Before the social distancing, city lock downs and home quarantines began, I was at Paris Fashion Week, attending AW20 shows and events. Looking back now, it feels like a past life. Due to CoronaVirus, or Covid-19, I had been travelling since early February, when I left Hong Kong early because I was worried my overseas work schedule would be affected by travel bans. Then my European trip got extended because I had spent time in Milan and Paris, but, finally, I have returned to Hong Kong, where I am undergoing quarantine at home.

Staying at home is the new norm for most of us, what with the world grounding to a halt to slow the spread of the virus. At such a time, positivity is so important and, from my experience, these are the things that have helped.

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY VIRTUALLY

The easiest way is to send a text or to call, even if it’s just to check in on how they are, particularly for those in cities that are in complete lock down. If you want a group gathering, get onto an app. My favourite is Houseparty, which has, up until now, been largely popular amongst teenagers, but in recent weeks has become a go-to for anyone experimenting with virtual hangouts. It has the most seamless connection, and you can also play games together via the app. The only downside is each chat has an eight-person capacity. For a bigger gatherings, I would recommend Zoom, in which you can host a chat for up to 25 people. We celebrated our friend Bryanboy‘s birthday via Zoom recently.

A lot of people are using live streaming technology to lift spirits. DJs including Diplo and Kitty Cash have hosted Instagram Live DJ sessions, while fashion brands like Sunnei (situated in Milan), has hosted live painting workshops. It’s a really good time to use your creativity for a good cause.

 

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After inviting our Milanese community of creatives to take over our social media in recent days, we have now gathered our network of artists from all-over the world to join us into the project. Check out our instagram account daily to discover them all ??

A post shared by SUNNEI (@sunnei) on Mar 22, 2020 at 4:20am PDT

MAINTAIN A ROUTINE

Obviously this only applies to those who are working from home. Keep yourself busy by giving yourself a schedule. Giving yourself a sense of purpose is critical.

It’s the best time to get organised – do your taxes and filing, sort out your archives or update your portfolio. For myself, I have always been so caught up with my travel schedule and, now that I am stuck, I am using the time to study and research, and find new inspiration for future work. It is the perfect opportunity to hit reset and innovate.

It is a good time to learn something new. Think about picking up a new language, via an app like Duolingo or Babbel, which are easy to use and fun.

GIVE IN TO YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE

Be kind to yourself in such a difficult time. For me, a guilty pleasure is watching Netflix‘s Love Is Blind (don’t judge!) – it’s a reality show about blind dating, seeing couples committing to a marriage proposal without ever physically meeting each other. It’s pretty cheesy, and perfect for killing time. Another guilty pleasure of mine is to watch apocalyptic movies – I find end-of-the-world movies like 2012, World War Z or even American Horror Story quite soothing. Watching something scarier than the reality is part of my coping mechanism.

Then there’s TikTok. I still feel a bit reserved about the platform, as
the content is very teen-focused. But if you want to keep yourself
physically fit, it’s a good platform to force yourself to learn a few
dance moves!