Taking care of my mental heath for sure, because I feel like now is a really tough time and it’s very easy to get caught into the news cycle. So just making sure that I am staying grounded. Taking each day by day and not looking too far into the future because I feel like that’s what makes me spiral and worry about what’s going to happen with everything. So definitely prioritizing my mental health by taking care of my body and trying not to get out of control with that.
What was most important to you before you had to social distance?
Honestly this has been really illuminating because I was very business and goal-oriented in the artistic capacity. Prior to this I feel like I was very much looking into the future, which I didn’t realize until now can be kind of a detriment to being in one place.
What’s the first thing you’ll do when this is over?
Probably hug everyone. I’m not really a big hugger. I’ve never been someone that [hugs someone] first. So I think I’m going to start doing that because I guess it’s something I took for granted; the warmth of being with other people that you care about.
What are you doing to pass the time?
Definitely a lot of workout video–also a lot of eating, so it’s kind of a nice balance, I guess. I’ve found myself going back to hobbies that I hadn’t thought about since I was younger. I feel like all of these things I didn’t really love doing before I’m finding to be very calming right now.
What makes you happy right now?
All of those things, picking through the internet for the uplifting stories of the people who are helping each other, and the way that this is connecting different countries. I was reading this article last night that there was a shipment of supplies sent from China to Italy and on every box there was this really wonderful quote that basically said “we’re all in this together and we’re all connected in this way” and I think that prior to this, people wouldn’t have done that. Also just kind of slowing down and being with my dog. I think it does tie back into finding what truly makes me happy that’s separate from career oriented goals.
What would you tell yourself a month ago with the knowledge you have today?
Go out. I am such a homebody. Go out and make that effort to step outside. I think I get really caught up in working at home and feeling really overworked so I just want to rest. There were all these shows I wanted to see and other friends' shows that I wanted to see…just following through with that because I definitely did not before this and now I’m regretting that a little bit–that I didn’t make the effort to do that. Going out and experiencing the city but also supporting your friends in the process of it.
