Finding the joy during COVID-19

As many of us will be navigating this new weirdness of staying at home for an extended period, I thought I would share my thoughts about finding the joy during this time. I hope this helps others and I would welcome feedback and other ideas as we share this experience.

I am expecting the greatest challenge most people will face (outside of direct medical issues) will be sustaining a healthy mental state. I expect to experience a steady stream of bad news while physically isolated (and possibly while crammed together with the same people), so I its imperative for all of us to actively manage this experience to find the joy and opportunities in it.

My thoughts on the best practices worth sharing are:

Plan for social distancing, NOT social isolation

Stay connected with friends, family, coworkers, using the amazing modern technology we have. Use video if you can as it offers a higher percentage of the social cues that make the conversation ‘feel real’ than just phone. Don't forget to find new ways too! I really like some of the creative approaches we are seeing in Italy

Stay busy

Keep yourself occupied with work or with things you enjoy. This may include things you do everyday now, things you haven’t done in a long time, and things you always wanted to do. Ensure variety to keep your mind active and occupied on healthy things:

• Passive activities - movies/videos, books, etc.
• Active/interactive activities - cards, board games, etc.
• Creative Activities - writing, drawing, telling stories, etc
• Learn a new skill (or work to master it) - cooking, sewing, writing, playing music, etc.

In my case, I have small kids and we are having them take turns planning and running activities and events in the house (including printing out tickets for everyone else).

Focus on the positive

Always focus on positive things. No matter how rough it gets, make sure to take extended breaks from the news/social streams. This will help you remember there is more to life and that life will go on afterward.

Do some physical activity

As much as you can, do some moving to burn off the physical energy in your body (which can build into emotional frustration). You may be limited to just push ups or sit ups in your apartment or you may have a neighborhood you can safely walk in without getting too close to people.

Tell stories

Our brains are wired for stories, it’s how out ancestors learned and connected with each other long before we had writing and all this modern technologies. Share your stories, ask people with you for theirs, and/or write them down. We all love good stories.

Plan and structure your time

You may have a lot of free time. Plan for using like its your job. Get a routine going that works for you (write in the morning while you have energy/clarity, then exercise, etc.)

Don’t worry, be happy

Worrying and stress will lower your immune system, so focusing on avoiding stress as much as possible will keep you as strong as you can be. While it feels like a paradox at first, if you are able to take a stoic attitude and simply expect/accept that bad things will happen, you can more easily focus on what you can do to help (cheering up loved ones and strangers, volunteering, etc.)

YOU are valuable and valued!

YOU got this!