We love to hear unique stories and truths shared by our readers and friends. The ‘Love Letter To Detroit’ series will focus on personal narratives from those know, about the city they love.
ADRIEL THORNTON
As I write this on this mid-April day, I’m sitting on my couch, looking out of the Living Room window at the light snow falling. Again. I find myself wondering if the flakes are purifying all of the COVID-19 – causing Coronavirus droplets that surely are lingering right outside my door.
I pause for a beat and chuckle to myself. “That’s ridiculous,” I think. The harsh reality though, especially in my hard-hit Detroit neighborhood (in District 2), is that I truly don’t know this “invisible threat” really behaves. What I do know is how it, and the measures that we’ve had to implement to deal with are, are affecting my life and everyone I know. The creative class is getting hit especially hard, with few opportunities to make a living outside of in-person activities.
I feel lucky that I still have my job and can work from home. The challenges of doing so, though, are many. Trust me when I say that the temptation to stay in bed until noon, answer a few emails, then take a nap after that, and constantly eat/snack/munch is real, lol. Staying motivated is So. Damn. Hard., but not impossible. Here are a few things that I’ve discovered to be really helpful in countering this:
1. Get up and get ready as if you have somewhere- anywhere – to go. Shower, get dressed, get it together. Once you are ready, you’ll definitely feel like doing something.
2. Maintain, as best you can, a regular routine, like getting up and going to bed at the same time you did before Stay At Home.
3. If you’re working from home, consider doing regular check-ins with your co-workers. Our team does this, so we keep each other accountable. It’s also nice to look forward to chatting with another human being.
3. Get a few projects done at home, especially ones that you “haven’t had the time to do.” This will create a feeling of accomplishment, and make this scenario feel a bit better.
4. Get virtual! Have some friends jump on a video brunch, dinner, or happy hour. Play some tunes and have a dance party. It’s amazing how much these things make you feel like you’ve had in-person social interactions!
I love this city and am confident that the people here will make it through. It’s easy to lose hope, but I know we’ll bounce back, leaner and stronger than ever. That’s the Detroit way. This is what we do. Detroit love is real, and so is our ability to come back.
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