#getting myself to draw daily and practice my bass regularly and learn new things

[flower-studded-sake-dish]

ahhhhh i’m so fucking close to getting the IN 1cc but Reisen keeps wearing me down to where i can’t clear Kaguya but the last two runs i’ve had have made it to her final spell (i can only do about 1 or 2 runs a day cuz the malice cannon puts a lot of strain on my wrist) and in all honesty i probably shoulda beat it the last time my first 3 stages were the best they’d ever been and i sightread Keine’s Last Spell but stage 4 was p rough for me but that was my fault for streaming and talking and not paying attention. reimu’s like danmaku barrier is definitely like a top 3 spellcard for me along w okuu’s final spell because it’s just so much fun and a really cool concept i think anyways goodnight

#been making an attempt to play more touhou lately #last year i had to accept finally that i’m not gonna feel satisfied spending my video game time playing competitive multiplayer games #and so filling that gap with learning to play beyond easy mode has me feeling more satisfied #and i think it’s easier for me to limit my time playing when it’s something like touhou where i can do a full run or two #with multiplayer games i’m just never satisfied and so it’s easy to continue playing #anyways once i beat IN i think i’m gonna try for UM or SA next #it’s also fun playing IN cuz like i play reimu in every game but the malice cannon gives me a reason not to #i just like the homing shots cuz i feel like i get more rewarded for dodging #it’s kinda a marisa-esque feeling tho because i just want to do as much damage as possible #i also played melee with a friend for a while this evening and feel like my falco is coming along well #getting myself to draw daily and practice my bass regularly and learn new things #just felt more satisfied with life the last 6 months and i think it shows? #there’s still down weeks but i’m still pushing myself more than i have since covid started #i think the daily workouts i’ve been doing for the last couple years are the like core for this #self-discipline is hard but i’m getting better at it every day #it plays touhou

[didimentionthatimawriter]

Dealing with COVID-19

I’m still in college and am planning on graduating this semester, and having to transition from living in a dorm and going on fast food runs with my friends after rehearsal almost every night to living at home and being completely dependent on my parents for the first time since high school has been a difficult transition to say the least. With my school closing, I lost my job, got kicked out of my dorm, my commencement was postponed to an unknown date, my Senior play was cancelled, last choir concert and voice recital all gone, all in one day. With a few emails all sent within a few hours, I suddenly had to come to grips with all of that, plus the fact that I wouldn’t be able to say goodbye to most of my friends since I wasn’t coming back next semester, and make plans to move out of my dorm as soon as possible. I broke down. I cried the hardest I had since I was a little kid. 

That was weeks ago. I’ve been keeping in contact with some of my friends, and I’ve been trying to stay grateful about the things I still have. For example, I have internet access, which I learned recently is not as common in my home state as I thought, so many students in neighboring counties aren’t able to complete their work online. I don’t have a job anymore, but both of my parents still do because they both are able to work from home. I watch the news and hear about how many people are losing their jobs and don’t have a way to pay their bills this month, and it just makes me more grateful. 

Still, I find myself getting depressed pretty regularly. Funny enough, it’s almost always in the evenings. So I’ve been trying to deal with this the best way I can. I’m gonna share a couple of those things here in case someone who is in a similar situation can find them useful.

1. Take this time to learn something new. I found out that Fender is doing three months of free guitar, bass, and ukulele lessons, so I’m borrowing my dad’s acoustic guitar and practicing for a few minutes a day, and it makes me feel a little better to see the progress I’m making. So I encourage everyone reading this to take up something they’ve been interested in but kept putting off trying. Drawing? Knitting? Music? The states and their capitals? It doesn’t matter, if it interests you, then try it out. 

2. Exercise. I’ve been doing yoga and going for walks every day. It’s another thing that makes me feel like I’m accomplishing something, because there’s something about sitting on the couch that makes me feel like I’m being lazy even when I’m doing school work. Honestly, my routine could use some work because doing everything early in the morning and sitting for the rest of the day is proving to not be great for my body, so I’m going to try doing a yoga/strength workout in the morning and scheduling short walks throughout the day. Honestly, walking is a great way to take a break during study sessions. It clears my mind and gets me moving, so I’d recommend that to other people. The best part about walking is you don’t need any equipment to do it. If you can’t go outside because of weather or something and don’t have access to a treadmill, then you can always walk around your house. 

3. Work on creative projects. It doesn’t matter what it is, just set aside time every day to create something. For any other writers out there, Camp NaNoWriMo is this month and in July, (it’s basically the same as the event in November except you can choose your own goal and project). I’m most likely not going to win this month because I made my goal a little too ambitious, but I’m not too worried about that. 

Also, NaNoWriMo is doing a series of activities that they call StayHomeWriMo where they make a daily list of creative things to do while you’re at home. I think it’s worth looking into even if you don’t write very much or haven’t participated in NaNoWriMo before, because they have activities for social, physical, and mental well-being as well as creative. Here’s the link: https://nanowrimo.org/stayhomewrimo 

4. Show gratitude. Like I said, this is something I’m still working on, but countless articles say that gratitude journaling every day can help make you become happier and more satisfied with what you have. I’m making it a personal goal this month to pick out a journal and take a minute or two every night before I go to bed to write down something that made me happy that day, or something that I’m grateful for. Here’s an informative video that explains some benefits to gratitude journaling: https://youtu.be/WPPPFqsECz0

Not to mention, whether it’s good or bad, this is a historical event the we’re living through, and it may be cool to have a diary from this weird time to look back on in the future. 

5. Follow news from credible sources. I know that the news can be depressing, but knowing what’s going on in the world is incredibly important right now, and make sure that it’s a credible news source. Washington Post, New York Times, NPR and other places like that are good sources. Rumors and misinformation created to cause panic have been spreading on social media, and they’re working. My friends and family are constantly worrying about some crazy story that always turns out to be false, (if it says a shutdown is coming so you won’t be able to leave your house to get groceries or other essentials for the next month or two, check it, because most likely it isn’t true). So the next time you read something that confuses you or makes you start to worry, double check the sources and don’t give in to fear, and it can save you from a lot of unnecessary anxiety and stress. When in doubt, check the CDC’s website. They’re going to have the most up to date and accurate information about COVID-19. Your state’s web page will be a good place for important information about what kind of shelter in place orders you may be under and what exactly they mean. 

And that’s what I have so far. I may add more later, but feel free to share and add things to the list, share how you’re dealing with the virus, or something that you’re grateful for. 

Stay safe. Listen to doctors. Be calm and use common sense. Be kind to others. And most of all, stay strong. No matter what you’re going through or how hard this has impacted you, remember that this will eventually pass and one day this will be in the history books. 

#covid19 #coronavirus #writing #gratitide #wellbeing #stay calm #we're going to get through this #everything is going to be okay #journaling #coping mechanism #stay home #stay healthy #college students #struggle bus