W is for White Noise Machine #AtoZChallenge

I was going to write a post extolling the virtues of my white noise machine before the pandemic started. My best friend and her (now) ex-husband got it for me for Christmas. I wanted it to help me sleep on the nights the silence was too loud, and it is pretty good for that alone.

My daughter and I are in a one-bedroom apartment and having a white noise machine pre-pandemic was a godsend. For one thing, we’re on opposite schedules, which meant she and her friend would be hanging out here in the middle of the night when I was headed to bed. The white noise machine would drown out their late night TV and movie watching as well as their loud conversations about said TV and movie watching.

During the pandemic, it has been even more of a godsend. For one thing, we can have phone conversations in relative privacy and, more importantly, telehealth and tele-therapy sessions in actual privacy. We just turn on the white machine and place it outside the door just like an in-person therapy session.

Peaceful sleep and privacy in a small space are more than necessary, and the white noise machine has made both possible.

For this year’s A to Z Challenge, I have decided that I’m going to focus on my survival/coping strategies while practicing social distancing. What are the things that make it bearable? What helps alleviate my stress and fear–or at least what distracts me from both? Tune in tomorrow to see what I choose for X!