With the start of quarantine came a flood of internet posts focused on projects for people to “better themselves.” Everyone's Instagram stories, Facebook feed, and emails were suddenly filled with articles like 21 Awesome DIY Projects To Make While In Quarantine! It appears that those types of articles have affected almost every person we know. Everybody from celebrities to acquaintances to family members suddenly taken up new hobbies. Even those that haven't taken up new hobbies might be spending their time utilizing the new free virtual tours museums, zoos, and
theaters are now offering to experience the art of others. Those who never dreamed of having access to such art and culture have been provided with access to those resources. Our society is becoming more cultured even as we are limited to the confines of our home.
That being said there can be downsides to this new trend of betterment. Mental health has been a big discussion in the news as people in quarantine deal with loneliness and anxiety. One thing that does not get discussed enough though is the stress caused by the overwhelming number of voices, internal and external, telling us to spend our extra time bettering ourselves. It is the human condition to constantly want to improve ourselves and even more so the American ideal to constantly push ourselves toward betterment. Because we live in a competitive, skill-based society we tend to value productivity over our own mental well being. It’s as if we believe quarantine is a cocoon from which we will each emerge more fulfilled than ever before.
The reality of it is though, that many of us are still dealing with other things whether it be school, work, family, or just our own mental health. It's great that so many people are being creative but creativity should not be a chore. Take the time to realize that you are living through a historic event and that alone puts enough on your plate. Productivity, creativity, and betterment might be the perfect way to spend your time during this quarantine but it also might not.
Everyone deals with stress differently and while creativity or productivity might be an effective way for some people to deal with stress but for others dealing with stress means taking a nap or vegging out in front of the TV.
What will definitely not help your mental health is comparing your coping method with someone else's. Whether you prefer to look through social media on your phone or teach yourself to knit, whether you prefer to take a two-hour nap or research economics, whether you prefer to watch reruns of your favorite TV show or watch you are validated.