Stand Up and Dance!
By Manon Cadenaule
The world has begun to change and melt away through the hardship of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social life is canceled, and hard to recover. People are now scared and overprotective. They don’t want to get in contact with others who prefer to act carelessly.
In this torment, I thought about writing an article that could provoke laughter and pull folks away for a minute from their daily thoughts. Collecting advice from the City College community is an excellent way to connect and realize that you are not alone in this situation. This year has created a deep hole that is easy to fall into; it is now time to crawl to the surface. Let’s inspect the absurd and funny tips these folks are sharing.
First of all, it is essential to remind ourselves about well-being. Each of us has a specific and unique definition, and should make sure to incorporate it into our lives.
Well-being can be linked to creativity, and letting your ideas float around can lead to an invigorating flow of energy. Keeping your body in movement throughout the day is also primordial and breaks the static working posture. It is easier to let yourself be lazy when you have to work from home but let’s not fall into this rabbit hole. Stand up and go out for a walk!
Jonathan Freedman, a writing mentor at the City College, shared with me about “well-being” and how important it is in his life; it is dynamic, always changing and moving. It involves a range of emotions and does not mean a perfect balance because there are ever-changing conditions. Well-being is analyzing the current situation and responding to it in a way that brings harmony.
Freedman told me that the most fun way to release tension is to let those bad four-letter words that we all know so well come out of you. Shout them when you are in private in your backyard, alone in your house, or pretending to go to work. If one morning you don’t feel right, stand up, shower, dress up in your favorite work outfit, go sit in your car with the windows closed and scream a four-letter word.
Get back to The Guardsman Newspaper on this method. We need feedback on if it is an efficient treatment or not.
Life is not clear and far from effortless. Some people struggle with their income because of a job loss; others are battling with kids homeschooling and not always focused on this new learning way: online classes. People are sometimes split up around the world and are separated from their families indefinitely. It is daunting but human beings are adaptable.
City College English Instructor Steven Mayers shared with me his reactions toward social-distancing. When Mayers walks in the street with his eight-year-old son, and someone is passing by, he shouts, “Quick, people! Don’t go near them! Let’s go this way!”
City College Creative Writing Instructor Leila Easa told me about her funny ritual to release tensions. Being a chocolate lover and knowing it is not the best coping mechanism, when Easa needs a breakthrough the day of work, instead of reaching for chocolate, she puts on a song and starts dancing. Once the song is over, she is clear-minded and goes back to work!
What is your favorite song of all time when things get crazy? Don’t lie; I am sure you are also dancing to an old Madonna song, looking at yourself in the living room mirror, with closed curtains so you don’t attract your gossipy neighbors and their exacerbated curiosity.
Tell me also about your instinctive behavior when you come across people in the street? Don’t lie; I see you meters away making a million plans in your head about how to avoid the person walking toward you without seeming rude as f***.
It’s ok to feel so many emotions simultaneously and not know how to react appropriately but what counts the most is trying and then succeeding in making 2021 a better moment together. Adaptability and cohesion are vital behaviors to make 2021 shine!