There’s no denying, these past weeks have been the most difficult, on all scales – globally, nationally, locally, and personally for just about everyone. A pandemic like Covid-19 brings about feelings of fear, sadness, uncertainty, panic, and more, but it’s in these times that we need to find a silver lining. If we harbor worry, uncertainty, and fear, it will continue to snowball inside and make us feel anxious and stressed. I admit I too, have felt heartbroken by everything that is happening and knowing people are being also financially affected one way or another and felt worried not knowing when this will end. When these emotions weigh me down, I practice these few helpful ways to cope with our days of self-isolation and quarantine:

Gratitude transforms our attitude.

1. Pray. As a person of faith, sometimes we may feel like we have to act perfectly fine and are unable to express feelings of worry. But we are human beings and it’s natural to feel this way, especially now. However, it’s important to leave our burdens at God’s feet. Allow Him to remove your stress and fear. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Mat. 11.28). God will give you peace so that fear of the future won’t enter our lives. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14.27). When I pray and meditate on God’s word, I feel renewed and strengthened. 
2. Write down 3 Reasons You are Grateful. Gratitude transforms our attitude. I noticed personally when I start my day being grateful, then I have a different perspective and if a circumstance arises, my attitude is different in a positive way. The earlier in the day you do this simple yet vital task, the sooner you will feel better about your day. Take a look at your life right now and highlight the big or small things that you are thankful for, for example, having a home, a loving family, good health, food to eat for weeks to come, toilet paper (LOL), etc.   
3. Take a walk outside. Breathe fresh air. For those of us who live in southern states like Florida, we are currently enjoying summer-like temperatures. Every evening when my husband logs off work, we take a walk outside to breathe fresh air while our kids ride bikes, run, and play. It’s therapeutic and relaxes us. And our kids enjoy it to the max! If you are tired of being trapped in your home, take a walk outside (of course keeping your distance from people), visit your local park and breathe.  
4. Get out of your PJs. I know there are some people that wake up and probably do not shower because they think, “Heck, I’m not leaving my house today and no one is going to see me so let me stay in my PJs all day.” Please don’t! This can affect your mood in a negative way. Shower and change your clothes and undies! You don’t have to wear makeup, simply change your clothes into something that is not pajamas. This tiny act will have a good impact on your daily mood. 
5. Avoid constantly reading/watching the news. Again, I am guilty as charged! I read the news constantly but this is something I am working on. Reading the news every hour adds stress because the news tends to report negative stories first. Turn off the notifications to newspaper headlines and turn off the news channel. 
6. Enjoy quality time with your loved ones. This is the true silver-lining of all! Many people are forced to stay home. Some with no pay while others are privileged to work at home. No matter your situation, everyone is experiencing some kind of temporary change which can be overwhelming. But there is a bright side that perhaps you have not been able to see – quality time with your loved ones. Possibly, you’ve been living a busy lifestyle where you were running on auto-pilot. Now, we are forced to press pause and be still. These are moments that we’ve never experienced as a family. In our case, my schedule has remained the same because I am a stay-at-home mom of toddlers, yet the only (good) change is having my husband work everyday from home, in which we get to enjoy him fully at 5:30pm every evening once he clocks out. During his lunch break, he kisses and hugs the kids and gives us all his love. Try to spend quality time with your family. Plan a post-corona virus family trip. Speak about your short-term goals. Go for a walk together. Play board games or put together a puzzle. Put your phone down and be 100% present. 
7. Do (at least) 1 productive daily task. Idleness is never a good idea nor is binge watching Netflix shows all day long! Try to shoot for 1 productive task a day, whether it’s organizing a room, getting laundry done, reading a chapter of a book, etc. Likewise, don’t set unattainable goals during quarantine because this too can have a negative effect when the goals set are not met. Set short, attainable daily goals and you will feel accomplished.
8. Take a long nightly shower. This is one way I unload after a long day as a mama of 3 and pregnant! A warm shower relaxes my muscles and I breathe in the steam and exhale slowly. I also pray to God and sometimes find myself singing worship songs. It prepares me to have a goodnight’s sleep. Try it and thank me later! 🙂

Hope you are able to apply these steps and see a positive change in your emotions and attitude for the days to come. And remember, this too shall pass and soon life will resume as we know it. Be safe and stay home. ♡