5 Websites to Give You a 5-Minute Break From Pandemic Fatigue
By: Niklas Göke
Tags: Coronavirus, Mental Health, Covid 19, Wellness, Web

I loved every minute of my trip to Japan seven years ago, and while I can’t go there right now, apparently, I can spin a globe and listen to their radio.

Radio Garden combines Google Earth with radio stations. Each green dot resembles a broadcasting hub somewhere in the world, and it’s fascinating to listen to the radio in unfamiliar places near and far.

I didn’t understand a single word of what the host was saying, but for some reason, it felt reassuring that, despite everything, Shonan Beach FM in Zushi, a small city just outside Tokyo, was still playing. I also found out they love Western Christmas songs as much as, well, Westerners. Tune in to turn off, and let the music carry you away.

Anywhere you can travel looks better through the eyes of those who didn’t have to travel there at all. Exotic restaurant tours guided by locals in remote places are off limits for now, but you can still peek outside their window.

The idea of WindowSwap is simple: Record a 10-minute video of the view outside your abode, then upload it for the world to peer through. Videos are put on loop, and as a user, you can open a random, new window at the click of a button. It’s marvelous.

Screenshot via the author

Without having to wistfully look at flight prices for planes that won’t take off, I can now see the rain pour on Jessica’s pool in Panama, glance at the ocean in the Californian distance, or listen to the sound of the birds over the rooftops of São Paulo.

We’ve stared out our own windows long enough by now, but opening these in your browser, even leaving them ajar in the background, can bring a breath of fresh air to your day — just like a real window.

A sense of calm and belonging in a place you can’t visit is nice, but where’s the action? At World Cams — don’t worry, it’s totally SFW. World Cams curates live feeds from interesting places around the world.

The obvious go-tos are Times Square, the Eiffel Tower, and Tokyo’s Shibuya crossing, but there’s more! From birds to bars, from trains to trucks, and from airports to aquariums, World Cams has it all. There’s the Las Vegas wedding chapel, the National Corvette Museum (they move cars a lot more than I expected), and, yes, indoor skydiving in Spain.

Screenshot via the author

My favorite feed, however, is the replay of Japanese orbiter SELENE’s images of the moon. Some classical music along with smooth, gliding views of the lunar surface never fail to remind me: I may be stuck behind a screen, but what I can see on it is more than enough to have hope for the future.

You know what’s also in extremely short supply lately? Hugs.

Family therapist Virgina Satir once suggested we need eight hugs a day just to maintain our emotional wellbeing. I doubt it’s a hard number, but it makes sense: Hugs are a fundamental part of the human experience, one of many we’re bereft of right now.

Screenshot via the author

The Nicest Place on the Internet is here to somewhat fix it. Similar to WindowSwap, it’s simply a playlist of short videos made by nice people, offering their help in the form of hugs.

The music adds a nice touch (pun intended), and the hundreds of videos show: You’re not the only one craving a good old lock-and-squeeze.

Unlike the horror movie sequel which has been postponed as many times as the number it carries in its title, the quiet place I mean offers a few minutes of serenity to anyone willing to press the space bar.

The Quiet Place is a grounding exercise. Through a short conversation between you and the creator, held one line and key stroke at a time, it offers relaxation, centering, and, most of all, a much needed break from your ongoing barrage of notifications.

Screenshot via the author

It felt soothing to “just listen” and take some deliberate rest from the buzzing business of my devices, if only for a few minutes. Fun fact: The project is almost 10 years old and is currently having a resurgence. I can see why, and I plan to revisit on the regular.