Professor Corona Presents: 5 Lessons on Life and Happiness

COVID-19 (AKA "coronavirus," AKA "corona," AKA "'rona," AKA "🎶My Corona🎶") ramped up in South Korea just before Valentine's Day, so I guess we really should've been asking people, "Will you be my quarantine?"

At this point, everyone is probably sick of hearing about COVID-19, especially since it's even been going viral online. And yet, here we are.

In a recent post, I pulled out my medicine-sized soapbox about taking every opportunity to learn something. I'll take this moment to acknowledge that every person's situation is very different, and mine differs a lot living in Korea than in the USA right now. But even so, I have found that Professor Corona was here to teach me something. It was quarantime to learn!

5 Things I've Learned From My "Coronacation"

1) Humor and Defeatism

I'm throwing a log into the cliche-fire: Acceptance is the first step to surviving life. Often, things change too quickly for comfort with nary a moment to process. Perhaps your emotions flare and your thoughts become more imaginative and twisty-turny than a Hitchcock movie.

What I told myself was this: It's OK. Relax. Breathe. And then smile and find something to laugh about.

The hard truth I've learned (many, many times over -- you guys all know how life goes) is that tensing up and worrying will do me no favors. Life is going to change for the better and for the worse, regardless of how much I want to avoid "the worse." If I close my eyes and open them again: surprise! The change is still there! So, the best thing I can do is accept it, adapt to it, and ride the wave!

Since my last corona update, my academy has moved online. My brain danced the "foxthought." Back and forth I went, from being bummed about teaching online, excited to see the kids again, worried about how to even teach online, happy to get out of my studio, frustrated with the spotty WiFi at work, grateful to be making money again. You get the idea.

And I quickly learned that all my coworkers felt the same. We're all in this together! (Not so coroincidentally, that's a song from a movie that a few of us watched together during our corona-tine).

And it's not to say that there weren't complaints in the office while creating online lesson plans and accepting our fates. There was a healthy amount of defeatism. How will we interact with kids online? Why don't we have WiFi? Why is the new WiFi so spotty? What if the kids don't have microphones/webcams/keyboards/speakers?

"If the kids don't have speakers, then what's the point of them taking an online class?" one of our teachers half-joked.

And that, to me, felt like the turning moment. We started laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. And I realized that's just something I can't control! We didn't know what the future would hold or what online classes would be like, but one common thing pre- and post-outbreak was that we couldn't force kids to learn. We just had to do our best. ("Do Your Best" also, coroincidentally being the name of our school.)

Since that rough first day back in the office, uncertainly transitioning our entire school online and feeling like the front-line soldiers in a digital battle, we've laughed a lot. Joking about our misfortune. Sharing videos and photos of our students. Telling silly stories about our classes: of my coworker's student sharing her hamster on her webcam, my student yelling at his little sister every time she came into his room, and another student telling me that his brother was taking a shower, and reporting to the class that he "smelled so clean" when he finished his shower.

And then we realized that online classes are actually kind of fun! For most of us, it doesn't fill the void of having the kids in the rooms and hallways, but it's got some pros. Games are easier to play. PowerPoint games are actually pretty fun! It's nice to type, instead of having to write everything on the board. The visual learning style is beneficial for everyone, especially for those learning a new language.

Hopefully, the kids will come back into the building soon (tentatively April 6th), but in the meantime, things are smooth-ish. So, I keep laughing. I watch some funny YouTube videos. (I recommend Whose Line Is It Anyway? clips, whether new or old.) I watch some stand-up comedy livestreams (like Steve Hofstetter's Social Distancing Social Club) and enjoy some late-night shows without an audience. (Does anyone else kinda prefer late-night shows this way?)

In short: I've learned to accept defeat and laugh about it!

2) The Battle for Balance: The Need for Me Time vs We Time

Perhaps you're like me and found that the self-quarantine is a fun opportunity to slow down and/or work on personal projects, and perhaps you also got bored and/or lonely within a matter of days. (I know, I know: there are some parents out there who would love to have some social distance from their children right now.)

