Today, two-thirds of the U.S. population is sheltering at home in order to slow the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Coronavirus Disease 2019, better know as COVID-19.

Responding to this global pandemic has required a tremendous amount of improvisation to solve urgent problems in health care. Every day, people are improvising home work stations, community support, education, entertainment, and social connection. Improvisation does not mean that one is not prepared, rather, it means using what is at hand.

I've been scouring the web to find good resources for making face masks to provide some degree of protection from airborne viral bodies. This guide from Masks of Love WNC has patterns and detailed sewing instructions for two types of masks. Here is a pdf with detailed instructions and photos. (This is from another website with prototype before the WNC site was created.) The pdf includes links to research articles and more patterns.

Here is another design, the HK mask by Hong Kong chemist Dr. K. Kwong. This mask seems extra secure with ties as well as ear loops. In addition, this mask is designed to easily insert and replace a filter such as paper towel or tissue, which have surprisingly been shown to increase filtering effectiveness. (Here's a link discussing different materials that can be used for masks and filters.) The HK mask page has patterns, detailed instructions, and video showing how to sew this mask, how to tie it and how to wear it.

Unity Point Health in Cedar Rapids has made a pattern and video instructions available here. I don't see a lot of difference from the Masks of Love pattern. It looks like it might come up higher on the cheek. And if you don't have a printer at home, this site has an image on graph paper so you can draw your own pattern. It also has a video and detailed instructions. Note that the addition of a nose wire comes late in the instruction here, but that's an important element.

Improvised construction materials include covered elastic ponytail holders for the ear loops, t-shirts and dish towels for the mask fabric. For the nose wire, people are using prong base fasteners, doubled pipe cleaners (not as strong), jewelry or gardening wire.

Why masks?

• It's Time to Face Facts, America: Masks Work from wired.com
• Professional and Home-made Face Masks Reduce Exposure to Respiratory Infections Among the General Population from PLoS One
• Simple DIY Masks Should Flatten the Curve. We Should All Wear Them in Public from Washington Post
• Memos from CDC to White House lay out rationale for possible widespread use of face coverings from Washington Post

Wishing you the very best as we improvise our way through.

On a route that I travel each week, I usually phone one of my sisters for a chat. However, there's a stretch of about two blocks where there's interference with my cell reception, and I either lose parts of the conversation, or the call drops altogether. When we reconnect, we have to find where we got cut off and try to pick up the thread of the conversation. A similar thing can happen when people are talking face to face. Have you ever been having a conversation where it felt like, instead of listening to you, the person in front of you was waiting for you to finish so they could take their turn speaking? Of course, an interesting  conversation will spark ideas and responses, but when we stop listening because we're busy thinking about what we're going to say next, we've dropped the connection. I facilitate a few different improv games that are structured so that people cannot respond until they've heard the last word their partner speaks. It's good listening practice, and a good reminder to make sure you don't drop the call when you're having a discussion. In this article, Francesca Gino of Harvard Business School discusses how improv exercises can improve leadership and team morale and effectiveness: Using Improv to Unite Your Team.
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It might be hard to admit to feeling lonely, but research finds that people are increasingly isolated, and that loneliness is harmful to your health. We tend to have busy lives, and time with others is an area that often gets cut back as a result. In a large-scale study, researcher Julianne Holt-Lunstad found that social integration is a stronger contributor to longevity than exercise, or quitting smoking or alcohol. Social integration means face-to-face interactions, even with strangers. Research also shows that ​in older people, social engagement is related to a higher level of cognitive function. 

​The Global Council on Brain Health makes several recommendations, including:

• Maintain social connections with people of different ages, including younger people.
• Add a new relationship or social activity you didn’t try before. Place yourself in everyday contexts where you can meet and interact with others (e.g., stores or parks).
• Be active and challenge yourself to try out organized clubs, courses, interest groups, political organizations, religious gatherings, or cooking classes.
• If you are already socially active, diversify your activities. Consider joining or starting a group that doesn’t exist in your community and is centered around a common interest. 

So, if you've gotten a little more solitary than in the past, I encourage you to think about how you can build more connection into your week. The science shows that fun, social engagement can help you to live a longer, more satisfying life!


In a New York Times article, "How to Build Resilience in Midlife," Dr. Dennis Charney, a resilience researcher, advises that you can increase your own resilience by going outside of your comfort zone. "There is a biology to this. Your stress hormone systems will become less responsive to stress so you can handle stress better."

Being positive or optimistic is another key, and this is something that can be developed. In his book Everything's an Offer, Robert Poynton talks about how improvisers on a bare stage must use all ideas--even accidents--to create the seen. When you can frame setbacks as offers to be explored, more possibilities open up.

​So say hello to a stranger, wear something fun, extend an invitation, and get out of your comfort zone!

"Senior moment"
"Spacing out"
"Brain fog"
However you may refer to it, forgetfulness happens. Causes can be as simple as dehydration, fatigue, or high blood pressure. Some medications can can cause forgetfulness, as can anxiety or depression. But there is a lot that you can do to keep your synapses firing smoothly.

1. Pay attention. Sometimes the problem is that we're simply on autopilot. Practice noticing details. What have you not noticed about your coworker? What information are your senses giving you?
2. Do things differently. We are hardwired to make mental shortcuts. Life is easier when you can get the lettuce out of the refrigerator without having to stop and think about each step (open fridge door. Locate produce drawer. Pull drawer open.) Intentionally changing up your routine nudges you to notice more of the  details in everyday experiences.
3. Chill out. Stress can highjack your attention. Breathing, meditation, and yoga are great remedies that help you to be in the present moment.
4. Try new things. Eat with chopsticks. Do math in your head (like you used to). Memorize a poem. Read out loud. Take an improv workshop!

This is a great article on the link between play and innovation. Play is a place of openness, experimenting and surprising ourselves. 

An idea that came to me early in my applied improvisation training was that these exercises were like brain-training games, but instead of an individual alone with a screen, they are instead experiencing physical activity, social engagement, ​and the benefits of laughter. And all three of these elements are key in combating depression. And these are only a few of the benefits of improv! Cool, huh?

I think of Bernard De Koven as the Godfather of Play. I've written earlier about his lifelong dedication to giving people the gift of cooperative, joyful play. In this one-minute video, Bernie makes a simple distinction between game communities and play communities.