How to stay positive during corona
Staying positive in these Corona times can be quite daunting and well near impossible. Especially when you find articles such as these: Japan Declared a Coronavirus Emergency. Is It Too Late? (( the New York Times found here https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/world/asia/japan-coronavirus-emergency.html)) and Coronavirus: Italy reports biggest daily jump in death toll (( the BBC found here https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51777049)). Of course the media have to report on this and give us the appropriate information but the headlines alone can be quite scary. Especially the first one - 'is it too late' is not a seed that should be planted in anyone's head.
So I thought to compile a list of very practical things that I have been doing to keep myself hopeful. My mental health, emotional health and even physical are improving daily - privileges I do not take for-granted and neither should you. So here is a list of ten practical ways to stay positive in these Corona times:
WATCH WHAT YOU FEED YOUR MIND
This becomes obvious just from reading the first paragraph of this post. It is however, a rather multifaceted issue. In fact, if you think about the fact that there is a whole discipline that investigates the workings of our mind and behaviour called psychology you realise how complex this is.
."..in our modern world, it would benefit our brains to have a more positive outlook on life. "You can train your brain to think positively, formulate happy thoughts, and counteract negative ones," Dr. Serani says. Employing new thinking habits are at the heart of psychotherapy, she says. "Changing how your [sic] think can improve how your feel," she says. Studies (( Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/psychiatry-research-neuroimaging)) show practicing [sic] new thinking strategies by being mindful about positive experiences can actually alter the structure of the brain" (( Donvito, The Healthy https://www.thehealthy.com/aging/mind-memory/brain-secrets/))
More on positive thinking and calming anxiety to come next week. We will look at Dr Brandon Kelly's Coping with Coronavirus: How to Stay Calm and Protect Your Mental Health: A Psychological Toolkit. You can buy it for £0.99 here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coping-Coronavirus-Protect-Psychological-Toolkit-ebook/dp/B0869TH43N or for $1.05 here: https://www.amazon.com/Coping-Coronavirus-Protect-Psychological-Toolkit-ebook/dp/B0869TH43N. (NOT AN AD)
Neurocore (( https://www.neurocorecenters.com/blog/blogmental-brain-health10-habits-for-mental-health)) list these as great things to do for mental health:
- Exercise
- Socialise
- Go outside
- Meditate
- Laugh
- Sleep well
- Be thankful
- Craft
- Eat Well
- Plan something fun
Some of the things on these list may be impossible depending on where in the world you are and the restrictions of your lockdown. Please be responsible and adhere to the government's regulations so that lives can be saved. But just because you can't go outside with a specific number of people, does not mean there is nothing to do. Although I am grateful for social media and how it's made our world smaller, remember, too much screen time might not be too great for you ((https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-scary-lasting-effects-of-too-much-screen-time-on-children-2019-04-10)) . So as we come up with creative ideas for the above list, I will do my best to stay clear or minimise screen time.
EXERCISE / WORK OUT / MOVE IT MOVE IT
Can't go to the club because of Corona? No need to worry. Stay positive in these Corona times by bringing the club to yourself!! Put on your best sneakers or heels. Dress to the nines if you want to. You might as well wear what you would have worn if you could have gone out. Put on some music with the family (or by yourself) and shake what your mama gave or didn't give you. Break a sweat and kill two birds with one stone: exercise and laugh.
Or alternatively, you could go for a walk in nature, embrace your inner child and skip rope or be practical and clean the house and/or garden! You get to exercise while getting fresh air, having fun and getting ish done.
Go for a walk Image by Daniel Reche from Pixabay 
Unleash your inner child and skip Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay 
Clean regularly Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
SOCIALISE AKA GET TO KNOW THE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE
Socialising during Corona is a whole new way of life. This is key to staying positive in these Corona times. Technology is kind of unavoidable here. If you are wanting to get in touch with relatives who for obvious reasons, you cannot physically interact with, then there are tools out there like... you know them so I don't even have to mention them. Otherwise, here is a list of creative things to do.
LETTER WRITING
I personally feel like this is a lost art. There is something deeply thoughtful and endearing about someone taking their time to write you a letter. If you want to help me stay positive in these Corona times by reminding me that you love me and are thinking of me, please do send me a letter.
CAPTURE THE MOMENTS BY TAKING PHOTOS OF YOUR TIME SPENT TOGETHER
Taking photos needn't be about posting on Instagram or blogging (guilty as charged haha) but it can be a fun thing to do even by yourself. You know sometimes you take such hideous photos of yourself (not me though lol) that you can't help but laugh, that's a fantastic thing. You could also learn new photography and photo editing skills or improve them, simultaneously. Here is a link to some photos that Melody and a few other friends took of me before Corona https://www.lorraine-moalosi.com/my-week-in-photos/... for reference of course.
LET'S GET CREATIVE
I am just going to write it all in a list instead of paragraphs because the sky is the limit here.
- Draw
- Paint
- Write a song
- Choreograph a dance
- Do some gardening
- DIY projects around the house (more on this soon). You have the time and you don't need to spend a fortune either. I think governments are advising not to go furniture shopping so please follow restrictions.
- Clean out your closet (...and get creative with old clothes perhaps?)
- Learn some visual arts skills
- Start a podcast
- Work your magic in the kitchen
- Spice up your love life (nudge nudge, wink wink)
- Learn cursive writing
- Give knitting or crotcheting a go
- Top up your language skills
- Read a book
- Write a book
- Blog
- Sing
- Paper mache anyone?
- STAY AWAY FROM TIK TOK (It's so good it can literally rob you of hours of your life)
- Bonus: create a game that you can play with loved ones over the phone
What do these have to do with socialising you ask? I guess some are obvious while some not so much. When doing some of these, involve your loved ones even if over the phone. Talk to your grandmother about your book concept, for example. Bake up a storm for your family or if you are alone eat on their behalf and make them watch via video call (mwahaha!!).
ALWAYS REMEMBER
Laughing and going outside are integral to all of the above activities. It's important to allow yourself to have fun despite everything no matter what. I am pushing myself to have fun despite grieving the loss of a loved one. And I am continually praying for you, followers of my blog, future followers of my blog and those I will never have much of an association with. Take care of yourself, mentally, emotionally, physically and in every possible way. If you are a covidiot, change your ways, humanity is depending on you being responsible. I love you guys and thank you for making it to the end. I have only mentioned five ways of staying positive so best believe there is a part two. Until next time... xoxo Lorraine
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