Stay home, stay sane, stay active

I realize that for a global health advocate, I haven’t written about COVID-19 on this blog for a while. I suppose that’s because I’ve been writing guest posts for other sites, and by the time I get back to my own blog, I don’t have the energy left to add anything of value. But today, let’s look at three challenges/opportunities for daily life during the pandemic.
Do you like my homemade mask I made with my mom? It matches the colors of this website!


1. Stay home

Please practice social distancing as much as you possibly can! This is an act of kindness to keep everyone safe.

I know it’s frustrating, but if we want things to get back to any sense of “normal” we need to stop the spread of COVID-19 first. There has already been a death in my neighborhood from coronavirus, and I’m worried that if people don’t take social distancing seriously, there will be more.


2. Stay sane

High school, middle school, jobs and just plain life always have their challenges. They don’t seem to get any easier during a pandemic, I know. I had an open-note test in Latin that took over two hours (to the surprise of all the students and our teacher), for example. That was frustrating! But we can overcome our obstacles, from a global pandemic to weird homework situations.

Stick to a routine in online school. Some of my friends don’t have much work at all, while I feel like there’s even more homework than before distance learning! Either way, structure is helpful because it’s tempting to procrastinate.




At school, I walk from 5th period math to lunch with one of my friends every day. Now that habit is disrupted, so I text her at 12:30 instead as we walk to “lunch” together virtually.


I also sat outside for half an hour one night, cross-legged on the driveway while talking on the phone to my friends. I even saw some stars out!


It’s no secret I’m an introvert, but I still find it nice to hear from friends. All personality types value a degree of stability.


3. Stay active


Some memes from the strike circle Instagram page :)

I’m staying very busy with my school’s strike circle, as we are just a couple days away from Earth Day! Our online strike now has a website, in fact. Organizing this team lets me keep in touch with my friends and school community and make a positive impact. From start to almost-finish (it’s not over yet!) the strike circle has been one of the most rewarding advocacy experiences for me.


What about you? Are you looking for a way to fight climate change, meet new people, and develop advocacy skills? Sunrise School is the place for you! These online “courses” are on Zoom, and I’ve learned a lot as a first-time participant and now as a moderator. No matter how much prior experience you have, I really recommend it. You can sign up at https://www.sunrisemovement.org/sunrise-school.
One of the five principles in the People's Bailout: health for everyone



Looking for something more coronavirus-related? Visit https://thepeoplesbailout.org/, which has resources for how to email and call Congress, giving you all the talking points you need if this is a cause you agree with and want to support. There’s even an online tool to help you write letters to the editor in local newspapers! If you use those online tools, I highly recommend personalizing the text of your message to use your own voice.


Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts on the current situation! How are you staying home, sane, and active?





This isn’t my ensemble, but it’s a great performance of one of the last pieces I got to sing with my choir family, and it’s been stuck in my head a lot. A friend of mine pointed out that the words “we are the voices and we will be heard” are a great anthem for young advocates, changing the world while discovering our own true selves.

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