Staying Apart, Together: Five months later, how are you?
For me, it's been five months to the day since the world changed. On Wednesday, March 11, I checked my email before going into the office and found a message telling me to stay home. And I've stayed home ever since.
For most of us, mid-March was when COVID-19 became all too real, when we started working from home, when some lost jobs, when others kept going to work but under much tenser, more difficult circumstances. However the pandemic has affected your life, you've been doing it for five months now. And I want to be the first one to tell you that you're doing fine.
My therapist told me that there is no right way to be in this situation, because the coronavirus pandemic has no precedence. So however you've gotten through the last five months, I commend you. You're doing the absolute best you can, and your family and friends know this. You've made sacrifices and helped others and taken care of yourself. You're a hero.
We got through five months. There will likely be many more months. But celebrate the fact that by now you know what you're doing. You got this.
Today's Zoom meeting advice
Raise your hand if you've been personally victimized by an overlong Zoom meeting.
It can be hard to feel connected with your coworkers and peers while staring into a screen for an hour or more. But there is more to it than trying not to fall asleep. According to Tech reporter Jefferson Graham, you have to work to find the fun in a virtual meeting.
Camille Schmidt was recently asked at a meeting to share something about her that no one at the company knew. As opposed to the previous meeting, when she needed to announce a hidden talent her co-workers weren't aware of.
If it sounds like getting-to-know-you day at school, it should. The intent among leaders at Philo, a TV streaming company, is to humanize the dry video meeting and make them come to life.
Meetings "will never be the same as in person, but this way continues to make us a cohesive group," says Schmidt, a communications manager for Philo. "It's the social hours that really connect us as a company. We have 10 new hires that have come aboard since the pandemic. And I feel like I know them, even though I've never met any of them in person."
Jefferson talked to professionals in fields ranging from photography to DJing about how they're keeping the fun in their jobs alive virtually. If you need a way to spice up your next work call, I recommend reading the whole story here.
Today's reads
- Paste BN Editor-in-Chief Nicole Carroll interviewed the great Rita Moreno for a series we're doing about women of the century. If you're a fan of Rita (and who isn't?) you will love their intimate conversation.
- Schools have been in the news as the pandemic continues. If your child is going to in-person school, we have some tips from health experts about how to do it safely.
- A TV recommendation for you all: I reviewed HBO's "Lovecraft Country," which debuts on Sunday. It's masterful if you like horror and genre TV.
- Is now the right time to refinance your mortgage? Here are the facts you should know.
Your tips and words of wisdom
I continue to be awed and thankful for the coping tips and advice you all send to me. I have been compiling a few really wonderful thoughts to share with the wider group.
Here's what I did: I had an old hat that I wasn’t wearing any more. I told her (and my wife) that when I wore that hat, I couldn’t be interrupted except in an emergency. If the hat was off, you were free to come in. It worked… she’d tiptoe up to the door, peek in to see if the hat was on and scurry away if it was, without complaining. And if off, she’d come rushing in and we’d talk/play. More importantly than managing a 3 year old, it really helped me. The hat became the signal to me as to whether I was in ‘work-mode’ or ‘break’ mode. I became more effective and made better use of my time. - Tom Clarke
Thank you Deana, Tom and Leigh. And please, anyone else with stories, tips and insights, do keep sending them in. We have a community that can help each other.
Today's pet
Many Americans have adopted or fostered animals during the pandemic, including Nancy Austin, who took in this adorable fur-ball appropriately named Snuggles.
"One of the best decisions I made when all of this began was to foster a cat," Austin says. "Of course, I realized that I would most likely end up adopting him. He has turned out to be the most personable cat I've ever known. He hunts soft balls and carries them around in his mouth like a dog, then bats them all over the house. He also responds to me with purr-talking all the time. It's the next best thing to having a person in my home, so has really helped with the lonesomeness I was feeling."
Keep up the good work, Snuggles.
That's all for this Tuesday. Stay safe, stay well, and the newsletter will be back in your inboxes on Saturday morning. If you'd like your pet featured, have a coping tip or want TV recommendations, email me at klawler@usatoday.com. Remember for TV suggestions I need you to answer three questions: What streaming services do you have, what have you watched in quarantine and what are your favorite shows of all time.
All my very best,
Kelly Lawler