When the news feed is not promising, and the coronavirus’s situation is getting worse every day, it isn’t easy to stay in a good mood. Over time, this can cause decreased productivity, deterioration of relationships with loved ones, depression. We share tips that will help you not to lose courage in any situation.
8 Powerful Tips To Stay Positive During Coronavirus Lockdown
1. Accept your state
The most harmful thing that can be done when emotions are off-scale is to push them deeper into yourself. Hidden strong feelings, covered by a forced smile, have a delayed effect. Not released outside, emotions can “bomb” at the most inappropriate moment.
Admit to yourself that you are now scared, lonely, sad … go to the mirror and honestly tell about everything that hurts. Tell everything as it really is, from the heart, because you are the one closest to you. This person in the mirror will definitely understand you.
It may sound strange, but this is a working psychological method. The named emotion immediately gets a release and becomes less saturated. After you’ve sincerely told yourself how you feel, it’s helpful to do this:
2. Try the “BUT” technique
The point is to counterbalance your inner anxiety or obsession with finding something good in this situation. Let it be something small, but good. Don’t discount hard times – they are sometimes given to us to appreciate the little joys in life.
– Yes, now is a difficult time. – BUT now I understand more clearly what is really important and what is not.
– Yes, I have to stay at home. – BUT I can spend more time alone with my family or with myself.
Someone will smile skeptically now. But try it. It works. For even greater impact, add a pinch of healthy humor to your BUT. And launch a flash mob among friends and family. How many BUTs can you put together for the current circumstances?
3. Put everything in its place
Cleaning helps a lot in stressful situations. Our nervous system feels relaxed and calms down when we control our part of the territory and can influence it at our discretion. Determine for yourself a surface area that you can clean to a shine without getting too tired. Let it be the bathroom for the next 40 minutes, for example. Or your desk, paper, and nightstand. Rub everything properly – when you see the result, your mood is guaranteed to improve.
4. “Come back to earth.”
In the body-oriented approach in psychology, there is the term “grounding.” This is a simple and accessible way for everyone to feel in their own body and abstract from emotions literally.
Wherever you are right now, find yourself in space. Feel your feet touching the floor or the ground, for example. Or how your back feels like the back of a chair. Turn your attention to your hands. Surely one of them is now holding a phone, a computer mouse, or a touchpad on a laptop. Close your eyes and feel skin contact with an object. When you open your eyes, look around and name 5 objects around you. Feel that YOU ARE in space. It’s a great feeling.
Creativity is another guaranteed way to relieve stress and feel better. Colour therapy can work miracles. Oil paints work best. If possible, discard brushes and conventions. Scoop up the oil paint with your finger or with your whole hand and apply it to the paper. Continue until you feel your condition change. Drawing a masterpiece for the exhibition is absolutely not required here. The main thing is positive emotions.
Not ready for that kind of expression right away? Take brushes. An even more conservative option is painting by numbers. It will allow you to keep the picture under control and get a guaranteed successful result hanging on the wall.
6. Take a break from the news
Avoid the news, but look for real facts. The worst thing about fear is the lack of information.
Anxiety appears where there are undesirable events in the future that we cannot influence. Information can help reduce anxiety. Real, from trusted sources, officially and documented, scientific research, real eyewitnesses of what is happening.
An alternative to the countless news is learning. Look towards online courses. Maybe you have long wanted to learn how to draw, learn a language, or cook something non-standard. It is always a good time for personal development. You can start with a Master Mindset.
7. Remember this is temporary
In fact, this is almost the most important point. Remember that what is happening is a temporary difficulty. “And it will pass,” says the inscription on the ring of King Solomon.
It is much easier for our psyche to cope with what has boundaries.
8. Look forward to something good
Make a plan for what you will do when the epidemic passes and the restrictive measures are lifted. What will it be? A long-awaited trip, meeting with friends, or singing karaoke?
In any case, it will be something outstanding that is worth waiting for and anticipating.
Not very good for the future? Practice in the present. Sitting at the computer? Dream yourself a cup of aromatic coffee or tea. I look forward to drinking it over time. Maybe even with a chocolate bar. Sounds great?
Conclusion
We hope you now realize that fear, panic, anxiety about the coronavirus only suppresses your immune system and does not do you any good at all. Therefore, pull yourself together and distract yourself… Catch up on your favorite or just usual activities, watch only positive films, and stop reading the news. Everything will calm down and get better.
