Staying optimistic during times of crisis can be challenging, but it’s critical to your immune system and mental well-being. Today, due to the obstacles caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone is having a hard time staying positive. Remaining positive in the face of isolation, social distancing and constant news about the virus, possible loss of income, communal grief and gripping fear of uncertainty, and, requires continuous and conscious mindfulness. Sceptics of these studies argue that it’s likely someone’s good health that’s making them positive and optimistic and not the positivity and confidence that is causing their good health. However, remaining active and calm in the times of uncertainty can help us find a path towards our more resilient selves.
Here are 10 points that will help you to enhance your positive vision
- Practice enthusiastic attitude (gratefulness): Even during the bleak times, there are things which we should be grateful for. Notice both small and significant items for which you are thankful and do a quick morning gratefulness meditation. Little things you'd be surprised at how it can help, like a calming bath, a hot cup of coffee, a funny meme or a good book.
- Need to slow down: Don’t rush into things as there is no need to hurry right now, including the information you’re getting from the news or something you’re hearing from friends and family. In social isolation, you can pace yourself and let go of some common anxieties. Pay attention by practising continuous mindfulness. Lower the volume of your thoughts and enhance your awareness so that you can hear your inner voice.
- Follow diaphragmatic breathing: As you begin to incorporate meditation into your life, consider practising multiple mindfulness sessions throughout the day. Diaphragmatic breathing is an excellent meditation exercise that helps to focus on your breath. There are other benefits to diaphragmatic breathing, like reducing your heart rate, lowering your stress hormone levels, helping you relax, etc.
Also, Read
Child Abuse: Five Children Die Every Day Because Of Child Abuse. Is Negligence The Reason?
- Avoid distressful situations: In today’s highly stressful environment, it is easy to get pulled into negative interactions that can leave us feeling distressed, frightened, and insecure. Staying aware and informed of what is happening (globally and locally) is essential. But creating a healthy balance between our daily routines and news consumption is also crucial in helping us maintain a sense of control over our mental health.
- Exercise: It should be part of your daily routine, and if you’re not regularly active, make exercising a priority and include it into your day. Try resistance training, or yoga or go for High-Intensity Interval Training. Exercising triggers feelings of positivity, so be sure to include an exercise routine into your day, even if it’s only a short one.
- Relax your body: Get into the habit of doing self-checks throughout the day. Do a check on your muscles. If you find yourself tensing or see tight muscles, make sure to relax them - unclench your jaw, relax your shoulders and take a calming breath to release the tension in your body.
- A positive routine: Having a morning routine is great, but as we try to make sense of social distancing in the times of corona, don't forget to nurture your relationships with friends. Thanks to technology, we can now do instant messaging, video calls, share videos and whatnot.
- Include laughter in your day: This is one of the most critical steps you should take in improving your positivity. Numerous researches have confirmed long-term and short-term benefits of laughter on the human mind and body, and hence it is known as the best medicine.
- Have confidence: Here we are talking about having faith and belief in humanity, science, technology and our health care heroes who have helped us overcome even the most outrageous of obstacles to evolve and grow. Believe in your endless capacity to love.
Read more articles on Mind & Body
