We’re living through a scary time. Normally, when I get home from work I’d just be scrolling on my phone all night, but the news has been filling me with more and more anxiety. Even my favorite blogs/Instagram accounts to follow for an “escape” are writing about COVID-19 (I’m sorry if I was one of your escapes and now I’m mentioning it, too). So now, I’ve been looking for ways to help myself wind down. I’ve been doing more cooking, more reading, and watching more shows/movies. I thought I’d compile some of my favorites in all categories in case you’re looking for ways to relax, too.
Cooking & Baking
I love cooking and baking anyway, but now more than ever I’m finding it’s a great way to relieve stress. The grocery store was a little ransacked when I went, so I couldn’t pick up my usual staples, but hopefully the panic-buying will die down soon and I can get back to making some of my favorite recipes. The recipe I make the most is Bon Appetit’s Cheeseburger Pasta - it’s made using common ingredients you’d probably have at home, is easy to make, and is really hearty and comforting (if you’re looking at the recipe and thinking of skipping the banana peppers - DON’T! They really make the whole thing come together). I couldn’t get my hands on any ground beef or any meat on my last shopping trip, but I’m hoping I can soon to make this again. Instead, I’m going to try my hand at this Brothy Pasta with Chickpeas recipe. I’ll let you know how it goes!
As for baking, you can’t go wrong with some chocolate chip cookies. My favorite recipe is actually on the back of the bags of the chocolate chips I get, from Ghirardelli. Simple, easy, and they come out perfect every time. I haven’t made them in about a year, but I’m thinking I might make this recipe for Dog-friendly cupcakes soon. Olive & Copper have been extra cuddly lately, so I think they can tell we’re stressed out. Making them a nice treat and seeing them enjoy it would make me feel a lot better! I made these last year for Olive’s first birthday, and she loved them.
Things to Watch
My number one feel-good show is Schitt’s Creek. If you haven’t yet heard of it/watched it, it’s about a very rich family who suddenly loses all their money and has to start over from the ground up. The characters are just so loveable and as you watch the series, it’s so heartwarming to see their development and growth. The show is just so well-written (by father-son team Eugene & Dan Levy), and everyone plays their part perfectly. It shows relationships, from familial to platonic to romantic, in a very real way. It’s on Netflix and episodes are only about 22 minutes long, so it’s easy to binge watch.
Hear me out on this next one, but now that it’s on Hulu, I think everyone needs to watch The Golden Girls. It’s my favorite show. It’s your typical 80s-90s sitcom where there’s not much of a plot carrying over between episodes, so you don’t really need to watch them all or watch them in order. It centers around four roommates, three middle-aged women and one of their mothers, and just what happens in their day to day lives. Most of the episodes are lighthearted and fun, but some show some more serious issues (ie the girls realize Rose is addicted to painkillers, Sophia’s sick friend is considering suicide, and the girls spend a night in a homeless shelter). Some of my favorite episodes definitely worth watching are S1E18 The Operation, S5E5 Love Under the Big Top, S5E7 Not Another Monday (warning that this is the one where Sophia’s friend is considering suicide), S7E2 The Case of the Libertine Belle, and S7E18 Journey to the Center of Attention.
I also still love a good YouTube video, and lately the Bon Appetit channel is all I watch. I used to watch Food Network shows with my dad all the time, so maybe this is bringing me back to that time in my life. I love all the different series on the Bon Appetit channel, and watching the chefs together makes me want to work there and be their friend. All the videos are lighthearted (sense a theme here?) and fun to watch. I especially love the Gourmet Makes show, where pastry chef Claire Saffitz tries to make popular snack foods from scratch. They just posted a 40-minute video where she tries to make a few different kinds of Girl Scout Cookies, and it was great. I also love the episodes where she involves the other chefs/lets them pick what flavors she’s making, so the Bagel Bites and Ben & Jerry’s episodes are must-watches too.
I haven’t watched many beauty videos in awhile, but I do love Jamie Paige’s “Calming Makeup Tutorials.” I love how they’re edited, and they definitely have very calm and serene vibes, which is perfect for right now. GinsMakeup has videos that are similarly very calm and serene to watch.
Books
I only recently got back into reading every day again, so I don’t have too many recommendations. However, I just started The Other Wife by Claire McGowan, and I can’t put it down. It’s s thriller, and the author seems to leave out important details at the beginning to keep you guessing, like you’re solving the mystery yourself. I’m about three quarters of the way through, and I’d recommend it so far.
Other books on my list (pictured above) are Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore, Epilogue: A Memoir by Anne Roiphe, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, and The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean. I’m still trying to figure out if there’s a certain genre I really like, so I realize these are kind of all over the place. Let me know your book recommendations and what you’re currently reading!
Other Things (Video Games, Workouts)
I know I always talk about the Lego video games - but seriously if I haven’t convinced you to try any yet, I think now is the time. They’re fun, challenging but not in a frustrating way, and there are so many of them! Since I last mentioned Lego games we’ve played the Incredibles (maybe my favorite one yet) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. We just started the Lego City Undercover one again, which was my favorite before we played The Incredibles.
We also just finished playing through Bioshock and Bioshock 2 - Brett played while I watched. They’re still really interesting games to just watch because they have great stories. I remember we played the third one together years and years ago and the story had some crazy twists, so maybe we can play that one next.
It’s not out yet, but I’m unbelievably excited for Animal Crossing: New Horizons to come out (this Friday 3/20!). If we didn’t already have a Nintendo Switch, I would have bought one to play this. I used to play Animal Crossing: New Leaf on the Nintendo DS all the time, and I loved it so much. I can’t wait to tap back into that nostalgia. The Animal Crossing games have such an easy, calming game formula that I’m sure the new one will be just as anxiety-reducing: you build up your town (in the new one you have a whole island to build up from scratch), meet your neighbors, and do errands and favors for them.
I’m still looking around for workout alternatives now that I can’t go to my usual kickboxing classes. So far we’ve been taking the dogs on nice long walks (about 3 miles instead of 1.5!). Getting out and getting fresh air has been really helpful for stress. I always go back to Yoga with Adriene videos when I don’t know what else to do, and I’m going to look up some HIIT workouts to do at home. If you have any favorites, please let me know!
What are you doing to keep busy while spending more time at home?