Everyone has times in their life when things look grim. They might even seem to be hopeless. The world can feel like a scary place, and it looks like you are alone in the middle of it. But history has shown that even in the worst of times, people have chosen to be hopeful. If you’re finding it hard to believe that better times will come, here are five things you can hang on to.
1. Your Health
No matter what world-of-life crisis you’re going through, if you have your health, you’re wealthy. You might take it for granted, but being strong and healthy is probably your biggest asset.
Look after your body, eat well, stay fit, and be game-ready for the next opportunity.
2. The Sun will Rise Tomorrow
Even the worst day comes to an end, and you get a chance to do better tomorrow. Brooding over past failures is as pointless as worrying about the future. You can only deal with what is right in front of you.
Take your motto from Scarlett O’Hara and remember that tomorrow is another day.
3. You Are Full of Potential
Do you believe you can live your best life? Do you think you can be successful, famous, and happy? Or does it feel to you that success is only for the lucky few? All humans are born full of potential. The only thing stopping you from meeting your potential is you. Change your mindset from self-doubt to self-confidence, and you can do whatever you set your mind to.
4. Learn to Look on the Bright Side
It’s highly unlikely that everything in your life will go wrong at once. So learn to hang onto the good things in your life and be grateful. No matter what situation you find yourself in, it could pretty much always be worse.
If you look for abundance, you will find it. Practice looking for things to be thankful for, starting with being alive right now. And remember, hard times come and hard times go. Better times are just around the corner.
5.Challenges Make You Stronger
If you’re down in the trough of a life crisis, remember that when you come out of the other end, you’ll be stronger and smarter than before. You will have learned things about yourself and what you’re capable of that would never have occurred to you before. And in spite of feeling crushed, you have triumphed, you made it!
Try this exercise – sit in a quiet space and write down 10 things you would like to BE – not have, not do, BE.
Now circle the 3 things that resonate the best with you right now.
Barbecue weather has more or less arrived in this corner of the planet and I am not required to social distance from it. Some long time fans of these musings may recall that I wrote a blog about barbecues a while ago and insisted that I would buy a Canadian made product. Well, I’ve been shopping and perusing for too long. It was a nice idea to only want a locally manufactured one but the prices are through the roof and the choice is extremely limited. Even the ones that supposedly come from a manufacturer in Canada are often only assembled here and the most important parts are made elsewhere. So, I pretty much gave up on that late last fall.
What to do? The last one I bought was from Canadian Tire and it lasted 12 – 13 years and worked out to about 50.00 per year – yes, I’m kind of weird that way. I figured, what the hell, if I can get the same value again – why not?
I got a call from my friend Greg last Christmas and he remembered that I was in the market and told me about one of the local Lowe’s stores closing down and they were clearing out barbecues. The next morning, bright and early, I head over to the store that is closing and find about 3 barbecues left. Short story longer, I bought one, got 500.00 off and loaded it in the SUV. I put it in the garage for fairer weather before figuring out how I would get it assembled.
I paid just over 250.00 for the thing and the last time I bought a barbecue, I paid an additional 150.00 to have it assembled and delivered. OK, I have assembled exactly one barbecue in my life and said never again! Too many small parts, etc. Well, I wasn’t going to start looking around for someone to do it so, why not give it a try. I’ll be darned, a week ago Sunday, I started about 11 in the morning and had it together by mid afternoon – will wonders never cease. I figure I got me a new barbecue for nothing when I consider the initial 500.00 I saved and the 200 or more it would have cost to assemble and deliver. Life is good and it even works, too.
Yep, I’m kind of weird like that.
It occurs to me that there are a lot of people who are struggling through this pandemic by themselves and I ran across this information tonight. If you know someone who could benefit from a few tips while they try to stay sane during this time – pass it along.
5 Tips for Reducing Stress While Home Alone
When you are spending a lot of time at home alone, whether in self-isolation or because you are ill, it can be really easy to get stressed out. Right now, the pandemic around the world is creating enough stress on its own, but it gets worse when you have to be quarantined alone.
If you are experiencing signs of stress like constant worry and panic, problems sleeping, unusual eating habits, and increased use of alcohol or drugs, then the following tips can be very useful for you.
