9 Tips to Improve Your Life During the Pandemic

My 93-year mother was recently admitted to a nursing home due to a pre-existing health condition and is now, unfortunately, among the most likely to fall victim to this coronavirus pandemic. Because the rapidly spreading pandemic is causing widespread fears, I’ve decided to circulate some practical tips to calm those fears and improve our lives during these very challenging times. Given the difficult reality of my mother’s fragile circumstances, I believe these tips are not falsely optimistic but reflect a balanced, positive, and helpful approach that is based in reality.

Focus on What You Can Control, Not on What You Cannot Control:

First, I find it helpful to remind myself of the principles of the serenity prayer. For example, accepting the things I cannot change and only focus on what I can change. I cannot stop the global spread of the coronavirus, but I can change my own behavior and adjust my mindset. I can wash my hands more often, avoid direct physical contact with others, and develop a realistically optimistic attitude. Worrying about things we cannot control makes us feel worse. Focusing on things we can control (our behavior and mindset) makes us feel better.

Structure Your Day:

Schedule times to work, have fun, and physically move, etc. Due to the need to isolate, most people will spend much more time at home than usual. As a result, it is helpful to structure your day.

If working from home, structure both your time working and your working space. When people first start to work from home, they often struggle to distinguish between work and non-work activities. Set a time to begin work, set break times, and set an end time to your workday. An alternative approach to setting an end time is to focus on productivity. For example, maybe you determine that there are three important work-related tasks that you much complete that day. Tell yourself that when you complete those three tasks, you will end work for the day. Also, designate a place in your home to work and (as much as possible) only work in that space.

For your mental health, it is essential to have some fun, entertainment, or other productive distractions during these stressful times. Although these are dark times, there are some silver linings: Most of us have much more free time as the pace of our society slows down and we are required to remain at home. Take advantage of the slow down to do things you have been putting off because you were too busy. What are some books you have wanted to read or movies you have wanted to watch? Now is an excellent opportunity to catch up on your reading and movie watching. If there are projects in your home that you have been putting off, this is a great time to complete them. This is also an excellent time to practice yoga and meditation.

I also recommend that as much as possible, you keep a healthy diet, avoid overeating, and reduce your alcohol consumption during your isolation. Although eating junk food and drinking more alcohol might make you feel better in the very short term, it will make you feel worse in the longer term.

Stop Watching the News 24/7: Yes, you need to be informed about the progress of the pandemic. But you do not need to listen to the news hour after hour. Remember, change the things you can change and do not worry about what you cannot change. Continuously watching negative news stories will needlessly increase stress and anxiety. Maybe watch the TV news for 15 minutes every several hours then flip to a comedy show or some other enjoyable program. By the way, laughter is a wonderful way to reduce stress and decrease anxiety.

Increase Your Social Interactions (while keeping a physical distance from others): As previously stated, most of us have much more free time during this pandemic. Use some of that time to phone (Skype, Facetime, etc.) your loved ones and friends elsewhere. For your own and others’ mental health, it is vital to be socially connected, particularly during times of widespread anxiety. As the need to isolate increases, many people are starting to feel socially disconnected and depressed. During times like this, we need to connect with others more, not less. Pick up the phone (or other electronic device) and reach out to friends and family. Maybe also call neighbors who live alone or are otherwise isolated.

Physically Move: Because we are confined to our homes, most of us are not physically moving as much as before the pandemic required us to isolate. Physical movement is not only good for the body, it is also good for the mind. In order to stay physically and mentally healthy, it is imperative to move frequently. Physical movement can include vigorous exercise, but it can also be as simple as walking around the dining room table several times.

Avoid Cabin Fever. I do not intend to contradict the advice of epidemiologists who are encouraging us (correctly) to keep a physical distance from others. However, where reasonably possible, I encourage you to get outside once or twice a day. Remaining indoors 24/7 for several weeks will become extremely stressful for most people. Cabin fever can start to adversely affect us after just one or two days of indoor isolation.

Twice a day, at dawn and dusk (times when fewer people are outside), I take my dogs for a 15-minute walk around my neighborhood. I avoid getting close to others I come across, but I greatly appreciate these times outdoors (and so do my dogs). Sometimes I also go on short cycling trips for both the physical exercise and the opportunity to get fresh air. If there are just too many people around to maintain a physical distance from others while walking or cycling, at least step out your front or back door and feel the sun (or rain) on your face.

Do Not Get Sucked Into Hysteria: Just because a lot of other people are responding to the situation in a particular manner does not mean you have to do likewise. Take the hoarding of toilet paper, for example. Toilet paper does not prevent nor help treat this coronavirus, yet thousands of people took desperate action to find and secure supplies of toilet paper in response to the spread of the virus. Most people that frantically searched for toilet paper were sucked into the hysteria of a very few who began the trend. When people heard that others were hoarding toilet paper, they assumed it was necessary to do so. It was not necessary. It was group hysteria. Make decisions based on logic and rationality, not on what “everyone else” is doing. Two thousand years ago, Marcus Aurelius, a practitioner of Greek philosophy, stated, “I don’t strive to be among the majority, I strive to separate myself from the insane.” His words are as applicable today as they were then.

Help Others: Or at least offer to help others. I have told my neighbors (via email) that as long as I’m healthy, if they need something from the grocery store or medication from the pharmacy, I will be glad to get it for them (and leave it on their doorstep so we keep our physical distance). Focusing on ways to help others is not only a benefit to them, but it also lowers your own stress and anxiety. Finding ways to help others might be another productive activity that you can control in the midst of so much you cannot control. (Circulating these tips is another way I’m attempting to help others during this crisis.)

Acknowledge Humanity Will Survive this Pandemic: It is important to keep in mind that for most of us there will be a better life after this crisis is resolved. Unfortunately, this pandemic will result in tens of thousands of deaths globally and will damage the economy of every country. But humans are natural survivors and we have survived worse than these circumstances. I challenge you to start to think about how you will enjoy your life more when we get beyond the dark clouds of this pandemic.

A Quick Recap of the Tips to Improve Your Life During the Pandemic:

?1.   Focus on What You Can Control.

2.   Structure Your Day.

3.   Stop Watching the News 24/7.

4.   Increase Your Social Interactions (remotely).

5.   Physically Move.

6.   Avoid Cabin Fever.

7.   Do Not Get Sucked Into Hysteria.

8.   Help Others.

9.   Acknowledge Humanity Will Survive this Pandemic.

Note: If you find these tips are helpful, feel free to pass them on to others you think might also benefit.