The entire world has come to an abrupt stop as a result of the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Between social distancing, stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders, the way we live and go about our days has been impacted like never before. There are no sports events to attend; no happy hours with colleagues (unless you are doing the virtual ones); no extracurricular activities for the children, and so on. We are all in the same boat, no matter what part of the world we live in; some of us with way more restrictions on what we can or cannot do than others.
But what if we paused for a moment to find reasons to be thankful in the midst of all this? We may be quarantined, but we have a roof over our heads and food to eat; we also get to spend more time with our loved ones; and we still have the ability to stay connected via social media.
Many people in this world don’t have that. In fact, this pandemic feels like hell to many: they may be stuck in a house with their abusers; they may be homeless; they may be hungry, etc. So let’s focus on what we have and be grateful for it, and not on what we do not have.
Now, back to the title of this post…
I truly believe that many challenges we face can be turned into opportunities with the right mindset. Yes, we are stuck at home and not able to do much. However, we can do things to become better versions of ourselves when this is over. Here are five of them:
1. Develop an existing skill or acquire a new one.
Whatever skills we wish we had or want to develop, this is a great time to get started. Online learning platforms like Skillshare, LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, etc. offer a variety of training to help us perfect our skills or learn new ones. Whether you’ve always wanted to take photography classes, learn social media management, copywriting, etc., you can do so online. Some of the platforms even offer free trials; and in some cases, the free trial period can be enough time for us to get the knowledge we need. Most of us are no longer commuting to and from work; so why not use our commute time to develop ourselves?
Also, it’s totally fine to binge watch shows on Netflix, but let’s not do just that. Also listen to podcasts, read a book, sign up for webinars, etc.
2. Start a blog.
This is the perfect time to start a blog if it’s something you’ve been contemplating. People are home and spending more time than ever before browsing the internet. However, don’t feel like you have to start a blog to discuss COVID-19; unless your plan is to use the blog for this season and start a new one afterwards; or unless you are an expert on the topic and want to help the rest of us learn more. Otherwise, you will have nothing to say after this is all over. Write about what fascinates you, write what you would like to read about. Chances are many people out there would also like to read about the same topics. So start that blog now.
3. Develop healthy eating habits and incorporate exercise into our lives.
We are all seeing memes on social media on the impact of quarantine on our eating habits and weight gain. These are funny and much needed during this time; however, we definitely don’t need to come out of this season 50 lbs heavier. :-). Easier said than done, but definitely doable.
We can all develop healthy eating habits by using portion control or doing intermittent fasting for instance. Many are emotional eaters, and want to eat when bored, stressed out, happy, etc. But for our well-being (both physical and mental), practicing healthy eating habits is absolutely essential. The same is true for exercise. With the gyms closed, let’s not use that as an excuse to stop exercising. Some gyms have been sending workout videos to their members (I’m very thankful that mine has been doing that); and there are plenty of videos on YouTube that can help too. Also, if you live in a place where it is still fine to go out for a walk or a run, take advantage of that.
In these times where we are all stuck home and not moving a lot (i.e., walking from one meeting to another at work, walking to/from the train/bus station, etc.), let’s be careful not to let this situation take a toll on our health. It is already stressful enough as it is. So let’s get moving; whether it is 5 minutes in the morning, 5 minutes at lunchtime, and 5 minutes in the evening, let’s get moving.
4. Clean up, Meditate and Pray.
Let’s use this time to clean up and declutter – Not just our homes, but everything that can impact our physical or mental health, including: our social media feed, accounts, pages, groups and even people we follow. We should only allow our eyes to see and our ears to hear things that will uplift us and not make us feel down.
Prayer and meditation are an important part of my life and my daily routine. I feel calm and ready to conquer my day or have a peaceful night of sleep after meditating and praying. So if this is something you do too, I encourage you to do so even more; especially during these times of uncertainties.
5. Be Helpful and show more kindness and compassion
Let’s all be mindful of what we publish, share or say, as we may not be aware of what the person hearing or seeing it is going through. Also, whether it is: offering to pick up grocery for our elderly neighbor or for a single parent stuck at home with children and afraid to take them to the grocery store; offering to babysit so a medical professional can have some peace of mind while working long hours during this pandemic, let’s be helpful, let’s be kind, let’s be compassionate.
This list is in no way meant to be exhaustive, but just a way for me to share what I’m personally doing to develop myself during this season. So, I would love to hear what you are doing to come out of this season a better version of yourselves.
Above all, let’s practice gratitude during these tough times. It will help us get through it.
Until next time,
Huguette