The Coronavirus Diaries is a series of dispatches from Slate highlighting first-hand experiences of how life is changing as a result of the outbreak. In a media climate of fake news and pandemic scaremongering, real experiences are a source of truth that most people can, on some level, relate to.

The Great Depression saw people taking the initiative to grow their own vegetables in personal ‘Victory Gardens’. As COVID-19 threatens to disrupt the food industry’s supply chain, people are turning back to a practice that enables self-sufficiency in an uncertain time.

Whether it's getting bangs after a breakup or going blonde to debut the 'new you', people have long changed up their hair to help them through trauma. In a similar way, isolated individuals are turning to DIY 'dos as a form of self-expression to cope with COVID-19-related angst and boredom.

The spread of COVID-19 has seen people frantically stock their cupboards and freezers, with empty supermarket shelves a common sight worldwide. Canvas8 spoke to Dr. Leonard Lee, a marketing professor at the National University of Singapore, to understand the human needs that fuel panic-buying.