When we are constantly hearing devastating news as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak, it can be hard to stay optimistic.

As we undertake important measures, such as social distancing to stop the transmission of Coronavirus, now the importance of staying positive becomes even more crucial.

In these unusual and difficult times, it is important to foster positive emotions so that you can protect your mental health and weather this storm. To help bring some happiness into such gloomy days, we have compiled a few helpful measures that you can easily implement.

Check them out below and help make your mind stronger!

1. Look After Your Friends and Family

Now more than ever, it has become important to take care of each other so that we stay strong enough to fight off the deadly pandemic.

The love of your family can provide the ultimate strength for a person. It will make you more positive and productive no matter how hard the situation is. We need to look out for each other in order to get through this without it adversely impacting upon our overall well-being.

Thanks to the digital mediums such as Skype, Zoom and Facetime, we are able to stay virtually connected to the people who matter most to us!

2. Cut Back on Social Media

Getting bombarded by the information or news about the Coronavirus outbreak throughout the day is quite likely to add to your stress or mental fatigue.

With this in mind, it is prudent to limit the access you have to social media or the news, and instead, cherish the small moments and spend quality time with your loved ones. It benefits your mental health so much more as opposed to continually scrolling through your social media feeds.

Set a routine, give yourself a certain amount of time each day where you are online or on social media and make sure to stick to it. These days fake news is everywhere, especially on social media. So, be careful and mindful that you don’t believe everything you see, just because it’s on the internet.

3. Express Your Concern

It’s natural to be worried right now. But, instead of holding things in and bottling everything up, it will be a huge relief to you if you are able to share your feelings with others. Talking about your problems with others is always a positive thing to do. They can help you to overcome the worst feelings and move forward with a positive attitude, and you will be able to do the same for them.

Do not suffer in silence. Talk to the people you trust and you’ll be amazed at just how much better you can end up feeling.

4. Practice Yoga and Meditation

Yoga and Meditation are powerful techniques that help to keep tension at bay and increase positivity in the mind.

You can make use of this technique to overcome any negative thoughts you may be having, and utilize it to bring out your inner happiness and turn your mind towards positive thinking.

Now you might not see the desired results in the first few days but be patient with it, once you bring it into regular practice and it becomes a part of your everyday routine, you will soon find yourself with a much more relaxed state of mind.

Both Yoga and Meditation are stress-relieving exercises that improve your  overall health and are considered great ways to reinforce positive thoughts. There are many YouTube videos that you can follow along with to help you get started and you can even get the whole family involved! So go ahead and start today, the power of positivity will do you the world of good.

5. Acknowledge the Good Things

Start and close your day on the right note. Be grateful for what you have and cherish your accomplishments instead of focusing on the negatives.

In fact, the Coronavirus lockdown has given us some reasons to stay hopeful and strong. Now, we have plenty of time to do the following things:

• Build strong relationships
• Induce healthy habits
• Start exercising regularly
• Learn some new skill that you’ve always wanted to do
• Do something creative, either by yourself or with the family
• Explore a new hobby that you’ve never had enough time to start

Remember, all of this is temporary and it will be alright again in the future. Spread this message with whoever you are in touch with and start building a much stronger community.

6. Keep the Right Diet

You cannot deny the fact that good food boosts your mood.

Consuming clean, natural and healthy foods is good for your entire body and can even boost positive thinking. Whereas, eating unhealthy junk and sugary food creates a negative impact on a mood and, ultimately, adversely affects your entire health.

Your food habits have a huge impact on how you feel. So, add healthy foods to your diet that increases your energy and helps your brain to stay active and alert.

While it might seem easy to just lay back and binge on junk food right now, a diet consisting of these food items will help in a number of positive ways:

• Green vegetables
• Fruits
• Nuts
• Plain smoothie
• Mushrooms
• Seeds
• Healthy sugar alternatives – Fruits, chemical-free fruit juices, jaggery, coconut sugar, maple syrup

7. Do Things That Make You Laugh

Whenever things feel gloomy, you know what things are sure to make you laugh every single time. It might be a short video on Youtube, a tv show on Netflix or a particular stand up comedian telling jokes, but finding things that make you laugh are supremely important right now. Even if it’s that funny movie you’ve already seen a hundred times.

The current events are likely to decrease your energy levels, concentration, and put you in a bad mood. So finding this time to smile and laugh is an easy way to boost your morale.

Be careful not to get too comfortable watching tv though, sitting around for hour after hour staring at a screen is likely to reduce your energy levels and can actually hinder your positive energy. Find the right balance and enjoy laughing during these dark times.

8. Treat Yourself

Self-care helps ease the mind as well as reduce stress. It increases the feeling of positivity and relaxes your brain.

Indulge in any home-based activity that gives you happiness and stabilizes your mental health. Make sure you take care of yourself everyday, not only when you are sick. Ensure that it is a regular part of your daily routine.

Figure out what self-care activities make you happy and build around them, it will help you to stay positive, not just under the lockdown, but also once everything gets back to normal!

Final Thoughts

You need to take charge of your mental health to come out from this challenging experience stronger than you went in. Increase your resilience so that you have the energy to pass these difficult circumstances without affecting your overall health and follow these tips to stay optimistic.

At present, the need of staying positive is even more critical! Make sure you indulge in activities that elevate your mood, kill your boredom and make you feel relaxed.

Remember, Stay Home, Stay Safe!