1. Limit How Often You Watch the News
It can be hard to walk away, but if you are currently staying home because of the Coronavirus pandemic, you really need to be careful with how much time you are devoting to updates. While you don’t want to unplug completely, try to limit how often you watch the news. Try getting your updates just once a day – they repeat a lot of information, so that is really all you need. Choose just one way to get your news, and leave it at that.
2. Have “No Social Media” Blocks
When you are spending a lot of time alone, social media can seem like a good way to keep up with your friends and family. While it definitely helps, you might notice that absorbing too much of it is hurting your mental health. If you find that you feel fine before logging on, then are in a bad, irritable, sad, or upset mood after checking Facebook or Twitter, it’s time to limit your time on social media.
A better strategy is to have blocks of time where you don’t use social media at all. The length of time depends on your routine, but try for blocks of 1-2 hours at a time.
3. Take Care of Your Mental Health
To reduce stress while you are spending a lot of time home alone, you want to focus on your mental health. This is what is going to help you de-stress. Sometimes, just go outside because it actually reduces stress and anxiety. In other ways, it is more about distracting your mind so that you can focus on other things.
For example, if you need fresh air, head outside to go for a walk. Keep your distance from others if you are social distancing, but just getting outside in the fresh air and getting some exercise is amazing for your emotional health. Some other ideas include reading, doing meditation, and participating in baking or making crafts.
4. Take Care of Your Physical Health
In addition to your mental health, you can reduce stress by taking care of your body as well. This includes getting more exercise, eating a nutritious diet, and drinking water. But keep in mind that eating healthy doesn’t mean being on a restrictive diet or never having treats. Don’t burden your mind right now with dieting or weight loss. Just try to balance your meals and snacks with something healthy that also includes some indulgent treats.
5. Socialize From a Distance
Even when you need to keep your physical distance from others, you can still socialize! Connect with friends or loved ones on Zoom or FaceTime, text or call them, or just talk online when you get the chance. That unused telephone that has been sitting in the corner collecting dust and scam calls may be the perfect tonic.
The last (for now) installment of things you can do from home during this time of self isolation. I hope you have tried a few and put others on your to-do list to revisit as these days and nights go from long to longer. Some of you, like me, are cancelling vacation plans (gee, thanks for the gift certificate instead of refund) but that’s another story. We may not get to see other parts of the world for some time but through the magic of TV and the internet, we can still view videos of the world. One of my favorite travel advisers is Rick Steeves who has lots of videos available on his website Give him a try, we used his information when we went to Europe last year.
Now for the final 20 and don’t forget to sign up for my new blogs as they are released, if you haven’t already done so.
We all have old songs and music that have some memories attached, albeit not all as pleasant as others. But it’s always fun to revive the positive memories and listen to songs you might have enjoyed with friends or families back in grade school or college. Singing along with those around you or getting your friends on a video call to do it with you can be great fun.
You can have a fun karaoke night at home with your family or flatmates. All you need is the internet for instrumentals of your favorite songs or famous songs that everyone knows, perhaps even songs you remember from years ago. It can be a nostalgic and fun experience for everyone.
Dancing is a passion for many, and it is also a good way to exercise or just release some pent up energy. If you’re not already a dancer or just learning how to dance, making up your own dance routine can be fun. It will help raise spirits around the house, because, hey, who doesn’t love an emergency dance party?
With the modern age of social media and the blissful existence of apps like Tik Tok, the internet is assaulted with a new Tik Tok dance routine or challenge almost every day. While it might be cringe-worthy, it can also be fun in an ironic way if you’re looking for ways to entertain your family, friends, or even your followers!
These days not many of us have spare letter paper or stamps lying around the house, but that doesn’t mean we can’t improvise! There are modern methods for everything, and that includes writing to a pen pal. If you can’t write letters, finding an online friend you can communicate through via email or social media could be fun, especially if they’re from a different country.
Is there a chapter in history that particularly intrigued you while studying in history class, but you couldn’t find the time to delve more into it? Well, now you can. Expand your knowledge and read up about historical incidents and iconic times in history that have caught your eye.
You might not be a hair stylist or even good with scissors, but with salons and barbers closed, cutting your own hair might be the only available option if your hair has grown to be unruly. You can watch tutorials online to guide you as you try your hand at a new haircut. And if anything goes wrong, don’t worry; with any luck it will grow out by the time the quarantine is over! Let’s remember that bald is beautiful.
