In times of COVID-19 isolation, we are all caught up in a lot of thoughts as our daily routines have been shaken to the core. As scary as it can be, it is, however, a massive opportunity for positive change, and that is exactly what this year will be about.
MAKE IT THE BEST YEAR OF YOUR LIFE BY SETTING YOURSELF UP FOR HAVING THE BEST CHANCES IN THE FUTURE. IT IS ALL ABOUT PERSPECTIVE
EMBRACE THE CHANGE AND FOCUS ON WHO YOU WANT TO BE ON THE OTHER SIDE
Here are 20 thoughts I have collected for you to make the best out of the situation and see it as a great opportunity for growth and preparation for the rest of your life.
1) SLOW DOWN – We are all forced to wind down and get back to the root s of our lives. There are no more social events or distractions taking you away from your actual life. Focussing on your own true self, is often lost, hijacked and run over by daily routines and business. This is the time to re-evaluate yourself and check in on your inner views and values. It might not always be easy but it is definitely worth doing the inside spring cleaning. Meditation will help you find some inner peace in this storm time. Be your own solid rock, because nobody can really save you and care for you but yourself.
2) TRIBE CONNECTIONS – We find out who our real tribe is. We have the possibility to reassess who we really care about and who is only an acquaintance playing some role in your regular social surrounding. You have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend time on your own or with your loved ones, and have really deep conversations. You have the chance to find out who you really miss, who you want to call to know if he/she is fine, and who checks in and catches up with you. Be they far away or next door, your tribe are the people you need to catch you in case you get stuck in your head or need support. Reach out to others and don’t be shy to ask for support if you need it. Care packages can still be exchanged and love can be spread any way.
3) FOOD – We find out what food quality and how much food we actually consume. To stay healthy, not only throughout COVID-19 times, eating good quality food is of paramount importance. Cease the opportunity to get down to cooking from scratch and try that recipe that has been collecting dust in your drawer. Not going out to restaurants, no take-away, no eating in canteens, but doing the grocery shopping for all your meals yourself shows you the truth about your nutritional habits. It is a situation which rarely happens with a full-time job and free-time activities or social gatherings. A perfect time to get down to deciding what is worth going into your system and getting your food budgeting up to date.
4) HOME SPACES – Your home and backyard can be anything you want it to be. We have the chance to re-invent our living spaces. As we have to do everything from home now, your living room can turn into a gym, your backyard can become a dance floor or a home cinema and your kitchen can turn into an art studio. Not to forget, your head space can take on any space that you wish for. It’s a moment of bliss for creativity.
5) PROFESSIONAL RETHINKING – It is an opportunity to be creative not only in your private life but also in your professional career. Working in your home-office requires a lot of creativity and flexibility. It does, most probably, push you out of your comfort zone, it might hurt at times and you might feel like complaining all the time, however, get over it and be creative! Your best will always be good enough and nobody will expect you to be perfect in this situation. It is time to try out new ideas of how work can be done and even if we fail sometimes. Nobody was prepared for this. It is a safe zone to experiment with new features, even though it might be very draining. Until a new working routine has been established with the absolute necessity of utmost discipline, stay flexible and be creative even if it means to fail sometimes in between. Everything is a learning opportunity.
6) SPRING CLEANING – Spring cleaning at its best! When have we ever had the opportunity to get as much cleaning done? It is the time for real decluttering sessions. You can get into one corner, cupboard, drawer etc… every day and get rid of all the clutter that has been lying around for a while and has no space in your life anymore. Because you have done inside spring cleaning (see #1) you can now move on to outside spring cleaning. Your tidied up outside will reflect your tidied up inside. Cease the opportunity, there is no excuse to not get it done now! Get the house ready so you can do other things once isolation is over.
7) SUMMER CLOTHES – Summer is coming and you want to be ready for that. Your wardrobe needs an update or your winter clothes need to be sent to sleep? Get through your clothes and try them on one by one. I am sure you have old hidden gems in there and now you have the time to make your own fashion show and decide on the look you want to have after isolation time.
8) PHYSICAL ACTIVITY – Maybe you have found some gems in your wardrobe, but you realise that they don’t fit anymore… no problem. There is enough time for each and every one of us to do sports and get fit. There are so many videos on YouTube that you can use as inspiration and motivation. Call your best friend or travel buddy and have a workout or walk together. Also, if the weather is nice, choose to go outside, soak up some vitamin D and keep moving. By the way, decluttering also counts as physical activity.
9) MUSIC – When was the last time you sat down to REALLY listen to music? Wow… all the old tapes, discs and CDs are actually really cool and trigger tons of memories. Revive your life, listen to your old favourites and dance through your home. Have your personal disco and get those hips moving.
