Distancing season: Making the most of it

How to power nap

“Nap time is the new coffee break,” said Galadriel Watson in The Washington Post. For many of us working at home during the pandemic, a shot of shut-eye has become “an essential afternoon pick-me-up,” and “study after study” has shown that naps boost productivity. To nap effectively, set an alarm for 20 minutes, which is long enough for you to reach Stage 2 sleep but short enough to prevent your waking up groggy. A NASA study showed that pilots are more alert after sleeping just 10 to 20 minutes. If you need help regaining alertness after the alarm goes off, try stepping into bright light or splashing your face with water.

Helping seniors get the vaccine

“Getting an appointment for a Covid-19 vaccine requires persistence, luck, and aboveaverage computer skills,” said Alyson Krueger in The New York Times. With many older Americans struggling to sign up, strangers are setting a great example by stepping in to help. Harriet Diamantidis of Merrick, N.Y., decided after helping her mother and grandmother secure appointments to post an offer of help on a neighborhood Facebook page. Her husband pitched in when requests started piling up. “We lost count of how many appointments we made after 300,” she said. Two Kentucky teenagers, Amelie Beck and Jacqueline Teague, have set up a phone line to field requests from across their state, and between classwork they work full time to keep up. Seniors have to trust any volunteer with personal information, so schools, churches, and town offices are good places to look for efforts worth joining.

The return of D&D

Covid may yet make wizards and rogues of us all, said Sarah Parvini in the Los Angeles Times. Dungeons & Dragons, the tabletop role-playing game that became an emblem of nerd culture in the 1980s, has experienced a surge in interest as people around the world seek camaraderie and escape while distancing. Even after several years of growth in player interest, online play rose 86 percent in 2020, with many players turning to platforms such as Roll20.net and DNDBeyond.com. D&D brings together groups of adventurers who work together to navigate heroic quests, each one a unique story plotted by a designated “dungeon master.” Matthew Mercer, dungeon master on the popular D&D web series Critical Role, testifies to the social and psychological benefits of the game. “It’s such a wonderful tool to learn about yourself,” he says.