There’s a silver lining to every cloud and, to live fully, we need to train ourselves to find them and to learn to dance in the rain.
The COVID-19 pandemic is no exception.
Maybe this ordeal feels like a black cloud over your head. Or it has rained on your parade, canceling an important event like a wedding or a vacation you looked forward to.
Even though this pandemic is scary and dangerous, you can make the best of it.
Besides the obvious measures health authorities recommend, such as washing your hands, social distancing and not touching your face, there are other things you can do to weather the COVID-19 pandemic with grace and, as a bonus, create new habits to improve your life after it’s over.
While this pandemic has caused death, illness and disruption to our daily lives, the situation also presents ample opportunities to grow, so we can emerge from it stronger and more united than before.
Don’t surrender to fear or glue yourself to your TV for constant negative news or numbing programming.
Instead, try these fool-proof strategies and unleash the hidden blessings of the COVID-19 pandemic:
Your day just got longer–enjoy every minute!
We all wish there were more hours in the day.
Well, you just received bonus time to embrace healthy habits that will boost your immunity and lower your stress.
Time spent commuting or getting ready in the morning, picking an outfit, doing your hair and makeup, can now be diverted to improving your health and enjoying fulfilling activities.
What are you going to do with it? Here are some ideas:
Sleep In
Sleep is the sacred time when the body restores itself and is key to good health. Yet, research shows that approximately one in three Americans are sleep deprived. The American Psychology Association states that sleeping 60 to 90 minutes more per night can make you happier and healthier.
If you are not getting enough rest, now is the time to get some extra ZZZs.
Exercise
You have received extra time to break a sweat and receive its many benefits. No excuses! There are ample workouts you can do at home while you’re quarantined available online, so you don’t need to hit the gym or purchase expensive equipment.
Meditate
If you don’t already, incorporate a period of meditation to your daily routine. It helps boost your immunity and reduce the anxiety and stress associated with the current events. You can start with just 10 minutes.
Take advantage of the meditation apps available to get you started in a pinch.
Pick up forgotten hobbies or explore something new
Any activity will do: read more, take an online course, pick up a craft or hobby you had given up on for lack of time–the possibilities are endless!
Create your dream future while you wash your hands
To prevent the spread infection, you should wash your hands and lather with soap for 20 seconds, the time it takes to sing “happy birthday” twice.
Instead of singing happy birthday, repeat positive affirmations to attain your fondest desires.
Find affirmations that you like and put together combinations that take 20 seconds to repeat.
Here’s my favorite 20-second combination from Florence Scovel Shinn:
“The future holds promises of mysterious good. Anything can happen overnight.”
“The unexpected happens, my seemingly impossible good now comes to pass.”
“All doors now open for happy surprises and the Divine Plan of my life is speeded up under grace.”
Need affirmation ideas? Visit my website and download your FREE printable affirmation cards.
Spend quality time with loved ones
We are normally so busy that our time together isn’t always well spent. Play games with your kids or improvise an indoor crafts camp.
Enjoy more intimacy with your partner.
Cuddle with your pet! It reduces stress levels and improves your health.
Reach out to old friends and relatives. Pick up the phone or start a video-conference with someone you have lost touch with. They will be thrilled to hear from you.
Declutter your world
This is the perfect time to organize your home and rid yourself of unnecessary clutter. Clear your pantries and closets.
Go through your possessions and set aside the things you no longer use or need. Donate the items to charity–lots of people will be strapped for cash as a result of the virus. If you’re one of them, identify articles you can sell for extra income.
Take on some DIY projects.
Practice Kindness
As frustrated as you may feel, others may be worse off than you.
Allow this pandemic to release the best in you!
Check in with your elderly relatives, friends and neighbors. Help out by picking up groceries and meds, bringing home cooked meals or walking their dogs.
Spend time in reflection and self-observation
If you live alone, self-quarantine offers you a magical opportunity to connect with your higher self. Dust off your journal and start writing. Explore the lessons encoded in this pandemic and how you will apply them when life returns to normal.
Become more efficient
Uncertainties in the supply chain make you more frugal in the use of staples. Identify wasteful practices you engage in as you have to stretch your supplies to last for an unknown period of time. And stick to them. They will save you money over time.
This, too, shall pass
We are in this together. We can get through this.
The dangers of this pandemic have forced us to examine our behaviors and take actions to keep us healthy.
Paired with a positive attitude, they will save your sanity during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.
Sonia
Frontera is a family attorney, empowerment trainer and full-time doggie mom. She is the proud survivor of an unhappy marriage, a liberating divorce and is living proof that there’s life after separation. Sonia is the author of the #1 bestseller “Solve the Divorce Dilemma: Do You Keep Your Husband or Do You Post Him on Craigslist?”
She loves to hear from readers and can be reached at her internet home.
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