It must’ve happened over a thousand times before Coronavirus. I was the victim of some ghosting and a little too much “left-on-seen” by average people I lowered my standards for. But, isn’t it life? La vie… ¡la vida! Then, it graduated from being a reasonably demanding person to life actually pressing down on me, and all of a sudden, I had bigger fish to fry. And that’s when I remembered that some things in life are reeeeally insignificant in our lifetime.
The COVID-19 era has left us in a complete state of stupefaction. Most of us can’t even seem to come to terms with this situation or find a medium. Personally, I’m better than I was eight months ago (which reminds me; I can’t believe it’s almost been a year?). But this doesn’t mean I’ve fully healed. Not the whole truth.
However, keeping a mentally healthy approach has been a priority of mine since as soon as I learned what was at stakes. You can’t quite function in this society without proper cognition. Can you make it? Yes. Will you be taken seriously and considered “sane” if you lose it a little? Probably not. (And, on second thought, who cares, right?)
The pandemic has affected a lot of people physically and emotionally. I’ve written about things we could do/things that I do to not lose my sh*t completely, but I feel like you can never overshare something that is so important.
And, with that in mind, I’d like to begin by saying that music helps a lot.
What’s your favorite tune? Happy or sad — do not hesitate to play it! If it’s sad, it’ll definitely help you scream out the pain; if it’s happy, you’ll dance it away. You can’t lose either way.
Keep in touch with those who bring out the best in you. There’s this quote that says, “Stay close to people who feel like sunshine.” I’ve never found anything truer. Surrounding myself with positive energy has helped me make it through every Monday-thru-Friday week. No time for the naysayers; no time for the Debbie Downers; no time for people who’ve brought you down in any way in life at all.
Do some sort of physical activities. Especially now with winter in the Northern Hemisphere (or the Southern part, if you’re reading this later), don’t stay inside. Winter kills! Have you heard of SAD season? It used to kill me, but not anymore. A SAD and COVID season combination is a recipe for perfect disaster. Go outside!
Consider light therapy if you can’t get any sun exposure, but please save yourself. Don’t hide under the blankets. Although, I must say, if you’re having a rough day where, under the blanket is where it’s at, by all means, do that.
There are so many things happening right now that you can do and safely go to and have some fun, always wearing a mask, of course, to kind of live life with a little normalcy again. I know that some places in the United States are acting like the virus is over ( ahem — I’m looking at you, Miami!) So, perhaps steer clear of some of those places and opt to be a responsible citizen. Also, stay informed.
Life in Corona Season hasn’t been the easiest, but it doesn’t have to be a complete lockdown. It’s simply not good for your mental health. Find a way to breathe, literally and figuratively! You can live it up safely, still. I’m pushing through and I’m sure you can do it, too. I’m rooting for you.
These tough times shall pass and I hope you can stay sane until then.
