How to maintain positivity during difficulties:

Right now, the entire globe is affected by unexpected changes that have occurred due to this pandemic. The United States in particular has faced high mortality rates and rising unemployment. Most essential workers have an abundance of stress due to pressure and the risk of dealing with large amounts of people. Not to mention the shift happening with law enforcement and our government.

These are only some of the many reasons a person may be stressed, negative, or plain outraged. If any of you are like me, then limited travel is taking a toll on you. Even if you are currently in a tense cohabited situation, there are things you can do right now to ease your tension, even if momentarily.

1. Focus on your outlet/passion

Whether you like to draw, play music, or hike outdoors; focusing on something you enjoy helps tremendously when overcoming negative emotions. If you have a downer Debbie (or Daniel) around trying to ruin your joy just take the governments advice and socially distance yourself.

2. Do something active

Exercising is a great way to let off steam and to set goals. I'm not saying you have to go and kick off P90x workouts, but if you have really intense negative emotions then intense exercise could really offset that. You could dance for 5 minutes, go for a walk, swim, or just about any physical activity that makes you focus and helps to circulate your blood throughout the body.

3. Pay attention to something that makes you laugh or puts you in a good mood

Personally, I love to watch comedy when I'm upset. If you do this, you can sometimes even try to come up with your own jokes. I literally laugh at nothing which always makes me laugh more. You could also watch motivational speaker videos, or your favorite Movie/TV show/Person.

4. Focus on future planning:

This is very therapeutic for anyone. Whether your life is horrible and you're very far from where want to be, or you're comfortable but dissatisfied; future planning can set up a great foundation for a business, marriage,children, and equity. Also the act of looking forward to something that excites you can easily eliminate feeling of ill will. In times of Covid, plenty of people are realigning with dreams they ran away from or did not have time for due to the drain of their jobs. Planning and taking that first step can be wildly exhilarating which easily can eradicate any negativity you may have felt.

5. Don't loose your religion

Okay, so I'm well aware that not everyone is religious, but I just wanted to reference that song. For me Christianity has been huge in helping me to maintain positivity. Don't worry, If you're not religious (Catholic, Islamic, Jewish, ect) you can always get into spirituality or meditation. Spirituality is usually a way of giving thanks to the universe and all of its living creatures. People call it 'connecting to your higher self'. If you are an atheist, remember meditation is not a religion, it's a way to practice breathing and mindfulness. This practice is also a way to understand yourself better by tuning out the distractions in your environment. You can focus on how your heart beats or the way your breathing sounds. Most of the people that I know do meditation, say it's very relaxing and does wonders on eliminating negativity.

6. Take a trip (P.S. please wear your masks for safety)

I know that right now lots of people are confined to their states/countries of origin. Not to fear, there are plenty ways to use your imagination by planning a safe and creative way to get out of the house. You could go for scenic route car ride. To make it more interesting, you could play landmark games. You could stay at a hotel or lodge in the area. Yes there are still plenty of hotels that are open for business. Most of these places have great amenities, so there are a variety of things you can do that you could not in your own home. You could go on a hayride at an orchid and pick apples. Right now is actually the perfect time for those activities since fall is fast approaching with Halloween around the corner. You could go to a lake or river in your area. If you have boats or ski's that's great, if not that's fine too because there is nothing like clearing your head in nature. You could also simply just go to a friends house and plan post Covid trips you would like to take together. Speaking of friends, this brings me to number seven.

7. Catch up with friends

There is nothing like having that person you could go to that understands your situation. Even if you are not talking about your problems, it's always good to catch up and check in on each others lives. Even if your friend is in another country or state, you could Face-time and play internet games together. You could have a filter war (anime faces and all), internet scrabble or even drinking phone games (if you're legal of course). Here are some links to some of those ideas: https://drinked.app/drinking-games/drinking-game-apps/ also, https://apppearl.com/games-to-play-over-calls/

8. Vent Somehow

If you find that none of this works, that is okay. Reach out to a trusted non judgemental friend and let them know how you're feeling. You may also journal your feelings or do a vlog diary. If you want a more professional approach, there is also virtual therapy. You can stay in the comfort of your home and zoom call or chat with a licensed therapist. Also these options have been more accessible and affordable than in person therapy. If you find that these feelings are more cynical than usual, please call a crisis hotline. Here are some more links to this information: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/virtual-therapy or call one of the numbers on these sites: https://psychcentral.com/lib/common-hotline-phone-numbers/ you also go to: https://www.stopitnow.org/ohc-content/crisis-hotlines

Let's face it, this virus has completely taken over how most of us live our lives now. Adjusting to abnormality is never easy, but hopefully this article and these resources can make the transition a bit more smooth for all of us.