Sattva : Issue 08
WFH Essentials, Playfulness, Egg Storage Tips, Covid Misinformation
Sattva (सत्त्व) is a beautiful Sanskrit word that has many meanings—spirit, true essence, good sense, wisdom, quality of purity, energy, consciousness and mind, among other things.
Through this fortnightly newsletter, I want to bring to you all things good, which will make your life better. My focus will be on topics such as mindfulness, productivity, slow living and sustainability, accompanied by genuinely useful recommendations of products, books, music, links to read, and of course food and recipes. Through these, I hope to instil some Sattva in your life.
It’s been a fortnight of insufferable devastation and pain. I hope you are managing to stay safe and sane in what is the worst time in a century. If you have lost someone near and dear to you, I offer you my deepest condolences and prayers that you may somehow, in time, find the strength to overcome this loss. If you have someone at home fighting Covid19, I pray that they come out of it unscathed.
Do ping/tag me on any of my social media platforms (@saffrontrail) if you want me to share your requests for help in any matter related to Covid19.
Some Work From Home Essentials
Home-office is such an oxymoron, right?
The work from home situation has quashed any semblance of work-life balance. Work and life bleed into each other freely, making it tough to separate one from the other. Making different spaces for rest and work help us create some kind of distinction between work hours and the rest of the day.
You may not necessarily have a separate study room. Having a work corner is good enough. Here are some things that I find useful to have in the home-office space.
You’ll find most of my recommendations in this Amazon list. Do look for similar items you may already have at home to use for your home-office set up. You can also look up some DIY projects for easy to make things like organisers if you’re in lockdown or you don’t want to buy anything right away. Here’s the list.
Organiser - Store pens, pencils, scissors, stapler, highlighters etc. without cluttering the table.
Wireless keyboard - The Logitech wireless keyboard comes highly recommended. It connects via bluetooth and works with both Macs and Windows based machines.
Multi-adaptor - I recently bought a plug + USB adaptor and it is very useful to charge all the devices at one go. Compact and good in aesthetics too, I quite like this one.
Noiseless fan - Running an overhead fan on full speed especially if you’re on calls is a disturbance. Without a fan, you’ll be sweating on your zoom calls. A tiny, silent desk fan is something we need to stay cool.
Ring light - I need to buy this one right away as I’m hugely dependent on day light for all my videos / zoom etc. Given that a lot of my online book events have been happening in the evening, I am having to do a lot of jugaad dragging all the standing lamps at home to keep in front of my laptop. Most of these ring lights are powered via USB and are pretty compact.
Foot rest - If you spend a lot of time doing desk work, this helps put your feet up in a comfortable position. It is also great for kids whose legs aren’t long enough to reach the floor. The foot rest helps prop up the feet and keep the legs comfortable.
Water bottle - I don’t know about you but I will hydrate myself only if I see a bottle around me. Or else, I can go the whole day without drinking any water unless I accidentally bite into a chilli. Keeping a metal bottle filled with water makes sure you are sipping through the day. I say metal because I am too clumsy to keep a glass bottle at my elbow.
Let me know in the comments if you have some other useful reccos that I missed out on.
Image credit: Saatchi Art
Playfulness
I have been a worrier for as long as I can remember. When the news of the pandemic hit us, I realised that the worrying will kill me before anything else. I will not downplay it and say I’ve been managing well. It does take a toll on the mind and body. I have isolated and got myself tested thrice despite very mild symptoms (not even fever) in the last one year. People like me are the exact opposite of those who venture out without a mask and get into crowds like Covid cannot touch them.
I have recently discovered something that takes my mind off Covid anxiety for a while, makes me laugh and gives me a reset.
Play.
Each day, I set aside an hour to play with my son. These could be board games, card games or crazy story telling on the fly, the more ridiculous the better. Sometimes we do this in the evening or at bedtime. I read somewhere that playfulness is the best antidote to anxiety. I can literally feel this at work in the hour of playtime.
