Self-Isolation and De-Stressing

(Let your hair out and headbang!! Short hair? Who cares... do it anyway!! 😜)

In my last video (here), I had a little bit of a dance party in my living room, it was a solo dance party, but a dance party none-the-less... so I wanted to talk about a couple of tips that you can use to de-stress and you know... not take shit too seriously... so, here they are:

Tip 1: This tip is probably the most obvious tip... have a dance party in your living room, with your partner, or if you are self-isolating, or quarantining... a solo-dance party... yeah, that's right! Break out the tunes, turn them up a little bit and dance your ass off!! The key here is to have fun!

Tip 2: Learn something new... if you are not currently working, due to the virus, it is a great time to use online learning tools, like Lynda.com to educate yourself and learn something new. For instance; music production techniques (you can find a lot of these on Youtube too), or how to use the Microsoft Office Suites (this is a great way to expand your knowledge of the tools typically used in an office environment to write letters, or send emails, or keep track of budgets, or do desktop publishing, all kinds of shit)... there is a lot of good things out there to learn and to keep your mind active!

Tip 3: Work-out / Exercise: This one is key, working out can relieve stress and improve your overall health! Hey, you get bigger muscles out of it too!

Tip 4: Going out for walks is a great way to get outside and get a breath of fresh air, and sometimes getting out of your creative space, or work space, can really reset and refresh your mind, and you can come from a different head space and refocus on whatever you are working on!

Tip 5: This one people really don't do enough, or at all... Meditate... spending time to meditate can really clear your mind, or even help you focus on the important things and what the next steps are that you need to take in your creative, work, or other endeavors! Even just resetting and refreshing your mind... can do wonders... your mind will be clearer, you will feel more relaxed and ready to take on the next challenges (whether work, creative, or next steps to reach your goals)!

Tip 6: Something else that may help you is... get creative! If you are an artist, musician, or some kind of creative... write a song, write an album, paint, draw... really express what is going on inside you right now... getting those things out will help you cope with what is currently going on!!

Tip 7: Watch a movie or TV show... yeah, we need escapes sometimes!

Tip 8: Play a game; whether it's board games, video/computer games, card games, whatever...

Tip 9: Read something; whether it's a fictional book, a comic book, something educational... or what have you!!

I think I'll leave things off here, there's a lot of tips you can utilize here... I mean these will get you started to de-stressing and not worry about what is currently going on!

I will make a note here; it is very important for you folks to remember, life is waaay to short for bullshit... and despite what is going on right now, I would say putting things in place for you to possibly have a better future after we get through this whole situation is probably the best thing you can do right now!

I do believe we will make it through this!

Stay positive people! Love ya!!

EDIT: I forgot one tip to add to this...

Tip 10: Feeling lonely? Call/FaceTime/Skype/Zoom/Facebook Video Chat with your friends and family. Yes, we have to stay isolated, but that doesn't mean we can't share a call or video chat with friends and family!

Embracing The Isolation

Well, while I was in the middle of writing one blog, I was inspired to write this one… Right now, I feel sooo motivated! In my musical and other creative endeavors… what inspired me this time was, well… my current situation… I’ve been feeling a little on edge lately, there’s a lot I want to do in life, and I’ve been feeling isolated lately, and unfortunately, it’s a forced isolation… I don’t really have a choice in it, it’s partially due to just not being able to get together with friends as much as I would like to, it’s also due to some goals I want to reach monetarily, and just not being able to get out to events that I want to due to the funds being allocated to something else. Normally, I would be a little stressed about this, because I’m a very social person, but as of lately, I’ve started to embrace this forced isolation as an opportunity to work on my creative endeavors and get ahead in that sense! I will tell you, after living in this city for as long as I have (21ish years), I’ve started to realize that isolation is a normal everyday thing in this city… I’m coming to expect it… Something that you may not know, is my first “Self-titled” album, that album I was dealing with my first, but once again, a forced isolation, I was so depressed and that album was pretty much born out of that isolation. As I stated above, I’m coming to expect it here, and after all my time here, I’m starting to embrace it… I don’t get to hang with people as much as I would like, I’ve put in a lot of effort in maintaining the relationships that I do have, and unfortunately what I currently have is not enough for me. However, despite that, I’ve put in a lot of effort trying to have some kind of semblance of a social life, but the results of all that effort, well… I’m still struggling to actually have a social life… but as of lately (as stated above), I’m starting to embrace the isolation, and I’m using that time that I would “normally” be out socializing, to work on my creative endeavors… and I’m finding it highly motivating… of course this is only temporary, until I can figure out how to actually get out of this city, but for now I’m embracing the isolation, and getting ahead on my creative endeavors! I may have another album lined up as well, lol... (There’s the one we are releasing soonish, I’ve got some themes for the one after, as well as the one after that one… they even have names now)! No rest for the wicked!



Here’s some tips for people who are isolated, to help you break up, or make use of a forced isolation:

1. Get Creative; If you are isolated but it’s a forced isolation (no choice), work on your creative endeavors (write music, draw, paint, write… whatever it is)!

2. Learn something new; learn a new skill, maybe pick up and teach yourself how to play guitar, or whatever instrument you are interested in learning that you have access to. Or teach yourself new drawing or painting techniques!

3. Another tip to get out and be semi-social: Head to your local coffee shop and work on your creative endeavors there (if possible), for instance when I feel I need to be around people, and friends aren't available to do stuff, I will go to a coffee shop and write new music on my laptop, or write lyrics, or even just get out some ideas of where I would like to go creatively for the next release. I mean, there’s a multitude of other things you can do, take a sketchbook with you and draw, or plot out your ideas for your next painting.

4. OR, it doesn’t have to be a coffee shop, it could be a pub or bar… sit in your own booth or seat and work on things there (Although I would say, careful not to spill your beer on your shit, cause that could ruin whatever you’re working on… especially a laptop [can’t exactly recover very well when the internals of a laptop are soaked in beer])…

Other things you can do, just for general mental health;

5. Go for walks. Getting out for a fresh breath of air and clearing your head-space can be really helpful when you are not able to hang with friends, and you can really come back with a clear refreshed mind from your walk!

6. Workout and stretching if you find you sit a lot during the day at your job.

My final tip is:

7. Meditating! I find meditating very useful for not only clearing my mind, but also for spiritual purposes as well, especially when I’m trying to figure out what are the next steps I need to take for my endeavors and such… also, it really helps with general well-being and such!

I hope those are helpful, and hey if you have any other tips that have worked for you, please leave them in the comments!

(Your Canadian Goth / Rivethead)

Here's to embracing the isolation,

Shayne “Daemon_w60” Lawrence / Twitch


P.S.: The tips are what have worked for me, they may not necessarily work for others, in the end, you gotta find what works for you!

P.P.S.: It's really funny that this evening (December 9/2019) I end up having a conversation, after the fact of writing this blog, about the topic of isolation. Thanks for the convo lady (not sure you want me to mention your name here, but thank you for the conversation)!