4 easy ways to stay optimistic during the pandemic

March 31, 2022
Health

We had been living our lives in the conventional way for so long that when we were told to stay at our homes and do nothing that associates with capitalism or earning money, it left us feeling flabbergasted. The world has been facing a pandemic since 2 years now and still it is not over. We have faced lockdowns and several protocols just to step out. Now, however excruciatingly tiring the pandemic has been, we do have something to be thankful for though don’t we? We are human beings with interesting minds and warm hearts, we know how to see something good and focus on it. How about we take a look at the positive sides, to remind us about the good? Here’s a list you might find helpful:

Spending more time with your family

Getting to spend time with your family can never turn out to be unwelcoming, it has the warmth that we all need. During the pandemic the days are longer than usual and all you can do is try and stay at home. This is where the family part comes in. Be it having tea with them or getting a champi from our mothers. Some fun discussions or watching reality TV with them is cool too. I mean we got to witness the India Pakistan match with family as well. So many emotions, no! The little moments with families helps in making it clear that we are all in this together and we will get through this. Also, who is to say when we will get to spend time with them like this again? So, let’s enjoy that as much as we can.

Time for new hobbies

When we were told to stay at home, it was terrifying for us humans but one thing had become clear. The time that we got is something highly essential for us, something that we seriously need. For once, we have all the time to change and accept and create and love and admire and grow and maybe get the 7 hours of sleep as well. During these difficult times, we got to stay at homes and learn new things, and starting new hobbies like:

Baking or cooking
Reading cozy books (you could always give time to classics too)
Painting
Tailoring and stitching, etc.
Other DIY projects
Gardening

These activities help us learn new things and we get to spend our time effectively as well.

Self-care and self-actualization

As I mentioned above, the time we are being offered is a lot and the mind starts to wander so, to avoid that we need to take care of ourselves. Engage in activities that are therapeutic for us. We all need that even if there was no pandemic. Giving yourself the time you need for things helps in self-actualization. The hobbies mentioned above could be used for self-care activities and other than that, we could engage in any activity that brings us joy. Wake up every day and have your cup of coffee, write something in your journals, listen to new songs and watch some movies. Try any of these activities and your mind would feel less exhausted.

Romanticization of life and the ordinary of it

Time can be passed with activities but the pandemic has made one thing clear, the day-to-day life needs to be appreciated. This is where idealization of life or romanticizing it comes into the picture. Looking at the ordinary things in life helps. It gives us hope and the warmth that it would always stay with us. The sunshine every morning, the blue skies and pretty clouds, dogs in the street, sunsets and tea, the gorgeous moon, the merriment of spending time with the people you love and register these moments. Registering these moments help us remember the importance of the life that exists among us.

The pandemic has been a difficult journey and the repercussions are still evident but the fact that we have been fighting through it and are continuing to, speaks volumes about our resilience. It is definitely something to be proud of. Staying optimistic through this must be hard but it’s important to have some faith, some hope.

There could be no better way to put it than with the iconic line from ‘The Shawshank Redemption’