Hi there friends. How are you doing? Our team is taking things hour by hour and day by day. We’ve been chatting about how (and if) we want to talk about all that’s going on with COVID-19 on Wit & Delight, and given that this topic is so far up on our collective consciousness, we decided it’s something we didn’t want to disregard.

W&D certainly won’t be a place where we’ll write about coronavirus daily because frankly, no one needs that from us. There are plenty of websites dedicated solely to providing updates and we’re going to leave the unending coverage to them. We do plan to touch on the topic in a few mindful pieces going forward, and then we’ll reassess and fine-tune as necessary after that. We’re doing our best to adjust thoughtfully, and if you have any input on how we can do better, we’re all ears.

Wit & Delight has always been a place where we’ve acknowledged that life can be both hard and beautiful; put together and chaotic at the same time. We’ve always recognized that we can appreciate the good moments right alongside the moments that are less easy to swallow.

Wit & Delight has always been a place where we’ve acknowledged that life can be both hard and beautiful; put together and chaotic at the same time. We’ve always recognized that we can appreciate the good moments right alongside the moments that are less easy to swallow. And we need that outlook more than ever right now.

In recent days and weeks, many of us have been confronting who we are when our social and work plans as we knew them have evaporated. What do we do with the space that’s left? How do we fill it with what we need in the moment? Today we’re doing our best to answer those questions. We’re exploring where we can find pockets of gentle focus—the sweet spot between rampant, untended worry and overstimulation—to keep our minds off the things we can’t change and on the things that will make us feel better.

Before we share our ideas, we want to note that the thing that works best for other people may not work best for you. If you want to keep your brain occupied and your mind distracted with a schedule of set projects and tasks every day? Excellent. You do you. If you want to watch Schitt’s Creek for eight hours in a row on loop because the consistency of Moira’s bombastic vocal delivery is oddly comforting to you (folks it’s weird but I’m right there with you)? Listen, that’s cool, too. If you want to sit on your couch and scroll through your phone for the same number of hours? Friends, great. It’s all your prerogative.

Today we’re exploring where we can find pockets of gentle focus—the sweet spot between rampant, untended worry and overstimulation—to keep our minds off the things we can’t change and on the things that will make us feel better.

Keep checking in with yourselves and with what you need. Take what you want from the list below and leave the rest behind. And take care, too. We’re all thinking of you.

Be Kind to Yourself (And to Others)

1. Do something that’s just for you.

Or do everything that’s just for you—whatever fits the bill right now. Hop on into an Epsom salt bath (with or without a podcast—you can find some of our team’s favorites here), watch your favorite movie on repeat, light a candle (I know this sounds simple but I am stingy about candles and cherish the moments when they’re lit!!), or buy something you’ve been eyeing (perhaps from a local business??). You do you.

2. Make a list of all the things that went right today.

Kind of like a gratitude list but with even more minute additions. Did that thing you made for dinner turn out? Neat. Did you have some nice texting back-and-forths with your friends? Awesome. Was it sunny for a few hours? Love that vitamin D. This may sound a little basic, but I’ve been making these lists at the end of each night this week and it’s calmed my brain down so much. It’s wild how often we can forget how many things do go right in a day.

3. Send your friends or family videos (and ask them to do the same).

Our New Business Director, Erin, said she and her daughter have been recording read-alouds to send to friends and family across the country and asking them to send one back. If that’s not a heartwarming, wholesome activity, I don’t know what is.

Move Your Body

4. Do an at-home workout.

Along with the host of online workout content available through YouTube and the like, fitness studios all over the country are offering free workout videos online. A few free options that are top of mind for us include:

• CorePower Yoga: One of my favorite yoga studios, CPY is offering 16 free 30 to 60-minute videos on their site.
• Seven: Our Brand Director, Bridgette, uses this app on a regular basis. In her words, “It sucks for 7 minutes, but then I’m done for the day.” A solid, if not brutally honest (and there’s no need to sugarcoat when it comes to working out) review.
• Alchemy 365: This is a studio local to the Twin Cities that offers a variety of full-body workouts, and right now they’re sharing 4 workouts on Instagram live each day.

5. Go for a walk outside.

Or a run! Or a bike ride! Running has been my own personal means of solace during this time and it could be yours, too (unless you don’t want it to be, in which case forget I ever said anything). And of course, please practice proper social distancing techniques when you do head out the door.

Seek out Humor

6. Save your favorite funny memes, videos, and posts.

Having a stockpile of surefire ways to make yourself laugh never hurt anyone, right? If you need a place to start, watch this video about hot dogs that Kate sent us all via Slack yesterday (we’ve gotta find the humor where we can folks).

7. Scour your streaming accounts for the best comedy gems.

Make note of your favorite comedy specials on Netflix and watch them again (Ali Wong: Baby Cobra anyone??).

Flex Your Brain

8. Practice puzzling (please pretend this is a word) until you can out-puzzle (this, too) everyone on your Instagram feed.

Puzzles are really having their moment right now, aren’t they? But it’s for a reason. Focusing on where the hell that light pink corner of a cloud is located on your coffee table may seem like an odd stress reliever but I am here to tell you it is effective.

9. Do a crossword.

Same thing here as with puzzles! When your brain is focusing on trying to figure out “What the Red Baron engaged in” in 12 letters, it’s less likely to focus on your current anxieties.

10. Read that book you’ve been meaning to read.

We compiled a list of book ideas for you here! Or you can turn to whatever’s been collecting dust on your bookshelf and read that instead. I for one have not yet finished Michelle Obama’s memoir (I don’t know how this happened but folks here we are) and intend to in the not-so-distant future.

11. Or listen to a book if that’s more your speed.

Scribd is offering new subscribers 30 days free (with no credit card required to sign up) starting this week. (This is not sponsored—just something helpful we wanted to pass along!)

Take Your Feelings out on Your Home…

12. Do some cleaning! If you’d like!

Clean as much as you want or as little as you want. If you’re looking for a place to start, take a peek at our spring cleaning post from 2019, pick a few things off the list to tackle in a day, and don’t stress about the rest. (For my friends who have OCD and are feeling anxious at the notion of having to clean more than usual, know that I’m right there with you. My suggestion? Take a deep breath, let it go, and then do something else if cleaning feels overwhelming).

13. Rearrange your furniture.

If you’re going to be spending more time inside than usual, take this as an opportunity to give new life to your space.

14. Pick a drawer or a closet (or two) and organize it.

As with everything on this list, it’s up to you whether you want to spend your additional time at home organizing (if you don’t, skip it!). But I will say this: on Sunday night I dumped out the contents of the four Ikea baskets that collect every ounce of paperwork in my home and got to work organizing it all. Maybe I am an outlier but it was the calmest I’d felt all day.

…Or on Your Kitchen

15. Create your own virtual cookbook club.

Or join ours! Kate will be sharing more on Instagram today and a post will be forthcoming next week with all of the details. (We promise all of the recipes will primarily consist of pantry staples.)

Whatever you do to get through this time, please be nice to yourself. Go extra easy on your brain. Lean on your friends and family, and lean on us, too. (Kate’s DMs are open! And I don’t know how comforting this is but I can assure you that mine are as well!) Believe that we will make it through this. And then go watch a video of someone tossing cut up hot dogs into a salad (here it is again) and let yourself laugh. Because laughter is good.