10) PICTURES – Finally a time to really enjoy all the travel pictures and to tell all the linked stories. We take a lot of pictures while travelling and during our daily lives, but unfortunately they often stay asleep on our phones or on our computer drives. Kiss them back to life and enjoy the moments and memories again. Connect with your travel buddy and go down memory lane together.
11) PRIORITIES – As you might have figured out by now, I have taken some time to write again. This is something I haven’t done in a while because my creative flow was blocked by all the things that I thought needed to be done before this leisure writing. Were those things really that much more important or is it all about how we value them personally? We might all realise now that many things are not as important as they seem to be. This is a good time to reassess priorities, be it people or activities, but let’s not forget that we should be our own priorities first. Checking in with yourself is important, give yourself some space to breathe and to grow.
12) SPRING IT ON – Nature is waking up even though we are mainly inside. Nature embellishes our surrounding, so slow down, smell the flowers, observe the birds and the bees, see how the tree in front of your window changes every day. Miracles are happening in front of your eyes. Take some time to see them.
13) STARGAZING -Lately the sky has been so immensely clean and clear without all the pollution. It is bliss to observe the skies at night. Watch out for Venus, which is shining really brightly. You might also see the ISS with your naked eye this time around. Sitting in the dark, with a cup of tea and a big woolen jumper observing the stars can be like a movie moment.
14) FIXING THINGS – All the things that have needed fixing for a while can now be tended to. Change that light bulb, put that picture up and screw that hinge tight. As we are sometimes too tired after a long busy day at work, and often long commuting times, we can now make sure we take the time we would usually spend in the car to fix something around the house.
15) BE KIND – Everyone is trying their best to get through the situation and tolerance is needed towards those who are still struggling with finding their new way. Everything is a process and we all have our own timeline to get through and deal with things. It is a thought that we should keep in mind for any life situation. Throughout life, we all go through different processes and often don’t have the necessary patience for others. The only difference is that, this time, we are all faced with the same situation at the same time, however in life, growing and evolving is an asynchronous process.
16) ROUTINE CHANGER – As you have everything in place now, it is time for the big reshuffling of the daily routine. Rethink your daily routines, actions and activities and decide if you are pleased with them or want to change a routine. It generally takes 3 weeks of constant reminding and conscious action to implement a new routine, so now is the time to get down to it. We need quite some discipline at the moment to get everything into one schedule in the same place, our home. Practicing self-discipline can support your sanity, your health and your life routine even after isolation. Don’t fall into emotional eating and drinking every night. Respect your self-worth and take the right decisions to move on and get through this without having to clean up the chaos later.
17) NAPS– My most favourite part of the day is my nap time. I haven’t had the chance to have a nap this often and I am loving it. I do it for no other reason than because I can. Napping is regenerating and if in doubt about anything, overwhelmed or just unfocused, I usually have a nap or go to sleep and leave the matter for the next day to be decided on or to be dealt with. Sleep is just simply the best medicine.
18) BEING BORED – There are moments in which you might feel super bored… and we are generally not used to that. We are used to living in a world in which there are millions of opportunities and distractions and we sometimes feel stressed because we can’t do it all. FOMO is not realistic at the moment because there is just nothing to miss out on, except if you want to get sick. We have to learn the art of being bored again, to read your flow of thoughts and letting it all pass by. Sitting somewhere and doing nothing. It is harder than it sounds and requires patience. Also, boredom triggers creativity, so let the flow arise and surf the wave.
19) BOOKS – Dust the books off and get down to finally reading them. How many books have you horded for when you have time to read. Immerse yourself into different worlds because there is not much you are missing out on in this one. Follow that rabbit down the rabbit hole and spend your Saturday night on a journey around different worlds. Choose your destination, buckle up and be ready to be amazed on a trip supported by Covid-19 isolation time.
20) GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD – The situation can be overwhelming and scary at times, so getting out of your head is necessary. Don’t focus too much on the news or the numbers. Stay safe, stick to the instructions and help where you can. Make sure you mix up the things you do and move from mental tasks to physical ones, even doing a puzzle or doing something crafty shifts your focus. Don’t get stuck, but if you do, don’t be shy to ask for help and support. You will find out that nearly everyone is glad to support someone else, we are social beings after all.
Make sure you open your heart, not only to others, but to yourself too. Be patient with yourself and give yourself the time to process information, find new ways and accept failure on the way to your goals. Tolerance is the key to success.
This is an exceptional time for positive change, even though, first of all, the old structures needs to crumble to be able to construct something new on a new foundation.
Good will come from this and you are the director of what is to come in your life.
STEP BY STEP, DAY BY DAY
The Magic of Serendipity 