Turn a negative situation into positive life-changing actions.
How can we turn a coronavirus quarantine into a meaningful and happy time?
We don’t have a choice: The number of coronavirus/COVID-19 infected patients is growing and a lot of people are still dying every day in the United States from COVID-19 infection. We now know that people can be contagious without ever showing symptoms. A number of treatments and a potential vaccine are in clinical trials, but we need time before those treatments and/or that vaccine can be administered safely.
Because we have to wait until the tsunami of infections is over, the safest thing we can do right now is to stay home and use the precious time the best way we can.
So, let’s take the opportunity to do things we would never have done before.
Here are seven ways to turn a negative pandemic into positive life-changing actions:
1. Learn how to better assess your health at home.
Get everything you need at home so that your doctor has all the vitals necessary to judge how healthy or sick you are. To start with, buy a thermometer and a blood pressure monitor.
If, in addition, you want to assess your blood oxygen level, get a pulse oximeter, which will detect low oxygen levels—when used at night, it can detect obstructive sleep apnea. If you feel your heart beating abnormally at times, get a home ECG monitor. Read my last blog post to learn how to use those devices.
2. Time for reflection: What needs to change in your life?
- Are you happy with the work you had before COVID-19 or would you like to change work? If you want to change work, decide what is your dream work and start studying online to make your dream work happen.
- If you are not married yet, are you happy with your partner or is it time to let your partner go and look for somebody else? If you are not happy with your boyfriend or girlfriend, it is time for an honest conversation and maybe start looking online for somebody else?
- Are you happy with your weight? Do you need to stop eating sugar? Do you need to stop smoking? Now is the time to implement a plan to improve your health.
- Write a letter to yourself describing your new resolutions, decide what next steps are necessary for your happiness and promise yourself you will read this letter on a regular basis (maybe once a week) when the coronavirus pandemic will be over.
3. What is the one hobby you always wished you could do but never did?
- If your dream hobby is to start learning how to play an instrument, order that instrument online and a method to start playing it.
- If your dream hobby is to learn photography, order a good camera online and learn how to use it.
- If it is learning a new language, start learning this new language online or order CDs.
- If your dream hobby is a new sport, start researching the new sport and if you like what you research, promise yourself that when the pandemic will stop, you will sign up for the new sport.
- Whatever your dream hobby is, welcome it, explore it, and commit to doing it.
4. Get in touch with family and friends you would never have contacted before.
Talk to at least one person per day. Choose people all over the world that you would never have contacted before coronavirus/COVID-19 time. Again, the purpose is to do things that you would never have done if it weren’t for the coronavirus pandemic so that you are turning a negative pandemic into a positive social interaction.
5. Invent a new tool.
How can you contribute to society? Is there a practical problem you experience for which there is no solution yet? How could the problem be fixed? Order materials online to build a solution. Your solution might help people facing the same problem. And as a result, after the pandemic is over, you might want to start your own company like we see on the TV show Shark Tank.
6. Focus on the positive things that the stay-at-home order is triggering (instead of focusing on the negative stuff).
- Do you see less pollution because there are fewer cars are on the road? Do you have less allergies, less asthma, or sinus problems? Enjoy breathing better and watching clearer skies and maybe you want to commit to buying an electric car in the future.
- Are you getting used to online shopping and do you want to continue this habit in the future in order to save time?
- Are you going for more walks around your block than usual and are you getting to know neighbors who used to be complete strangers before COVID-19?
7. Bring more love and fun into your family than you have before.
While many families might be feeling the stress of forced togetherness—and have already played every board game in their closet—there are still many ways to keep things fresh, lively, and fun at home.
- Compliment your partner several times a day on the little things they do for you, cook great meals for them, and have lots of sex with your partner (great for de-stressing).
- While staying at home, create a family song, practice singing all together, and record it. Make a family music video.
- Create a family dance, practice, and film the dance.
- Create a family play, rehearse, and film the play.
- Create a family painting with each person adding their own color and shape.
- Spend more time playing with your pet.
- Eat together as a family at a table every night.
- Start each meal with a joke (look at lists of jokes online).
- If you or somebody in your family is anxious, learn how to give and receive a nice 10 minutes back massage every day before bedtime.
In summary, use this pandemic stay-at-home/quarantine time due to COVID-19 to make practical life-changing decisions for yourself and create some of the funniest and happiest memories that you and your family can enjoy for many years to come.