On that note, is anyone else relating pretty hard to Bane these days?

(People truly care if you don't wear a mask right now in Korea. You might be asked to leave some businesses, if you don't. So, good for you, Bane.)

There's a lot of talk about social distancing, but take a note from a priest in New Zealand who would prefer to call it "physically distancing." In fact, this is a wonderful opportunity to metaphorically come together as a community. (Not literally come together! Don't you do it! Keep that distance! That's better.)

The uncertainty can be scary and the distance can be lonely. Quasi-hypocritically, at the beginning, I found the distance to be awesome for alone time, and simultaneously isolating. I hope that you have found someone you can reach out to. (They can be your "oh, my darling quarantine," but without the depressing part...wait...that's the whole song...shoot, is the pun worth it? Yes. The pun is always worth it. Sorry, Clementine.)

We all strive for the much-COVIDed work/life balance. There is a new challenge right now to also strike balance between productivity and socializing. Could this be a chance to start anew?

If I could choose to live in any period of time, I would still always choose this one. Technology is a huge reason for that. Right now, we have the tech available to talk to virtually anyone at anytime. (Yes, pun intended.) It is easier than ever to combat loneliness.

But two things to remember:

1) It is possible to not be alone and still feel lonely, and

2) You create your own happiness.

Hence, the battle for balance.

If you do need some virtual pick-me-ups, community-based or solo-fueled, feel free to copy what I've been doing:

• Video-chat with friends and family (Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, video call, etc.)

• Exercise (Yoga is an awesome indoor exercise. I like to do it by a window! There are also online group exercise classes available. Man, it really is the future.)

• Host or participate in live-streams (A local Orlando trivia host, Simon Time Trivia, is also regularly streaming trivia shows!). You can also find a whole bunch of live-streams on Google, from concerts to zoos!)

• Take a walk or bike outside

• Take care of those cleaning projects you've been putting off

• Get creative! Write, vlog, practice an instrument (or learn one!), dance, create something

• Journal. Get those thoughts on paper.

Hopefully, this gives you some tools and ideas to connect with other people! but remember that it all starts with you knowing what's best for yourself! Best to take it one day at a time.

3) Make Like Arnold Schwarzenegger and "DO IT NOOooOOooOOwwWW"

I can recall many times in my life when I wanted to do something and decided to make excuses for why I shouldn't or couldn't do that thing, instead of just DOING it! Can anyone else relate?

Since those days, and even in recent years, I've become more in touch with myself. If I want something, I go for it. (Hence, Korea.) But this is not something I've learned alone. I've been inspired by people who live their lives to a certain mantra. There is a Walt Disney quote I didn't properly understand until recently:

I've met people who keep doing. (All of my leaders at Disney; my previous boss, Dean Caravelis; and several friends around the world: these people are all prime examples of doers.)

So, while I've been simply having a wonderful quarantime, I've also been simply choosing to get things done.

And you can, too!

Fun fact about bucket lists: Since they are metaphorically buckets, they are also unimaginably infinite.

Wanna see my coronabucket list? (Let me know yours in the comments!)

• Practice Korean and Spanish in Duolingo (20-day streak, baby!!)

• Keep shooting (photography, of course) and editing

• Sub-bucket list item: Shoot photojournalist-style photos of quarantine lifestyles

• Quaran-tea time cafe writing sessions (catching up on blog posts and journaling)

• Check out the Imagineering In a Box Khan Academy classes

• Check out the NASA Stem at Home teaching resources

• Practice piano every day

• Become better friends with my budget and finances. (Like any strong relationship, you've gotta make plans to see each other, or else one of you might cash out and break things off. And no matter how much you may love money and hate to see it leave, I don't recommend going for broke to make things right again.)

• Beef up my website's SEO (Google-listed now! Whoop whoop!)

