13 Things That Have Helped Me Cope During the #Coronavirus Crisis

1. The grounding and centering of my Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra hope-centered daily meditation. They are so wise. The under thirty minutes gift of this time spent sitting in silence and repeating the Sanskrit mantras, different each day and always filled with wisdom and inspiration has brought me peace.

2. Instacart. This has literally changed my shopping habits forever. I feel too fearful to enter a store in Manhattan. Picking out the items my family needs knowing that a caring and thoughtful essential worker is shopping for us and dropping it at our doorstep turns my fear into fun. I communicate with our shopper in real time as we often must remove out of stock items and/or replace them. Huge savings in terms of the stress and also the time it would’ve taken me to wait on a long socially distanced line.

3. Core Power Yoga live classes. The free service from the yoga company where I got my teacher training certificate has been a godsend. I now practice yoga in my living room simultaneously with hundreds of others around the world. I appreciate this company and what they are doing for students. All classes are inspired by our new needs during this time of #Coronavirus. They end each class with gentle and quick meditations reminding us to breathe.

4. Cooking and Baking. I’ve worked full-time for decades. Creative meal prep is not something I valued. Due to the variety of schedules, our family never had a regular practice of sitting down together for a meal, something I always regretted as a mom. Now, while sheltering in place with my husband, our college student daughter, 20 something son and his girlfriend, we are into joyful daily meal-planning, cooking and sharing dinner time. Enjoying that sweet togetherness at day’s end, provides simple pleasures that remind us what’s truly important.

5. The 7 PM cheering squad. Going up on the roof or down to our small backyard, every single night rain or shine at 7 PM is the catharsis and the high point of the day. Showing appreciation and gratitude by shouting, ringing bells, banging pots and pans and hearing the roar of the entire city’s population connecting in this way as we thank everyone whose life is devoted to caring for our lives is a major mood boost and emotional release. Let’s GO New York!

6. Board Games, puzzles and BOOKS. Our post-dinner Scrabble game has become more competitive. It’s never dull. Neither is Cards Against Humanity. Hilariously inappropriate and I love it! I’ve surrounded myself with piles of books alternating between commercial and literary fiction, nonfiction that I’ve published, and self-help books I’ve collected over the years.

7. Cleaning and organizing. Making the kitchen completely spotless has given me calming energy during a period in which there is so much talk of germs and illness. I love cleaning with Clorox wipes especially getting into those hard to reach places around the stovetop. Making everything sparkle and shine when there is so much chaos and uncertainty around has proved to be an important part of my self-care routine.

8. Zoom, Webex and Microsoft Team meetings and get togethers with family, friends and colleagues whom I adore. This is not something I ever would’ve expected to like. I’m enjoying seeing people I know and sometimes their friends whom I’ve never even met to celebrate birthdays or have weekly gatherings. My friend Richard Jay-Alexander co-hosts an amazing Zoom cocktail hour for the Broadway community every Friday night and I am honored to be included. I don’t always love getting together with lots of people. I can feel overwhelmed. Hanging out on video screens feel less intimidating. I don’t think I’ll ever choose audio conference calls at work again especially with prospective authors. I understand communication so much better by seeing people’s expressions. Looking into their eyes is a much more personal way to have a meeting.

9. My Amazon Echo and Spotify music addiction. My mood changes throughout the day. It is so easy to say “Alexa play me 70s R&B” for example. That’s my go-to and it never disappoints. I have also enjoyed Beyoncé, Amy Winehouse, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Rihanna, Joni Mitchell and also some hard rock, hip hop, Broadway show tunes or country music vibes! Music has always been important part of my life and I appreciate the instant gratification of the new technologies. Dancing and singing delivers delicious endorphins when I am preparing meals or cleaning up.

10. My dog Carter. He’ll be thirteen next month. He also has lymphoma for which he is getting oral chemotherapy. I used to feel guilty leaving him in the morning when heading to the office. Spending every hour with him snuggled up beside me whether I am working from a big chair or the couch or the counter or the bed for what may very well be the last few months of his life is a definite bonus for him and for all of us. He is an extraordinarily wonderful member of our family and he’s getting so many more cuddles throughout the day than he ever would have gotten during what used to be normal.

11. Birds. This one requires looking out my window and appreciating that nature exists and is thriving while we cocoon in our respective nests. I’ve noticed more bird activity in my small yard. I’ve squealed with joy spotting pairs of Cardinals, Blue Jays, Robins and Mockingbirds enjoying their spring time flights of fancy.

12. Garden delights. I’ve been watching my sweet corner of nature blossoming into spring. I don’t usually have the time to notice the transformation of buds into blossoms and how the leaves are growing daily. The light at different times of the day reflecting off of the glorious red leaves on our Japanese Maple trees is reassuring. I ordered shade plantings from a Michigan company. They arrived in little soil filled bags. I have no idea whether these bulbs and tubers will ultimately result in the gorgeous garden in the photo that got me clicking but even if a few of them come to flower, the hope they provide will have been worth it.

13. Staying Connected. The true key to my wellbeing. I’ve had many more frequent phone calls with my eldest son who is alone in his Lower East Side apartment. We’ve gotten closer despite the distance. Our conversations are deeper. That’s worth all of this. I relish FaceTime catch-ups with my sisters, daily calls with my father in Texas, stepdad in Massachusetts, Aunt and Godmother in Florida and am nourished by connecting with so many dear friends, colleagues and family members. We all more readily express appreciation during this time when love matters most. That’s the blessing. I cherish my social media community more than ever. They help me to realize that the voices in my head and the feelings in my heart are part of a larger experience we are all having alone together.