Miao Miao offers the following strategies for dealing with stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
1) Get plenty of sun while staying indoors. And take a nap.
2) Practice meditation and mindfulness. And take a nap.
3) Keep your body limber with a daily stretch and exercise routine. And take a nap.
4) No matter where you might be or what might be going on, reserve time for yourself. And take a nap.
According to Miao Miao, you can’t go wrong by taking a nap!
Because Yufang and I were unable to attend the wedding of friends in Taiwan, we made this short, silly video eight years ago for them. Looking back, the video reminds us of happier times before we had to stay at home to protect ourselves and others, and it resonates with the desire most of us have to remain connected with those we care about despite the distances involved. Today, I imagine folks are making their own silly videos to relieve anxiety and connect with their loved ones.
In the video, our faithful robot, Robie Sr., and our loyal cat, Miao Miao, help us deliver a message of good luck to our dear friends.
Since parts of the video are in Mandarin Chinese, this is a rough translation:
Robot: “Miao Miao, you must give this secret message to Jason and Yufang. You are our only hope.”
Miao Miao: Nods in agreement, takes the message, and carries it to Jason and Yufang.
Jason and Yufang: “We wish our friends Iris and Raymond the very best of luck and a thousand years of happiness!”
Today’s Comforting Content comes at the recommendation of Sharanya Dutta, who teaches composition at Baruch College.
She’s been finding comfort in watching live feeds of animals in zoos and aquariums that are currently closed to the public. Watch the animals, swim, eat, sleep, play, and more.
Georgia Aquarium (includes ongoing streams for sea lions, otters, a beluga whale, jellyfish, alligators, and various species of fish)
Home Safaris with the Cincinnati Zoo
The Cincinnati Zoo does a livestream from their Facebook page featuring a different animal every day at 3pm Eastern. You can also view the videos from past events on their YouTube channel, and the Home Safari page includes information and educational activities– if you live in a home with children, consider doing some of them together!
For our first post, we would like to introduce you to Niko, a baby sloth stuffed animal who has long arms perfect for hugging.
Welcome to Comforting Content for COVID Coping, the OpenLab Community Team’s project for providing space for the City Tech community to share and enjoy happy, wholesome, and otherwise soothing content.
The COVID-19 crisis is adding a multitude of additional stresses and challenges (physical, social, academic, physical, emotional, financial, and more) to our lives, and it can feel difficult to get away from our worries and the news. We hope our curated collection of animal photos, nature scenes, wholesome memes, and soothing music will bring some solace to you– and please submit your own Comforting Content!
The OpenLab is an open-source, digital platform designed to support teaching and learning at City Tech (New York City College of Technology), and to promote student and faculty engagement in the intellectual and social life of the college community.
