10 TIPS TO STAY POSITIVE WHEN EVERYONE AROUND IS GOING CRAZY

So here we are 3 weeks into the Stay at Home lockdown in the UK and we have just heard we have another 3 weeks to go at least for now, as announced yesterday by Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

Staying positive when the world is going crazy is one of the best ways of surviving the tide and making it out of the pandemic storm. However, this task can be challenging but may possibly be the only thing which can get you out of the woods. It requires a strong mindset. If you are struggling to bring yourself to remain positive during this pandemic, here are some tips to help you.

  1. Plan ahead

As goes the scout’s motto – “Be Prepared”! Planning ahead can help control your stress levels and anxiety in a world where people are going crazy. That is one way of knowing you can face anything. Now that we know we have another 3 weeks of this, you can plan ahead for what you may need for those weeks. This time you may want to take stock of what did work well during the previous 3 weeks and what did not and then plan ahead based on this. One way of making sure you and your loved ones remain positive when faced with negativity is by being well prepared for whatever comes. So draw up your effective plans.

  1. Filter information

Avoid bad news whenever you can. Do not focus on the kind of information that will not help rectify the situation. Pay attention to material that gives advice on how you can overcome or guard against being affected by the worsening of the pandemic. Filtering information can also mean changing the subject when it is brought up countless times.

  1. Keep exercising

As you know, exercising is a great way of staying positive, staying healthy, and improving your overall physical and mental well-being. Exercising can also help keep your mind in check. Concentrating on improving your health is another method of staying positive when everyone else is going insane. One mistake you can make when faced with difficulties is changing or cancelling your workout routine. Therefore, keep exercising and enjoy the process. There are lots of exercise videos online – YouTube, Instagram or Facebook if you need to follow a more structured exercise routine and participate while connecting with others online. It will help lift your spirits and possibly make some new friends.

  1. Dwell on happy thoughts

Thinking happy thoughts does not come easy when it seems as if your world is falling apart. That is why you have to try and force your mind to focus on happy thoughts or what is happening internally and not externally. If you cannot think of anything that shifts your mind from the bad news that is being broadcast everywhere, create happy thoughts. You can achieve this by envisioning where you will be when all the madness is over. Think about the number of people who have overcome or who are overcoming the same situation you are in, look at your photo album and rekindle the happy memories. Again you may want to watch old comedies, feel-good classic films, or a box set of “Friends” or “Prince of BelAir” if you can lay your hands on them! Remember to take time to smile a few times a day apart of your mental exercises.

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5. Manage your finances
Mishandling your finances is quite easy when you are dealing with a pandemic or a problem that affects a lot of people at the same time. Hence, you need to start managing your finances wisely to avoid having regrets when the problem has passed. You can avoid bankruptcy by just staying calm, avoiding compulsive debts and keeping accurate records and information. Avail yourself of the many resources online for up to date financial advice.

6. Try caring for someone else
Sometimes caring for someone else is all it takes to maintain your sanity. Shift your focus to doing something worthwhile for someone else or putting a smile on someone else’s face. Achieve this by helping the person you choose to help or care for to stay safe or recover from what they are going through. Even if you are not able to go from door to door, you may want to sign up to offer check-in phone calls to those who are lonely or vulnerable in your local area and put a smile on someone’s face.

7. Meditate
Meditation is an excellent way of relaxing your mind and having a much clearer perspective on things. Meditation is a relaxation method that you can begin practising right away. If it is something that you are practising already, continuing with it is worthwhile. Try clearing your mind from negative thoughts and focus on one thing that is positive. Do this every single day for at least 30 minutes without any interruptions. Here is a very good article showing you how to challenge your negative thoughts. You may also want to sign up for a good app like Headspace.

8. Continue with your work or studies
You may start panicking if you think that your professional life is on hold during a pandemic. However, realize that not being able to go to the office does not necessarily mean the end of progress – this will help you remain calm. Continue with your work or study even if you cannot go to the office or on campus. Remember that working or studying from home has its fair share of benefits as well. You are able to work peacefully without the worries of dressing up, with zero or a few distractions. You are able to control your environment and work at your own pace. The most important thing is to ensure you keep to a good structure daily, maintain good sleeping habits, healthy eating and exercise. This will make it easier for you to transition back to normal work when the lockdown period is over.

9. Enjoy whatever you do
Make it a priority to enjoy whatever you do during the pandemic. If you are working on something that you have to do but not necessarily enjoy, try coming up with fun or alternative ways of doing things. Instead of doing your work or completing your projects the way your supervisor suggests, you can do it your own creative way, as long as the job was done impeccably and impressively. You may want to use this time to also learn a new hobby or develop new skills or even enrol online for a skill-enhancing course. Who knows you may come out of this lockdown period more qualified than you went in and ready for a promotion to the next phase of your career!

10. Be You, Celebrate Yourself!
Think of the things you like about yourself, celebrate yourself. As you make these changes successfully to your daily routines and habits, keep a journal of your milestones, new things you have learned, new skills you have acquired and good stories that have come out of these challenging times. Share these with your friends and family and use it to encourage them and help them along. While it may be impossible to make sure everyone stays positive, you can always bring up something positive to talk about. This will change the atmosphere around you.

So that’s it, hope you found these tips useful.