside of the box when it comes to your boozy beverages! (I named my cocktail the COVID Crisp, made with tequila, hard apple cider, lime juice and grenadine.) - Kerry Justich, Yahoo Life news and features writer
Reading historical fiction
I've started reading for pleasure again, which is the first time in four years that I've put down my iPad and picked up a Kindle. I am a big fan of historical fiction; it makes me feel like I'm learning a topic that is somewhat worthwhile, even though it's really a guise for a good drama or romance. I really enjoyed The Queen's Fortune by Allison Pataki, which now forms the basis of my knowledge of Napoleon and early 19th-century European monarchs. Did you know that Napoleon's ex-fiancée became the queen of Sweden? Time to get reading. - Maggie Andrew, Yahoo Life and Entertainment social media editor
Walks to a local cemetery
One of the few places you can find some solitude and greenery right now in New York City, where I live with my family, is a beautiful local cemetery that's more like a park with gorgeous flowering trees and bushes, sloping hills, winding paths and sweeping views of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. My husband and I have been taking our 4- and 6-year-old sons for walks there before dinner. It's a nice way to shake off the stress of the day, which can be overwhelming as we're both working and simultaneously "homeschooling." I miss long walks the most during this pandemic, so this is a nice way to get a few extra steps and fresh air. - Lindsay Powers, Yahoo consultant and author of You Can't F*ck Up Your Kids
Online dance classes
I’m what you call an enthusiastic dancer — not skilled or graceful, but happy to bust a move like I did to Debbie Gibson songs in my backyard or at school as a cheerleader when I was a kid. Working out? Not as much fun to me. So during quarantine, I’ve enjoyed doing some online dance classes. I’ve gone to a studio here in Los Angeles, but it’s not as freeing as dancing alone. At home, I set my laptop on the coffee table, send my husband out of the room and move to my heart’s content to Ciara’s “Level Up.” - Raechal Shewfelt, Yahoo Entertainment writer
Digging into family history
After a decade of casual online research and being a self-proclaimed family historian, quarantine life has freed up the extra time for me to actually earn that title. Through Zoom interviews and phone calls with my parents, aunts and uncles, I've confirmed important facts on my family tree (I use Ancestry.com) and have made key discoveries to nudge me forward in my research. With everyone stuck at home, there are plenty of willing participants, and it's been a fun way to connect. These chats always evolve into stories about my grandparents and great-grandparents — vital information I'd never find in an online database. - Julie Giusti, senior manager, Audience Development
Zoom pub quizzes
As a trivia junkie who spent most of my adult life living in London, pub quizzes rank high on my list of fun things to do. Luckily, my British friends feel the same way and have organized quizzes over Zoom — with participants from three different continents joining in — that have helped me feel a bit more like my pre-quarantine self again. It’s not a perfect system: My knowledge of cricket and the finer points of British politics is nil, and I had to confer with my teammates over text rather than talking it out in person over a round of pints in a low-lit, stale-smelling pub named the Fox & Hound. But there are extra points for wearing costumes and making cocktails — even if it’s before noon in your time zone. I’ll be planning an American, cricket-free edition soon. - Erin Donnelly, Yahoo Life news writer and editor
Cooking with Ina Garten
I did a meditation exercise recently and was asked to picture myself in 20 years. And there she was, Ina Garten, smiling at me. It makes sense that I saw her in my meditation. During the pandemic, I’ve turned to Ina. I lose myself in her recipes and am rewarded for it. Potatoes and fennel gratin ... roasted chicken ... fried chicken cutlets. Ina and I have spent many beautiful hours together, and somehow, she's now a part of me. When I look back on these truly weird times — perhaps in 20 years — I'll think fondly of my quarantine friend, Ina. - Kristyn Martin, Yahoo News senior producer
DJing via live stream
Since the quarantine, I have been taking my normally pre-recorded podcast, 100% Ska, and instead playing records live in a video stream to connect with my listeners and friends. This also creates an alternative to the DJ sets I had previously been doing around New York City. I get fully dressed up — you have to give people something to look at! — and also allow listeners to submit requests during the shows. I hope to give my listeners a soundtrack to their evening cocktails, and maybe even help them discover a new band. - Ryan Miller, Yahoo News and Entertainment senior SEO strategist
For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC’s and WHO’s resource guides.
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