Part 1

All of us are struggling with the new reality of life with COVID-19.

Here is the first in a series of tips for taking care of yourself and our community of human and non-human animals during this uncertain time.

1. Take care of basic needs and what you can control 
   • If you feel sick, follow these guidelines if you think you might have the virus. Also, know that Minnesota is waiving costs for treatment and testing for the virus for folks who are uninsured.
   • If you’re not working due to the virus, apply for unemployment. Minnesota is making it easier to get unemployment payments for those not working due to the virus.
   • Need food? Sisters Camelot and Second Harvest Heartland are good places to check out. Soup for You will continue to provide free to-go lunches, and regularly has vegan options.
   • Create a routine or add some structure to your day. This doesn’t have to be about productivity! It can be making time for a daily walk or nap, regular reading time, or anything else on this list of ideas for taking care of yourself and loved ones.
   • Find ways to continue practicing compassion for yourself and others. Our online events, and other ideas below, may help.
2. Stay physically active
   • The downward dog yoga app has been made free during the crisis. You can also check out yoga videos on YouTube and see if your local studio is offering any virtual practice. 
     • Remember that teaching is a main source of income for many yoga teachers and other fitness instructors and they, along with other independent contractors, are being impacted by closures. If you can, lookout for ways to support those offering online classes.  
3. Maintain community
   • We’re moving our events online. We plan to have a weekly opportunity for animal advocates to connect and support each other in web-based conferencing. Join us!
4. Cook good food
   • Have regular meals and hydrate. 
5. Pursue hobbies. Here are some of Laura’s.
   • I enjoy learning guitar with Yousician, which also supports voice and other instruments. I just discovered iNaturalist, an app that can both help identify plants and animals and help you contribute to science. Though the public libraries are closed, you can still read ebooks from the Hennepin County Library system. I also like to meditate with the Insight Meditation Timer. 
6. Remember the animals
   • Farmed animals are still suffering horribly. Think about how you can share messages that help others connect the dots between our treatment of animals and the outbreak of this virus. Here are tips on effective messaging from our friends at VegFund. Here’s a piece about the connection between our use of animals and the virus written by Executive Director Laura Matanah that you may want to share with others.
   • Consider whether you can support our work.

Let’s think about how we can do everything in our power to benefit the well-being of all animals, human and non-human, as we move through this crisis.

There is a silver lining. As awful as this is for humans, most wild animals aren’t being impacted by the virus. There are benefits to both wild animals and our climate from our reduced air travel and resource consumption. As just one example, air quality has noticeably improved in many places.