How to stay Motivated in this Pandemic

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Do you know how long the last pandemic lasted? The last pandemic was the 1918 Flu and it lasted two years.  Science has come a long way in the last 100 years so we can keep an active hope that this pandemic will end sooner. That a cure will be found faster and we will be on our road to normal.

While we have always had wars, natural calamities and important problems across the world, the challenges seem to just keep adding up this year. America had challenges with racism and wrongful deaths. Protests breaking out all over the country and then peaceful protestors being attacked. Floods, wildfires all happening around the world. The violent death of a nurse in Florida who had just finished her shift helping COVID patients.  Unexplainable suicide deaths, including a successful Indian movie star, that saddened a country of a billion people. The surreal videos of the blasts in Beirut, almost like a science fiction movie. Grim realities and difficult images that are hard to remove from your mind. No matter where you are, 2020 has been a very challenging year for all of us.

Our children are facing a very new challenge, one that we have never faced before. What is very important for us to realize that we as adults have never faced a pandemic in our childhood.

While we are facing important challenges, we must focus on how we can overcome these times. What can we learn, what can we teach and how we can grow. An easy way to remain motivated is to think of an Emotions we feel during this time ~ and then try to strengthen a Skill to combat that emotion.  The fun part of this list of skills is that they all start with the letter C – just like Covid and Corona and Calamities.  As we battle the fallouts of this difficult time- we may forget what we already know. This list serves as a reminder for all of us. We must understand the impacts of what we do today and the skills we build today, can shape the future of our children.

So, what are some of the important C-skills we must strive to teach and practice  during a global pandemic? What are the common emotions we feel and how can we strive to face this challenge? 

One of the common emotions we feel is Frustration. Dealing with the changes, the restrictions. Having to follow certain rules and guidelines. Losing our freedom. With this comes Uncertainty, Worry and Stress. This is a normal emotion we can feel just by reading all the media reports. We have real news and a constant stream of social media news that may or may not be true. Stress would be a general feeling of uneasiness, fear, worry or anguish. Skill Number 1 we need to practice to combat stress is Calmness. Practice destressing.  Make your list of activities that reduce your stress. Each person has their own checklist. For some it maybe Prayer, Yoga, Singing, Cooking, Reading, Taking walks but the overarching skill is – Practice destressing – consciously and passionately. When you are stressed, practice Calmness. 

Being stressed is a general issue. Most people face it and one can handle it by consciously addressing it with a regular commitment to actively indulge in activities that reduce stress. But another Emotion or challenge that is increasingly becoming common during this time is -sadly Depression -This is a higher level than just general stress.   In this age of social distancing and restrictions it is easily possible for someone who is borderline depressed to quickly move into more serious depression. With so much of negative events happening, each time we read bad news we get pushed more and more into feeling at loss. If you have lost hope, you can definitely recognize signs of depression and you must speak up and talk this out with someone. Do not suffer alone. If you are hesitant to speak to a professional, that’s okay – reach out to a friend or a family member.  Skill number 2 we need to practice is Communication ~ Identify your support system and actively engage with them. Don’t be ashamed to share how you feel because there are several people out there who feel the same way. Be honest with yourself and talk about what bothers you. Having that support system and relying on it will go a long way in helping you bounce back.  And if you do not have any single friend or family member that you can confide in -you must absolutely seek professional help. So when you are depressed practice Communication. 

Another Emotion we are dealing with is Brain drain. Now that we are not engaging in a lot of activities we used to do before, there could be a general sense of brain drain, losing out on stuff, feeling lazy, particularly in children since they are out of many of their regular activities. Skill 3 we must practice is Creativity. At the start of the lockdowns we had a flurry of baking and cooking -but now a lot of that has tapered down. Keep yourself busy with new avenues of Creativity.  Staying busy will definitely help us combat this time productively and happily. When you are bored, practice Creativity  

And finally – another emotion we feel is losing control of the situation. The skill that help us alleviate this feeling is Skill 4- Compassion.  We cannot control how we automatically feel about this situation,  we can actively engage in helping spread positivity and compassion to others. The more you engage in making others feel better, you will feel better. So seek out opportunities to help others. Maybe its just a friendly chat, a phone call or video call, or just making a family member feel better. An easy way to get out of our own bubble of frustration, worry, stress, loss of hope, is to practice making others feel better. It is a guaranteed skill that will empower you to feel better. When you feel hopeless practice Compassion.

  

There are several studies now on the psychological and long-term mental health impacts of the pandemic. But each time mankind has faced a challenge we have come out stronger. As a recap, the C -skills we need during a pandemic 

When you feel stressed – practice Calmness

When you feel depressed – practice Communication

When you feel bored – practice Creativity ;

When you feel helpless, practice Compassion

  

Let us all work together to life our spirits and empower those around us as well.