Self-Care, TV & Forts: Keeping Relationships Healthy During COVID-19

Also: WBUR's must-reads of the week; listen to Madness, Endless Thread's new series about CIA-funded mind control experimentation ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [View in Browser]( | [Donate]( [WBUR] [WBUR]( The WBUR Weekender April 25, 2020 A Note From The Editor: Welcome to The WBUR Weekender! When we first decided to start this newsletter, life looked very different. We weren't in the middle of a pandemic, keeping physical distance from loved ones, dealing with widespread economic hardship and living largely confined to our homes. But we decided to launch The Weekender anyway, with a slightly different mission: To help you navigate life – and weekends – during coronavirus. Every Saturday morning, you'll now get our top five features of the week, as well as tips from local experts on everything from self-care advice to suggestions on what to learn, eat or listen to while at home. Our goal is to help you continue to find peace and joy in your weekends, even during these challenging times. We hope you enjoy the first edition below. As a loyal WBUR Today plus weekend bonus editions subscriber, you are still signed up to get the CommonHealth and Cognoscenti newsletters you know and love. CommonHealth will just be hitting your inbox at a new time: Monday afternoons! If you do not want to receive these newsletters anymore, [update your preferences here.]( Love WBUR Today but don't want to receive The Weekender? [Change your preferences to WBUR Today (week day only) here.]( __________________________________________________ Good morning Boston, 🌞 Saturday will be [sunny]( highs 55-60. Showers return on Sunday. Relationships are hard. But when you add in the stress of a pandemic, social distancing and being in close-quarters with your partner, navigating relationships can feel impossible. Meredith Goldstein, The Boston Globe's "Love Letters" columnist and podcast maker, shared a few suggestions for new ways to live with and be supportive of each other: Find an activity that's easy for you to share with your partner. "My first advice to couples is: find a [television] show. I think there is nothing better than watching something with a partner that you can really talk about, especially right now because we don't want to talk about [this crisis] all day." It's about being the best roommate possible and, sometimes, building a fort. "I was talking to a reader who has turned her kitchen into her office and she said: 'If my kitchen is my office, I don't like it when my husband comes into the kitchen and throws things in the sink.' So, I was actually telling her to build a fort. I mean, literally to put up a sheet in front of that desk space to really delineate what's the office, what's not the office, and bring that sheet down at the end of the workday." If you are struggling in your relationship, remember these are not normal times. "There are some couples who say: 'We're doing so well, we're amazing. We're winning quarantine.' Well, good for them. That's wonderful. But this is not your normal... I think it's important to note that it doesn't say something greater about your communication or your relationship. If you're having a difficult time, it is difficult." Want more suggestions? [Read all of Meredith's tips for navigating relationships during the coronavirus outbreak here.]( P.S.– Happy Ramadan! The Muslim holy month began at sundown on Thursday. WBUR spoke with Amr Elfass, the executive director of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, on how this community is celebrating during the pandemic. [Give it a listen.]( — Meagan McGinnes [@meaganmcginnes]( newsletters@wbur.org This Week's Must Reads url[Doctors Try Out Curbside Vaccinations For Kids To Prevent A Competing Pandemic]( There is no way to prevent the coronavirus, but there are vaccines for a dozen-plus diseases that threaten children, in particular. And if kids delay or skip their vaccinations, communities in Massachusetts and beyond could find themselves dealing with more than one epidemic. [Read more.]( Support the news [What It’s Like To Deliver Groceries For Instacart During An Outbreak]( As millions of people hunker down at home, gig workers who make money buying and delivering other people's groceries are in a difficult spot. [Read more.]( ['Crisis Schooling': Educators, Families Balance Learning And Wellbeing Amid Closures]( Educators are still making adjustments to continue academic learning for the next two months while also providing basic needs like food and counseling. [Read more.]( [Poetry In The Time Of Coronavirus]( April is National Poetry Month, but this one has been like no other before. We asked 10 poets to share what they've been working on during the pandemic and came back with a varied collection. [Read more.]( ['My Life Was A Pandemic': Coronavirus Outbreak Triggers Anxieties From Upbringing By Mentally Ill Father]( Social distancing measures and widespread fear of the coronavirus are triggering traumatic memories and anxiety for a Watertown woman, who says she was raised by a father overcome by delusions and compulsions. [Read more.]( Time For A Break For your mental health: If you're feeling paralyzed by pandemic uncertainty, psychologist Maggie Mulqueen says "chunking" is one of the best tools we can use to cope with the unknown. It's a strategy used by mental health professionals to help people break tasks into achievable segments. [Learn more in her commentary here.]( Create: Are you one of the many looking to become an amateur bread-maker? First, you'll need yeast, and it's been pretty hard to find in stores. Here's [how to raise your own](. Listen: Endless Thread just released the [first episode]( in its new series, "Madness," which unravels the shocking history of CIA-funded mind-control experiments. Co-hosts Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson, along with producer Josh Swartz, investigate how the stigma around mental illness – combined with government secrecy – can silence the truth. [Subscribe to the series here.]( Watch: Last week WBUR hosted a Town Hall on what we can expect to happen [after the surge](. (And don't forget to [add this week's virtual event to your calendar](. On Tuesday at 6 p.m. we'll be digging into the spread of COVID-19 in prisons and throughout homeless populations.) For those who miss going out to brunch: The ICA is setting us up with spins from disco queen Saucy Lady every Sunday starting at 11:30 a.m. You'll need to supply your own mimosas and pancakes, though. For more ideas like this on what to do this weekend, [check out these suggestions]( from our arts and culture team. Catch Up On Coronavirus What To Know About Coronavirus In Mass. Today The latest figures from the state Department of Public Health out Friday show 196 new deaths due to COVID-19, bringing the statewide death toll to 2,556. State officials also reported 4,946 new cases, bringing the total number of cases to 50,969. [Read more of the latest outbreak updates here](. Before you go: It's about the [small wins.]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📨 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. 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