Hello,

We hope as you are reading this in the comfort of your own home that you are safe and staying positive and safe in these tough times. As a country, and as a planet, we will get through this. At this point, social media is one of the only ways to stay connected, and in this ever-shifting paradigm, social media platforms can be a daunting place. At Campus Compact Illinois, we encourage you to stay safe, stay home, and stay positive.

That being said, here are a few things that you could do to pass the time as you wait for the stay-at-home orders to be lifted:

• If you haven’t done this already, fill out the 2020 Census! It takes about 10 minutes and is available online, over the phone, and through the mail. Go to my2020census.gov to fill it out!
• Send your friends some links to your favorite throwback YouTube videos, here are a few good ones:

https://youtu.be/y8Kyi0WNg40 -Dramatic Look Hampster

https://youtu.be/KU-JWjGPmqw-Sneezing Panda

https://youtu.be/o0u4M6vppCI-Shia LaBeouf

• Draw a mandala! Mandalas are works of art that are said to be genuine expressions of one’s soul. They’ve been depicted by many civilizations for thousands of years and require virtually no artistic talent. A mandala is a series of circular shapes that build off of each other. Some artists suggest using a compass or a ruler, but you can draw a mandala freehand, as well. When you’re done drawing it, you can color it in! Here’s a link to explain more: https://www.wikihow.com/Draw-a-Mandala
• Catch up with a friend or relative that you haven’t spoken to in a while. A phone call, FaceTime, or zoom session with someone that isn’t in the circle of people that you talk to often could be an excellent way to spend some time and reminisce on old memories or even make some plans for the future. While you’re at it, remind this loved one to fill out their 2020 Census!
• Try a new recipe! Recipes are all over the internet and are super easy to follow. The grocery stores are still open all over the country, so next time you make your essential grocery trip, maybe pick up some ingredients for a recipe that you’ve never made or have been meaning to try. Here are a few links: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/223042/chicken-parmesan/

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/vegetarian-linguine/

Here’s another link to a website (also available as an app) where you can choose various ingredients currently in your fridge/cabinet, and it will generate multiple recipes that you can make without making a trip to the grocery store!

https://www.supercook.com/#/recipes

• Do a quick self-care session in the form of a YouTube meditation. Mindfulness and mediation have been clinically shown to help with positivity, self-esteem, compassion, empathy, and more! Taking a few minutes to be mindful and pause can be so beneficial. Here’s a good one that’s only 5 minutes: https://youtu.be/inpok4MKVLM

Those are just a handful of ideas to help us all pass the time that we have inside. Remaining positive can be a challenge for a lot of us, but our mental health is just as important as our physical health. This entire situation has many negative aspects to it. Still, if only for a few minutes a day, we can be grateful for this great pause, it may help us to appreciate life when it eventually resumes into normalcy. Beautiful things are happening in this chaos… pets are experiencing unprecedented levels of “people at home,” the environment is restoring itself to its beautiful and natural state, and we are all hopefully catching up on shows and books that we’ve meant to watch and read.

At Campus Compact Illinois, we remind you that we’re in this together, but safer in our homes. We thank you for completing the 2020 Census and encourage you all to stay safe and healthy!