The COVID-19 pandemic has put countless people through so many challenges and difficulties that they have never even imagined were possible. People went from living “normal” lives, working and going out, to being stuck at home for months. Here are five ways to help you deal with life’s challenges during the coronavirus pandemic and after the pandemic ends.
Focus on the positives
Regardless of how bad the situation is, you can always find some type of positive in the challenges. For instance, currently there is a pandemic happening, which may have forced you to adopt a new lifestyle from home. But now, maybe you have more time to see your loved ones, or maybe you have the time to work on a hobby that you typically are too busy for. This also applies to other struggles you may be facing. Always look for the silver lining in things. Sometimes the positive is difficult to find, but it is there.
Focus on reality
Be realistic. Try not to fill your head with unrealistic expectations. Living in a fantasy world to distract yourself from your problems does not make them go away. Be optimistic and look forward for good things, but do not fill your mind with things that you know are not possible. Be present in the situation but do not let it consume you.
Feel
Despite all of the craziness going on in the world at the moment, you are allowed to feel happy. Despite the fact that there are countless lives being lost due to the virus, you are allowed to be sad. Feeling happy or sad when there are people who have it worse than you does not make you a bad person. Of course, empathy is important, but you are also allowed to have feelings separate from whatever you or anybody else is going through. The same goes for any other hardships you may be facing. You may think that you must feel a certain way because of what is going on, but you are allowed to feel whatever you want to.
Schedule dwelling
It is easy to sit and watch the news all day, every day. The media can be addictive, but you cannot let it consume you. Pick a single showing of the news a day. That way, you are involved and are aware of what is happening in the world, but you are not obsessing over it. For other problems, pick a time slot of half an hour that you will let yourself dwell on what is happening. Try not to allow yourself to dwell on it outside of this time slot.
You are not alone
You are not alone. The pandemic is affecting every person on the planet at the moment. Reach out to people and take advantage of resources that are designed to help people deal with the pandemic. Outside of the pandemic, there is bound to be people going through similar difficulties that you may be experiencing. There are plenty of support groups and other forums where you can express your feelings to people who have experienced what you are going through, or who are currently experiencing what you are going through.
We hope that some of these tips can help you deal with life’s challenges during and after the coronavirus pandemic. If you feel like you are being consumed by life’s problems and it is impacting your quality of life, you should consider contacting a mental health professional.