5 Simple Ways to Handle Pandemic Life

Dear friends,

I think it’s safe to say that when the covid pandemic started last year, none of us were expecting it to last this long. It’s been a wild ride to say the least! But, since it has lasted this long, the whole world is figuring out new ways of living and coping to stay happy and healthy (and sane).

I wanted to write about the 5 best ways I’ve found to handle the uncertainty, frustration, and lessened amounts of social interaction we’re getting because of the current worldwide situation! Some of these are bigger and some are smaller, but they’ve all helped me.

1. Drink lots of water
2. Talk to trusted family and friends, either in person or on the phone
3. Make deliberate time to do things you like and find “flow”
4. Take time to be with yourself
5. Choose to be hopeful

So here we go!

1. Drink water. You may think this is so simple that it couldn’t really have an impact on your happiness. Wrong! I am currently in southern Idaho doing an internship at a local museum (and loving it). But southern Idaho is much dryer than Washington, and I have to be constantly drinking water or I get intense headaches. I’m no medical professional but I do know that the human body runs on water. If we are giving our bodies the fuel it needs, we will be more comfortable and happier. It’s not like you can take a break from being in your body, so it’s best to take care of your bodily home.

1. Talk to trusted family and friends. This one is a bit more obvious. With limited social interaction and social distancing, it can be hard to enjoy the levels of personal interaction and human connectedness that we did before the pandemic. I don’t know about you, but this has been a little hard for me. I’ve found so much comfort in calling my friends and family and being intentional about finding human interaction in other ways. Be creative! Phone calls, video chatting, texting, letter writing (not quite as “personal,” but still one of my favorites). Be creative! The world is your (unfortunately covid infested) oyster!
2. Find “flow” in doing things you like. Everyone knows that people find joy in doing things they like. But if you don’t know what flow is, I would highly suggest looking it up – it’s so fascinating! Flow happens when you are doing something you enjoy, all your attention and energy is focused on that task, and you are fully invested in it. Time goes by quickly, you aren’t distracted by other things, and you’re enjoying yourself! That sounds like a good deal to me.
3. Take time to be with yourself. Just like you need to spend time with others, it’s also important to have “you time.” If you’re feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or confused, those feelings are stemming from somewhere. You may not be able to fix all the problems in the world that are contributing to those feelings, but you can do some self-evaluating and see what personal changes need to be made. Is your sleep schedule or diet out of whack? Are you spending too much time looking at negative news or social media?  Are you allocating your time well or are you too focused on work? Or school? (That’s the one that usually gets me.) Take some time with yourself and see what yourself has to say.

1. Choose to be hopeful. This one is a little trickier because it’s more abstract than the others, but it’s also much more personal. If you’re pessimistic and negative about the future, you’re going to be more pessimistic and negative about your life now. It’s ok to be nervous or uncertain, but don’t let that overwhelm you. If you choose to also be hopeful about the future, you’ll be more hopeful and optimistic about your life now! Being hopeful is a choice. We can choose to be upset, or we can choose to be happy. I’m not pretending this is easy to do, but it’s definitely worth the effort.

Take these suggestions and make them yours. Make them work for you. These are after all just suggestions! I invite you to intentionally find and use all the resources available to you to be happier and to manage living through this history in the making. And work to find happiness along the way!

Sincerely,

Kayla