The same applies to when I’m playing with our dog Ida, be it tug or chasing her around the house, I can feel the stress melt away in those moments.
You can either have fun or let anxiety control your mind. Both cannot coexist at the same time. Do not feel guilty about having some of these lighthearted moments each day. It is one of the few things that will keep us sane through what seems like a pandemic with no end in sight.
Fred Rogers said that play is “the work of childhood.” Kids take this work seriously, they’re good at it, and they can teach us a thing or two about why play is important — especially now.
These lines are from an article in New York Times titled ‘How to add more play to your grown up life, even now.’ Read the article here and add some playtime to your daily life, be it Scrabble, Ludo, Battleship, chess, story telling, dumb charades or anything else. It makes for a great family time enjoyment and some much needed digital detox too.
Image credit: Christies
I was storing eggs wrong all along
Eggs are the perfect lockdown ingredient, if you do eat them, that is. They are super versatile (any meal of the day, sweet or savoury, any cuisine etc.) and can be stored for a good length of time in the fridge. It’s a good thing to stock up on, lockdown or no lockdown.
Until recently, I was storing eggs all wrong. Here are the egg storage tips I learnt recently and I hope you find them useful.
Eggs have a natural outer protective layer called the cuticle. This seals off the pores in the shell and prevents bacterial contamination. This layer is lost on washing the eggs. If the eggs you buy are pre-washed or you wash the eggs after getting them, they are best stored in the refrigerator, as the chances of contamination if left outside are more.
Place them in the carton or box that the eggs come packed in. Keep the box closed. Eggs shells are porous and highly susceptible to catching strong odours from other ingredients in the fridge shelves. Don’t keep them stacked in an open bowl in the fridge.
Eggs have a pointed end and a rounded end. I’ve always thought that eggs are best kept sitting in the egg tray, pointed end facing up. I was wrong. The pointed end should always be at the bottom. There is a naturally occurring air bubble at the egg's rounded side, which helps keep the yolk centred inside the egg which in turn keeps the eggs fresher for longer. If you notice carefully, eggs are always packed in their cartons with the pointed end down.
Most refrigerator doors have a nifty egg holder for 6 or 12 eggs. But the door is not the right place for eggs as the temperature is constantly fluctuating here as we open the fridge several times a day. The door is also the least cool part of the fridge. Place the eggs in closed cartons at the back of a middle shelf where it stays the coolest.
Image credit: Fine Art America
Tackling COVID19 Misinformation
It is very disturbing to see all the misinformation floating around social media and Whatsapp about the prevention and treatment of Covid. These could end up endangering lives by losing valuable time when patients try out home remedies instead of calling the emergency helplines. I wrote a Twitter thread about the same and also spoke about it on IndiaToday channel. You can watch the video here. Each time you see one of these unverified ‘nuskas’ (tips) on Whatsapp groups, make sure to call it out and tell people not to spread unverified / unscientific information, be it regarding prevention, treatment or vaccines. We can all do our bit in stemming the overwhelming wave of myths and misinformation.
Wear a proper (N95) mask when you step out. Don’t step out unless essential. Get vaccinated as soon as is possible. Don’t take any unusual symptoms lightly. Isolate yourself from others and get tested. Consult a doctor. Stay safe!
I would love your feedback on the newsletter. If you like what you read, please share it with your family and friends. I am grateful for your help in reaching my newsletter to a wider audience. See you in two weeks time!
Nandita Iyer
Books: Everyday Superfoods | The Everyday Healthy Vegetarian
Blog: https://saffrontrail.com
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Like always I love to your news letter, I guess Sattva is the only newsletter I read.. loved points on eggs 🙏🙏 and playfulness Is a must ..
The first thing I invested in after working for 2 uncomfortable months at the kitchen table is a decent office chair with back support. A year into the pandemic it's been the best decision :) Great tip on the eggs .. I didn't know that the pointy end needs to be downwards.. always look forward to your newsletters x