The current “State of Emergency” many of us are witnessing is something we only imagined while reading apocalyptic fiction. However, for others, it’s a part of the family history.
Nakita Valerio, an award-winning writer, academic, and community organizer, is quarantined with her young family in Edmonton, Canada. Valerio’s grandmother, Nonna Lina is familiar with these conditions, as the 80- year-old Lina had previously experienced having to stay indoors for long periods during scarcity in Italy during the Second World War.
In a Facebook post that went viral, Valerio kindly shared her Nonna’s advice, “…based on her experience living through the Second World War and from anecdotes she has collected from our family currently in Calabria, Italy.”
Here are Nonna Lina’s recommendations for living in quarantine:
1. Don’t watch the news more than you need to. If it comes on, shut it off.
2. Stay home
3. Eat less
4. Stay in contact with loved ones
5. Be strict with your personal boundaries
6. Don’t forget to laugh. Find comedies and put them on regularly, especially America’s Funniest Home Videos
7. Open the window for fresh air sometimes
8. Take this as a sign that God is giving you a chance to be a better person- commit to building a better world when this is over
*These are Nonna Lina’s direct quotes and ideas given to her granddaughter, Nakita Valerio. A previous version of this article incorrectly said Lina lives in Italy now. She does not live in Italy anymore, though she collected some advice from their family currently living in Italy.