You might not have found time before to do something like compiling a family tree, but it can be quite useful in trying to connect with your ancestors or finding your family line. Perhaps someone in the future would also thank you for not letting vital family history be lost. Sit with your parents or grandparents, and try to get to know as much as you can from them and draft up a family tree. There are many online tools to help.
While you track down the long line of family members, maybe you can try searching upon those that have very little information attached to them. Ask the older members of your family if they can find old journals, certificates, or letters than can give more insight into the people in your bloodline. Think back to that reference I made in parts 2 and 3 about creating a biography and perhaps do some research on ancestry.com or one of the other genealogy sites.
If you know about software, technology, or computers, and find yourself capable of making an app, this might be a good time to give it a try. Find a topic that interests you or an idea you may have about an app that no one has created yet. Use your knowledge to make it and share it with your friends and family to download it and try it out.
Staying at home might make you lethargic, and finding the energy to change out of your pajamas might seem like hard work. So how about you declare an upcoming night a formal night and get everybody to dress up and look their best for it. Cook some delicious food, lay the table nicely and make it a dinner night like you would if you were going out to an expensive restaurant.
Who says you need to make a fire outside for you to enjoy some S’mores? Stovetop S’mores is an easy way for you to have them at home. Bring out some marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate, and cook some marshmallows on your stove for everyone to enjoy. Of course, they would not have the same effect as it would if you were on a camping trip, but it can still be really fun. (If you’re in the UK you can use digestives or rich tea biscuits).
You might not be able to go outside, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be sporty and find your inner athlete. You can set up a basketball net in your house. Clear some space and make teams for everyone to be involved and have fun. If you fear something breaking, you can stick to actual indoor sports such as table-tennis and badminton. Stay active to keep yourself fresh and happy.
With your choices fast depleting, going live from your Instagram may be a good idea. You can go live and even invite others to join you in your session. Interact with your followers, tell them funny stories, and even play games with them so it is fun for everyone. It can be quite hilarious to do this with your friends.
If impromptu entertainment like Instagram Live isn’t really your cup of tea, you can try pre-recording a video or a vlog for your social media. It doesn’t have to be anything serious or even scripted. It could be just you recording interesting moments of your day, doing fun challenges, or telling jokes with your family!
While watching a movie is probably the first idea to strike up in everyone’s mind; doing a movie marathon of some of your favorite movies can be a different way to have some fun. Some infamous movies that have many parts such as the Harry Potter movies, or the Lord of the Ring movies, make up for good movie marathon material. You can do this alone or with your family members, and we can almost certainly guarantee everyone will enjoy it.
Not everyone knows this, but while you’re away from friends, you can actually still find a way to watch movies with them. Netflix has an extension on Google Chrome called Netflix Party that allows you and your friends to watch the same movies from their individual homes. You can play and pause at the same time to stay in sync, while a chat bar at the side lets you chat during it as well.
Why not use this time to empty your fridge and freezer of all of its old content. Find things stashed away that you may have frozen months ago but forgotten. You can make them now for everyone to enjoy, and it can also help you with cleaning.
We all could use a laugh at this very stressful time, and rather than panicking, why not divert our attention to something nice on the internet. If you go looking you can find many funny video compilations of animals and people doing funny things, either on purpose or by accident. They can be very entertaining.
While you’re in self-isolation, your mind must be swarming with thoughts about all the things you could have done while you were ‘free’ but didn’t or all the things you wish you could be doing. Jot them all down into a list and make it your bucket-list that you can try and achieve once the isolation ends.
It might not be New Year, but who says you can’t try to turn over a new leaf? Write resolutions for yourself to achieve during self-isolation and try to accomplish them while you’re at home, such as losing weight or learning something new. You may very well come out of this quarantine, a whole new person!
OK, OK so I lied, there are actually 101 ideas in these posts – excuse me for over-delivering. I have a number of other things that I plan to post here, some of which will turn into books or something else and I would like you to be my audience. If you haven’t already done it, sign up for my blogs to be sent to your inbox, leave a comment and share anything that you think your friends and family might appreciate.
I really do appreciate any feedback either here or on social media as I continue to try and bring a little sanity, common sense or perhaps just humor to the world.
