How to Be Positive During the Coronavirus

Right now we are living in a world of uncertainty. The pandemic of the coronavirus has uprooted many of us from our normal lives and routines. Many of us have lost jobs, some of us are required to work very close to the virus, and some of us are going stir crazy from being at home. With so much negativity around us it is hard to keep a positive attitude. The coronavirus is all that is being talked about. The news makes it seems like that things will just keep getting worse. However, I want to talk about some ways that you can change your perspective and how you can be positive and have hope during this time.

1. Keep yourself physically healthy- I'm sure this has been hammered time and time again but this is key for happier life. Make sure you are eating good foods like nutritious fruits and vegetable and other nutrient rich foods. Avoid eating foods with empty calories liked fried foods, fast foods, sweets, etc. Also with so much time at home avoid eating just to eat like snacking on chips. Try instead having nutritious snacks such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc. It is also important to keep yourself active. Do something to work out and keep active each day. Some great ideas are going for a walk (make sure to maintain social distancing), work in your yard, participate in a dance party with your family, find some home workouts you can do with family or by yourself. There is a lot you can do to keep yourself healthy.

2. Find time to explore hobbies- I know it is easy to find a new show to binge watch on TV especially if you are tired but with more time at home it is a good idea to explore a new hobby. There are a lot of great fun things to do that could occupy your mind. Maybe it is picking up an instrument to play. You could start knitting or gardening. It could be as simple as picking up a book, writing a story, or learning about your ancestors. Finding something new to learn will help keep your mind occupied and help you foster continual learning in your life.

3. Be grateful what you have- It is very easy to find something wrong or to say I wish I had this. Instead of doing that think about all the great things you do have. It could be as simple as a place to live or health. It could be a family or a job. It could also be that we have improvement in technologies and knowledge to better combat the virus. Taking to time to think about all the things you do have will help you focus on that rather than on the things you don't have.

4. Remain hopeful and take action- Even if it seems that everything is going wrong you can always have hope. Try to focus and think that things will get better. Be optimistic of things to come. I think the biggest way to keep hope is to take action. If you are hopeful for things to get better do everything you can to make it happen. If you fail that's okay just try again. We all fail but the important thing is getting up after you fail.

5. Don't get overwhelmed- It may seem like there is a million things to do. It is important to not get overwhelmed with everything that is going on. Focus on one task at a time. Once you get one task done go to the next one. If you think of everything you need to do it can bog you down and make it difficult to start. Focusing on one task at a time will help you get everything done.

I hope this can help you through these difficult times. If you do these things I know it can help you to be more positive. If you are feeling depressed or have trouble with persistent negative thoughts make sure to talk to a mental health specialist.