Everything you do is a decision. Even deciding not to do something is a decision. Making excuses is a decision. Prioritizing the things you care about is a decision. What kind of decisions do you want to be known for?

4) The Facts About #Adulting, #MentalHealth, and #SocialMediaDistancing

When COVID-19 first crashed the party in Korea, the proverbial party (and all upcoming parties) got quickly shut down. Gradual stages of cautiousness and communication occurred. Within a few weeks, the new school term was postponed and education facilities closed, all recreational functions were canceled, grocery store shelves were a little more bare, and the streets were a heck of a lot quieter.

I had a lot more time to myself. (Commence the battle of me vs we!) Friends and family reached out via social media to check in. Outbreaks of coronavirus conversations were rampant in work group chats. It was nice to turn to Facebook, Instagram, and reddit to get away from the constant COVID chatter.

Fast-forward roughly four weeks, and the US response began.

Here in Korea, self-quarantine felt semi-normal by that time. Here, Fear had already left the party by Self-Quarantine Day Five, when the weekend arrived, and Boring invited itself in. Uncertainty stayed around, but mellowed out a bit each day.

Just around Week Four, Fear had already invited itself to some American parties. Suddenly, social media had blown up with Western corona-loca. Every single person was hanging out with Uncertainty, and I found myself getting swept up in emotions all over again, like a bad rebound.

"Wait. Everyone is panicking," went my brain. "Why is everyone panicking? Omg. Coronavirus. We're all gonna die. Should I be scared? I haven't been scared. Why haven't I been scared? Oh, right, because we already went through this. Wait. Is it happening again? AHHHH"

And then I played a game called "close-social-media-take-a-deep-breath-and-relax."

It's a really good game. I highly recommend it.

When the coronavirus outbreak first occurred in Korea, I'd had a brief conversation with a couple American coworkers about what it would be like if Americans self-quarantined. I wasn't sure if it would be feasible. It's been pretty interesting to see it is indeed possible.

I'm not in touch enough with Koreans' reactions to know how smooth or difficult the self-quarantine transition was. All I know is that the transition happened nearly immediately after it was recommended. Perhaps Korean culture and history, in all the lessons people have learned, guided the quick and cooperative response.

I do know that it's a difficult transition at home in the States for most, and it's a scary time, beyond the fear of the pandemic.

I acknowledge I'm making a lot of jokes throughout this post, but I certainly won't make light of the very valid fears: that the American governments' and organizations' responses were not quick enough for preventative measures, that there is great uncertainty about how much we will have in common with Italy, that 49% of Americans are glaringly living paycheck-to-paycheck, that our healthcare system still hasn't been fixed in time for an unexpected (yet inevitable) medical crisis, that many companies value the bottom line over bettering livelihoods, that the economy is a fragile and fickle creature, that the rich will become richer at the expense of the general public's hope and misfortune, that the rate and capabilities of testing are mainly revealing inaccurate infection data nationwide, that there will be a slow and gradual reveal of the pandemic because we failed to cut it off at the stem...I'm sure I missed some, right?

In acknowledging the political and economical complexities of an outbreak, there are a million emotions (at least). My frustrations compounded while reading racist and ageist rhetoric in friends' posts, and seeing major misinformation spread via memes and friends' personal musings, inaccurate article headlines, and articles posted containing pure-and-simply wrong reporting.

Spending so much time on social media and news sites was not the corona-cure.

When things feel out of control, we seek to control what we can. Try as I might, I can't fix the world overnight. Instead, I learned to do the following:

• Seek to understand. Facebook is a virtual land of emotions, not usually facts. What is the emotion I'm feeling and why? What is my friend going through right now that made them post the thing?

• Remember the person behind the screen. I try (the operative keyword) not to judge someone solely for posting or typing something that I disagree with.

• Make an objective decision, not an emotional one. Does their post warrant a response in the public comments section, or a private message, or is it better if I just ignore it like I never knew it existed?

