How to Maintain a Positive Mindset During a Global Pandemic

The whole world has turned upside down. We are away from family and friends, need to stay indoors and many jobs and lives have been lost. Looking after your mental health has never been as important. Those with existing mental health conditions are at risk of relapsing and having the distractions they once counted on to cope have been taken away from them, myself included.

Here are a few motivating tips and thoughts I have followed the last few weeks that have helped me to come to terms with the current situation:

Control what you can control

If you can’t change it, don’t focus on it. Our freedom has been severely restricted for the greater good. You may have been laid off, furloughed, are unwell or know someone that has caught the COVID-19 virus. You have every right to mourn in these challenging times however in order to get through this, we need to focus on the solutions - not the problem.

Limit watching the news to only once a day. You cannot control how bad the situation is in another country, but you can do your part by following the guidelines strictly. Just like fixing climate change, each individual can do their part for the greater good and collectively, we will get through this.

Don’t be too harsh on your work done from home

I saw a fantastic tweet at the start of lock down whilst I was working from home: "You are not working from home; you are at your home during a crisis trying to work." Forgive yourself for not producing promotion-worthy work during this lockdown, and no one should be expecting you to. With little notice, we’ve all had to adjust to a new work environment where you may have additional childcare issues or even no adequate work space.

Plan your work day, take more breaks, buy some noise-cancelling headphones or maybe have virtual water cooler chats with your colleagues to keep up morale. Don’t beat yourself up about it, you try your best and that’s all anyone can ask of you.

Be kind to yourself

With no reason to get up and ready, self care can fly out the window. This doesn’t always mean doing the 9am Joe Wicks workout or making a green smoothie (although they definitely count). You owe it to yourself to have a healthy sleep schedule, get out of bed, wear washed and ironed clothes, eat a healthy balanced diet to feel your best. Treat yourself how you’d treat a loved one you’re looking after.

These small actions are a positive affirmation to your brain that you deserve respect and helps your self esteem. Are you really expecting to get started on that online course after binging Netflix till 3am and not showering for 5 days?

Embrace the change and move with it.

This ties in with ‘control what you can control’. You may never get this opportunity for so much free time again. Now, this can be difficult - how on earth do you expect me to remain positive when I’ve lost my job? Or I now spend an hour doing my shopping everyday. This is the time to do an online course to improve your career options or listen to audiobooks whilst you’re in the queue for groceries.

People are bonding more with their families, taking up running, baking, reading and many other hobbies they never had the time to do. Think about one positive new thing you’ve done since the lockdown, even something as simple as ‘I’ve learnt 2 new recipes’.

This is the time to reflect

I heard a fantastic phrase from Dr. Rangan Chatterjee’s “Feel Better Live More” podcast Ep. 107 with John McAvoy . In summary, McAvoy mentioned how we have all currently pressed pause on our lives. Now is the time to think - “when I press play again, am I really going to be happy with my life?”. Is your job really where you want to be? Are you having second thoughts on your relationship?

I personally spent way too much time at work, burning myself out and not spending enough time with my partner. I got carried away with this and I’ve needed this lockdown to show me I was not spending my time on the things that are truly going to make me happy.

Plan what you’re doing tomorrow today

You’ve probably heard this for planning your day at work. If you are not working anymore, this is going to help you build up a routine. You don’t have to plan every hour, even if it’s just one thing such as ‘video call my best friend’ then that is one step further. Really specify the goal. Don’t just say ‘tomorrow I’m going to do some yoga’ - pick out a specific video you’re going to try. You’ll feel a lot more motivated the following day having that decision already been made for you.

This too shall pass

Remember, this is temporary. None of us know how much longer till things go back to normal, but it will happen. You have survived 100% of your bad days, weeks, months or years. The better our mental outlook at this time, the more we can start enjoying time in quarantine rather than enduring it. We’re all in this together, we’ve got this and stay safe!