7 Tips to Overcome the Pandemic Blues

More and more people suffer from, let's call it: the Pandemic Blues. And that's an understatement for many. What can we do about it?

It's December 2021, and it's officially 2 years ago COVID-19 hit the world by storm.?

2 years. 2 years of social distancing, lockdowns, closing stores and public places, and not being able to socialize with friends or even family.?Losing people, jobs at risk, the economy getting hit, so many uncertainties.

With over 256 million people infected and over 5 million who died, it scares the living hell out of all of us.?

So we stay home, work from home if possible. Don't see people as we used to anymore, even hugging your friends could potentially kill you. At least, that's the fear we have (let's not go into the discussion of how big the risks are).?

The fact is: we suffer.?

Habits form slowly, but with consistent repetition, it does happen. Especially if you have 2 years of time to do so.?

So, what CAN you do to release yourself from the Pandemic Blues?

Here are 7 tips to help you get through these times.?

#1: Create awareness of your thoughts.

Thoughts create our reality. What we think feeds our feelings, and our feelings feed our thoughts. So if you feel scared, your mind follows that path too so you keep feeling scared.?

Controlling your feelings is hard, but controlling your thoughts can be easy.

Step 1 is creating awareness of your thoughts. And that can be triggered by your feeling. So if you feel anxious, signal that feeling and mind what your thoughts are.?

What if you would think something else? Like how great it is, you have air to breathe? Or you can go outside and enjoy the sun, the cold, the rain, or whatever the weather is? Or keep inside and stay cosey warm and enjoy watching a movie?

Get more help on learning how to manage your thoughts.

#2: Focus on what you do have.

Focussing on the things you do have gives you a feeling of ease. Our brain is wired to look for negative things because they could be a danger to our survival. But when you're sitting home, following 'the rules', there's nothing that threatens you, right? So that fear is not applicable. And you can neutralize that fear by focussing on the things you do have and being grateful for them.?

When you feel grateful, you can't feel anger, fear, or anxiety.?In other words, you experience a feeling of joy, positivity again for a change...

Focussing on what you DO have, makes you feel better. And it can be anything. Even how small they are. Like I said before, breathing air could be enough to feel good. You breathe every single day without even noticing it. It's the ultimate example of how abundant you are.

So look around, what do you see you can be grateful for?

If you can't find anything, schedule a call so I can help you identify them.

#3: Do the things you love, more

You get it already that we want to shift our feelings from "fear" to "feeling better".

So, go do things that you love and do them more than before.

Now, that might have some difficulties, because maybe the thing you love is something you can't do because of the restrictions. In that situation (I've been there), look for something else, maybe even completely new. That thing you've been pushing forward for years.?

For me, that happened when our Tennis club closed. I loved to play, but all of a sudden I couldn't anymore. So, I decided to start running and train to run for 5km. After 3 months I made it, and added another 5 to run 10km. And I also achieved that. Just by doing something else.

And it does not matter what it is. Explore something new. It is actually a proven fact that when you try new things, your brain creates new pathways and connections, so it's a good exercise for the brain too.?

Be creative, anything goes. Puzzles, gardening, knitting, drawing, running, cooking, reading, starting a side business, you name it.?

Don't know where to start? Let me help you discover your 'ikigai'.

#4: Move more and eat healthy food.

This has two reasons. If you're healthy, that means your immune system has a 'overcapacity' so will guard you better against external dangers, like viruses, bacteria, parasites, etc. So chances are, if you get infected by COVID, it will harm you less hard than when you are living a very unhealthy lifestyle. Research has shown that most people that died from COVID had at least 1 other disease (they may or not may know of) they were dealing with. And since over 60% of the western world has overweight, chances are you have some work to do there too.?

So, increase your health by losing weight (if that's the case), so the risk of getting very sick decreases. Oh, and your chances increase you will live longer too.?

The other reason is that exercise and the food we eat, determine a great deal how we feel.

Food triggers hormones, just as exercising does. And hormones are the driving forces of our feelings.?

So, if you want to feel better, have at least a 30-minute walk every day. Walking is good for the brain, for fat loss, and overall movement is absolutely good for you. Your joints, muscles, cell regeneration, the release of stress, fresh air, etc., etc., etc. We all know that.?

Now, if you want to combine 4 and 3 you're getting two for the price of one. Having regular exercise, will for sure help you to get out of your depressed state.?

Food is the same thing. Eat more vegetables, no high-processed food (like pre-cooked meals you only have to heat up in the microwave), and cut off the majority of your carbs (especially sugar). Your metabolism needs to adapt maybe, but it will do wonders.??

And again, combine it with the previous point: Learn how to cook better!

Download my new ebook about losing weight with fasting now.

#5: Stay away from the news

When you stay away from the things that feed the anxiety, like the news, you won't get new input. So stop watching the news or reading it online, is a very smart decision because they only want to bring all the negativity into your home. It's their business model.

And you know what? If something really important happens, you'll know. Through friends, and social media. Don't worry to miss out. You won't. You will feel better without having the news on every day.

#6: Use technology to connect with people

It may sound weird, but getting on a zoom call with this old friend you haven't talked in ages is really cool. Join Facebook groups about a (new) topic you want to dive in. Play online games with others. Use a VR headset to connect virtually with others. The metaverse is coming, so you better get ready for that too!

And other tech ideas have been developed to join each other online. For example, you can share your playlist with friends on Spotify so you can listen to the same music at the same time. So again, also here, there are many options you have to discover how they can fit into your lifestyle and things you love to do.

Are we connected yet?

#7: Get help

Last but certainly not least: Get help. Talk to your doctor. Get a coach. Someone that can help you get your shit back in order.?

Someone that can hold you accountable, help you with questions you have, like for example how you can improve your food or lose weight. As a matter of fact, I have written a downloadable book about that, that you can get it right here: ?Let that be a start.?

And if you want, I'm offering my help here too. If you want help in getting through these shitty times, it's what I do. So go over to MasterYourPersonality.com and schedule a call with me. We'll go over the things you're struggling with and we will discuss how I would be able to help you.?

Because you can feel better. Everything IS possible.