• Fact checking is up to me! (Translated to soapbox language: Fact checking is up to each of us!) Memes and text-based graphics are not news reports. Sharing posts and links without fact-checking them is irresponsible. I have seen so many comments along the lines of, "I'm not a doctor/I've done no research whatsoever/I don't know if this is true, but maybe blah blah ***false info*** blah blah?" These comments are often upsetting to me because it takes not-even-a-minute to Google something (AKA fact check/research, AKA "Hey, Google/Siri/Bixby/Cortana/Alexa), and so few people take the time to do it. I'm certainly not perfect, but when I find myself questioning something (like a fleeting comment, a sensationalist headline, or a meme with or without citations), I try (operative word again) my best to consult The Great Google and keep myself in check before making an assumption, or worse, sharing inaccurate information. And on that note...

• Remember I am only responsible for me. I personally live in an idealist state of mind and I expect the best of people. Of course, people don't always live up to my expectations. But those are their actions. And all I can fix are my own. I believe it is important to put as much good into the world as possible, whether it be by helping, teaching, laughing, learning, or fact-checking. At the end of the day, everyone is responsible for what they do, and all I can do is the best I can.

• Take a social media break. That may be for a few hours, a few days, a few months. Social media is addicting, and ironically I'm way more social when I'm away from it. It can be a wonderful thing (great for reliving memories and meme-ories). It can also be toxic, like any good thing used without moderation.

• Get out! Get out of the house -- yes, even during a quarantine, it's OK to take a walk and relax outside. Get out of bed. Get out of my head. Too much thinking and worrying is unhealthy. Just take things one step at a time. Once I get out, I remember that everything will be OK.

Social distancing from social media is sometimes of of the best things you can do for your mental health. It allows me to become more aware of my surroundings and to fill my time with more productive and liberating activities.

5) Mercy From the Graces of Gratitude Speaking of awareness, take a second to look around you right now. What do you see? What do you feel?

Chances are that, if you are reading this (and thank you for still being here through my coro-ramblings!), that you have a lot of good things around you. Yes, even the little things that you forget about, but couldn't imagine not being there. Things like food, hot water, internet, clothes, good shoes, A/C or a heater, books, toothpaste, pillows, ice, clean water, soap, smartphone, etc.

That first day back to work that I told you about earlier, when we were all scrambling, transitioning to online classes, we did have uncertainties, questions, and complaints. We had jokes. And we had gratitude.

"At least we can still work." Many schools are still closed (including all public schools), some hagwons (academies) went out of business, and many teachers were laid off. "Thank goodness we can still make money," we said.

COVID is a hot topic in our office (aren't you surprised!), and we're often sharing articles, griping about how governments are handling it, or joking about the toilet paper craze in Western countries. "Good thing our families are healthy right now and we are still well," we say. "Good thing toilet paper is still on the shelves."

There are some things that cannot be taken from us. There are also some things we can take to the grave. And one thing that clinks into both those buckets is gratitude.

Gratitude is all about attitude, and a good attitude will get us through the hardest times. This pandemic is not my first lesson in gratitude, and it certainly won't be my last, either. But like any skill, gratitude must be practiced and tested. Of all the lessons I've listed here, gratitude and attitude are the foundation for all.

As you can probably tell from my last lesson about social media, the struggle is real for all of us, myself included. We're bombarded by a million messages at any given time, so it's no wonder we may feel unexpectedly overwhelmed, or whatever emotion's pulling you in whichever direction. Clearly, from these lessons, I've gone through quite a few, as well. And perhaps I've pulled you along throughout this post. I mean, I love a good roller coaster, but gah!

That's when I get in touch with all the other lessons I've learned here: laugh, reach out to friends, make time for me-time, do something fun, cross off a bucket list item (after doing it, of course -- no cheating!), and most importantly: notice the good things in my life right now.

Stay well, my friends. Thank you for going on this crazy journey with me here, and all the best in yours. We may not know what tomorrow holds, but everything will be OK. I'm a message away if you need a friend. <3