Five Ways To Stay In Control In The Pandemic

Here’s A 5-Step Plan to Stay Optimistic During a Pandemic

Staying optimistic during a pandemic requires a plan because no matter how positive you are, sooner or later you’ll be sapped of energy, and the inconveniences of the current COVID situation will take a toll on you.

With thousands of businesses having gone belly up, unemployment and suicides are at an all time high. People have not been able to meet their elderly parents at care facilities because of social distancing measures. Even weddings have been cancelled and funerals have been affected.

All of this is over a virus that doesn’t have a high mortality rate, while no one really knows if any of the measures are effective or necessary. People have been divided over this issue and it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. If that’s not enough it’s constantly in front of you so it’s hard to escape the craziness.

If you’re feeling down and just impatient for life to return to normal, it would be a good idea to follow the 5-step plan below so that you stay optimistic instead of being bogged down by the weight of the current ‘new normal’ situation.

1. Count Your Blessings

This is the first step. No matter how bad things may be or seem to be, practicing gratitude will elevate your thoughts to a higher level. It’s impossible to be unhappy when you’re being grateful.

There are so many things to be grateful for – from your eyesight to having food and shelter to having family members who are healthy.

You’ll have hundreds of things to be grateful for, if you’ll only look. Practice writing 3 things you’re grateful for daily. This is a good habit which will serve you well.

2. Deal With Setbacks

The second step is to see how you’re being affected by the pandemic. Has your business slowed down? Maybe your social life has ground to an abrupt halt? Or maybe you can’t work out because the gym is closed?

All these are setbacks which may annoy or aggravate or worry you. Write them all down and for each setback, you should come up with a way to overcome it. That might mean pivoting your business during the slowdown.

No gym? No problem. Work out at home.

No social life? No problem. Work on yourself so that you become more attractive to the opposite sex. Once life returns to normal, you’ll be a head turner and can date all you want.

3. Plan And Set Goals

Now that you know how to overcome the setbacks, you’ll need a course of action for each plan. If you’re going to pivot your business, what exactly will you do?

Working out at home? – What’s your training regimen going to be like? Calisthenics? Running on a treadmill? Home workout videos like P90X and Insanity Max?

Write down the actions you’ll need to take to achieve your goal. These plans for success are crucial.

4. Visualize Your Success

Visualization is a very powerful tool for lifting your moods and giving you a sense of purpose. Spend some time daily visualizing your best life and how you’ve achieved your goals. Feel them as if you’ve already made your dreams a reality.

By doing so, you’ll help alleviate any negative thoughts or pessimism that you might experience during this trying time. Practice visualization once or twice daily, but don’t force it. You must enjoy the process.

5. Take Action

The last and most crucial step of the 5-step plan is to take action to make your goals a reality. You’ve already written down a list of things to do. You’ll just need to stick to the plan and get them done. As simple as this sounds, it will be difficult to stay committed.

So, do your best to make small improvements gradually so that you can make your big dreams come true.

Now, it may seem like the 5-step plan is more like a goal achievement plan than a way to boost your optimism. This is true to a certain extent, but like Albert Einstein said, “Problems cannot be solved with the same mindset that created them.”

If you’re depressed or anxious over the pandemic, trying to force yourself into optimism is very difficult because your mind is on its own track.

The best way to fix the problem will be to take an analytical approach and get it to focus on other things. In this case, that will be overcoming the setbacks and trying to achieve new goals.

Your focus has changed and the new vision has promise. This is the key to overcoming the pessimism and negative thoughts, and as your progress, you’ll discover happiness in the pursuit of your new goals. That’s how you boost your optimism and stay sane during these tough times.