4 Ways to Stay Positive in a Pandemic

I always strive to live life looking on the positive side of things. But I have to admit that I’ve had some real moments of sadness during this pandemic.   At first, I was enjoying quarantine and being forced to slow down. Then, I actually got the damn virus, and was knocked out for pretty much five weeks.  Now that I'm recovered, I’ve entered a new phase of grief in this pandemic, where I am very much missing my old life and feeling sad and frustrated that my life feels in many ways “on hold”.  Under normal circumstances, I’d be gearing up for Chicago summer - which is three months of nonstop, outdoor fun.  Things are certainly different this year. And I think we can all agree we are mourning our past experiences and lives.  

How to Stay Positive in a Pandemic

I recognize there are so many people who are having very serious hardships during this pandemic and that I am fortunate to have had this experience safely quarantined at home.  My challenges are so much more minor than some. While I still have my moments, I’ve had to seek out (with the help of therapy!) the silver linings in this experience and constantly turn inward to remind myself of what good can come from this. 

The Bow & Arrow Analogy

My genius therapist used this analogy and it honestly changed my outlook on everything.  She told me to imagine a bow and arrow pulled back right before it’s ready to be released and projected forward.  She said that arrow is me, needing to be pulled back to really turn inward before being projected into the next chapter of life.  Basically, use this time to think about what is it that makes you happy in quiet moments.  What is it that you want out of this next chapter?  Why?  Having this kind of time on our hands is so rare. So when you think about it like a time to prepare before projecting into a new stage of life - it makes it seem kind of worthwhile and exciting, right? 

We’re All in This Together

I know this is a phrase you hear over and over, and for me personally it immediately makes me think of the song from High School Musical (for your viewing pleasure).  Once I get the song out of my head, I realize that it really is true.  It’s really difficult to take a pause on life and get time like this without feeling like I’m missing out on something.  What’s really great about this time though, is that there is literally nothing to miss out on.  We are all in this stage together.  And because we are all in together, it’s bringing people together in a way that most of us have never experienced in our lifetimes (and ideally, won’t again under these circumstances).  We are coping together, we are finding the good. Our air is cleaner, and hopefully this will make us better collectively. 

Create New Healthy Habits (that you once “didn’t have time” for)

I use the air quotes to basically call myself out because there was always time for the habits that I’ve created in quarantine - I just never took the time to prioritize them.  Now that I have, I’m kind of obsessed with them.  I used to only cook on Mondays because I needed a crazy reset from the junk I consumed over the weekend.  Now I cook four times a week and crave a lot less junk (besides cookies, that intake has increased).  My credit card bills are the lowest they have been, like ever!  I’m working out much more consistently and found great resources from my home, like Melissa Wood Health.  I am connecting with my friends and family much more frequently over text, phone calls and virtual meetups.  I am hoping some of these new healthy habits stay with me once we are past this pandemic.  

Finding Happiness in Simplicity

I was talking with a good friend the other day and she said that while this time is challenging, there is a part of her that is enjoying the simplicity of life right now (I mean, besides the obvious mass panic and chaos).  This really struck a chord with me.  In moments of quiet, what are you grateful for?  The little things like going on walks with friends (from 6 feet away). Going on drives with fun music, or just sitting and catching up in a park are such meaningful experiences now.  Whereas before, it would’ve been hard to find gratitude in those little moments.  

While we can all certainly agree this is less than ideal, I do strongly believe that we will look back on this time with some level of appreciation for the lessons we learned as a society, and the new healthy habits we picked up for ourselves.  I don’t think this needs to be a time of immense productivity and pressure to do something big with the time we have on hand, but a time to be gentle on ourselves and create some habits we can carry on with us when life gets back to normal.