Q: “How can I get better at public speaking?” – Elizabeth

A: Practice. Speaking to a group, large or small, is one of those skills that takes a lot of time to improve – and even those who have devoted hours of practice won’t be perfect. It’s a matter of realizing that your audience truly does not care as much as you think they do. They won’t zero-in on a minor stutter or your flyaways or the way you’re standing, like you believe with all your heart that they will. It’s just not that deep! I’ll always recommend a deep breath before facing anything. It’s why I have the word “breathe” tattooed on myself; there’s nothing you can’t confront with a nice, deep inhale, exhale. Practice bringing down those nerves with your breath and read through/practice your spiel until your tongue doesn’t work anymore. Being familiar with your speech will assist in the smooth expression of your words, and memorizing the majority of it will allow you to look up from your paper or the ground and into the audience, which is a professional and powerful part of public speaking. And memorizing the entire thing will free up those hands for a side dish of charismatic body language. Breathe, practice, remember that people aren’t as critical as you swear they are, use your hands when you speak, and look into the audience when you can. Good luck!

Q: “Do you have any tips for living on your own?” – Denise

A: Oh, boy, do I. Having just experienced this myself, I can say that, above all, you must remain positive. It can be such an emotional strain to live far from your family, and being in a brand new environment can bring immense discomfort at first. The first few days will be hard: Remember why you moved and think of all the things you can do now! Walk around your new home sans pants, eat ice cream for breakfast, watch Love Actually six times in a row, use the bathroom with the door open, and so much more. It’s a brand new life, baby! Make your place a home as much as you can. Before I could budget in home décor, I asked my friends to come over and paint something that we could hang on our bare walls. We were blessed with a multitude of art and painted memes like Handsome Squidward and Peppa Pig, and it made our house feel that much more warm and comfortable. Have some of your “home-ies” over and fill the space with love and familiarity. Look forward to spending time with yourself. Do the things you love to do, and soon you will love the new environment in which you do them. I look forward to coming home from work, sitting on my patio, lighting a candle, and playing music while I focus on writing or doing homework. Also, become adept at budgeting. Things come up all the time, and before you know it, your grocery list touches the floor. Tackle a few items on the list every paycheck, if necessary, and do your best to find creative solutions with what you have. Remain optimistic, and you will quickly grow to love and find comfort in your new home.

Q: “How do I avoid going stir-crazy in this quarantine?” – VincentA: Man, if this isn’t the most relevant question of the month! If you’re one of those people who went hard stocking up on toilet paper, make sure you make it worth your while. There’s no time like the present to find some new hobbies or work on some stuff you’ve been putting off. Remember, Shakespeare wrote King Lear while quarantined in the good old days of the plague. Now, I’m not saying that you have to do something quite of that caliber, but he did set the standard pretty high (only kidding). Knocking some household tasks off your to-do list is a great quarantine activity, and you will feel so relieved after you’ve finally, finally taken care of them. Try painting, playing board games, exercising, cooking a new dish, calling all the family members you haven’t spoken to in a while, binge-watching TV shows, gardening, etc. … There is no shortage of things you can do while locked up for two weeks. You can even enter several activities into an online randomizer so that the Internet can pick for you. (Because I know how indecisive we can all be when it comes to what to do or what to eat. Sigh.) Of utmost importance is staying inside and preventing the further spread of sickness, so what you do to entertain yourself and motivate yourself to stay home is just as essential.