It’s not easy to have a positive outlook these days. Even if more than 80 million people received at least one dose of the vaccine, new coronavirus variants have emerged. The recent calamities have not helped either.
But there is still a way for people to have a positive mindset despite the current situation. Instead of focusing on the negative things that happened, people can look at the brighter side. Doing this will give people the energy they need to weather the storm.
Limit News Watching
One thing a person can do is to avoid watching too much news. Staying tuned to the news all day contributes to higher levels of anxiety. While it’s good to stay up to date with what is happening around the country, it will also harm people if they let their lives revolve around it.
To avoid this situation, they can choose one source of news and set a schedule when they should watch it. They should also limit it to 30 minutes at a time. They should also focus on reputable news programs that focus on announcements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Instead of watching the news the whole day, people can start a hobby or work on tasks piled up over the week. They can also work with their kids to finish their work on their senior high school STEM courses.
Watch Funny Videos
There’s nothing more entertaining than watching funny videos on YouTube. The video-sharing website has thousands of videos that can put a smile on anyone’s face. There is a wide variety of funny videos to choose from, including sports videos, animal videos, and behind-the-scene movie outtakes.
Watching these videos allows you to take your mind off what’s happening around the country. Laughing at funny videos is a good way to relieve stress. Its short-term benefits include soothing tension and stimulate several organs. Laughter can also improve the immune system and the mood of a person. Due to this, watching funny videos can reduce depression and help people stay positive.
Help Other People
Helping other people can do wonders for a person’s well-being. It makes the person feel good as it promotes changes in the brain that are linked to happiness. It can also boost a person’s self-esteem, especially if they regularly practice these random acts of kindness. Research has also shown that helping people in need can give a person a sense of purpose since it makes them feel rewarded and fulfilled.
These acts of kindness can be as simple as leaving a small gift to the delivery person outside the door. It can also be a cup of coffee to the doorman of the apartment. Sometimes helping others doesn’t require a person to spend anything. It can be an unsolicited book review for an up-and-coming author. The act of kindness can also be a simple expression of gratitude to the people who keep everyone safe during the pandemic.
When the pandemic started over a year ago, Italians started singing together from their balconies and windows to show their appreciation to the doctors and nurses who were hard-pressed in dealing with the pandemic. The act of appreciation came as the country was in a lockdown due to the increasing number of coronavirus cases. These may be simple acts, but they gave the healthcare workers the second wind they needed to deal with the health crisis.
Supporting Local Businesses
With the pandemic forcing people to stay home rather than eat at a restaurant or shop, many small businesses have struggled to stay afloat. While some businesses went online to connect with their customers, others did not have the budget or know-how. Due to this, many businesses closed during the pandemic.
People can help local businesses so that they can pay their staff and keep the business open. They can order takeout or buy a gift card from these businesses. These may be simple acts of support, but if everyone in the neighborhood does it, it can go a long way to help the business.
Another way to help them is to promote them on social media. People can share the social media pages of these businesses so their friends can also pitch in. They can order the products of these businesses and have them delivered to them. Additionally, people with skills can also offer their services for free, such as designing their website for free.
The pandemic has severely affected the mental health of many people around the country. But if they focus on the good things in life, they can face the crisis with a positive mindset until everything goes back to normal.