what's getting me through

turns out there's a pandemic on? here are my coping mechanisms when the news is terrible

February 20, 2022

Welcome to clipboard, a weekly newsletter about good shit in Tāmaki Makaurau, by Reilly Hodson. Apologies for my absence last week, my weekend disappeared and there are only so many hours in the day. I would say it won’t happen again, but I’d be lying. If you like clipboard, share it with your coolest friends, and chip in financially at the button below.

battling through the headlines

I reflected the other day on how much less knowledge I was required to have at the start of 2020. I was watching Formula 1: Drive to Survive on Netflix (an extremely compelling show about a deeply problematic sport filled with fascinating characters), and was exposed for the first time in a while to the state of mind we were all in at the beginning of that year.

Daniel Ricciardo is riding in the car in February, on the phone to his mum, who asks him if he’s been wearing a mask while travelling around the world. “It’s all good,” he replies. “Apparently if you drink Corona beers, you can’t catch the virus.” What an absolute throwback!

Remember when jokes like that were sort of funny rather than potentially dangerous? When none of us knew what a close contact or R0 number was? 2 years and a few million deaths on, we all have to be amateur epidemiologists just to decide whether it’s safe to dine in at our favourite cafe.

In the past few weeks especially, reading the news headlines creates a crushing weight on my shoulders. There’s not a ton of cause for short or long term optimism. Auckland turned into a tropical island, weather wise, for a week straight, house prices keep going up, and a group of people who don’t interact with the same reality as the rest of us are occupying a growing area of central Wellington.

Worst of all, there’s essentially nothing I, a recently graduated communications professional with a fashion newsletter, can do about it. If you think about it for too long, the weight becomes too much.

In order to continue living, you have to find ways to access, and create, a bit of joy in amongst the craziness. There’s lots of bad stuff going on, but there are also pockets of true inspiration and happiness around. Here’s how I’m trying to find mine.

Supporting my favourite businesses, with money

To put it somewhat mildly, now is not a good time to be in a business that relies on in person spending. Events businesses largely can’t operate, hospo spots are seeing much less traffic, even retail is struggling, although at least they can trade online.

I get a deep satisfaction at any time from helping businesses that I enjoy continue to operate, and the only way you can do that (despite what Instagram infographics may tell you) is to spend money with them. So, make an assessment on your own comfort levels for shopping or dining and spend some money, if you want your favourite bar or shop to still be around when we can go out dancing again. Jean Teng at Metro is, as usual, much smarter than me on this issue, in the latest issue of Metro Eats.

Trying to maintain my skincare routine

One of the most thoughtful gifts I received last Christmas was a full three-step skincare routine from Aesop. I don’t profess to know anything about skincare beyond what Frank Ocean said in GQ, but I do know that it is incredibly satisfying to strike a regular routine, and skincare is a really calming way to set a routine every evening. It’s also very helpful after you’ve been sweating in a mask for hours on end.

If you’re wondering, I use the cleansing milk, B & Tea toner, and seeking silence moisturising cream, on my eczema prone, sensitive skin.

Seeing friends (safely)

As any of my IRL friends reading this can attest, I am not always very good at keeping in touch with the people in my life. I’m a workaholic, I don’t drink a lot, and I often doubt whether anyone truly wants to hang out with me. This year, I’ve decided to make a conscious effort to set those worries aside, and make time to see friends as often as I catch up with my family, or do a date night with my partner. It’s an ongoing process, but I always feel better after seeing a friend, so it’s one I will continue working at.

Going easy on myself

This is the most important one, in my opinion! The society we all live in puts a lot of pressure on us to be our best selves all the time, and achieve at a high level every day, in every facet of our lives. It can’t be done. That’s why it’s so important to be kind to yourself, and take notice of when you’re being unnecessarily self-critical. Holding yourself to a high standard is cool, beating yourself up even though you’re doing your best in a shit situation is lame and uncool.

clips

That’s all for clipboard this week, thanks for reading! Share clipboard with your cool mates if you like it, that would mean the world to me. You can find clipboard during the week on Instagram, and you can flick me an email if you want to get in touch with questions, suggestions, or offers of work.