Finding Joy During a Pandemic
We only know the present moment
It’s easy to get lost in the headlines in the wake of a pandemic. Our society is built for the 24 hour news cycle. We wake up to the constant news of COVID-19 spreading throughout the world affecting millions, skyrocketing unemployment rates, restaurants and essential businesses navigating difficult times. We are forced to reflect on our lives daily. Our job security. Our finances. Our healthcare system. We oftentimes forget how the news affects our mental health.
A lot of us are feeling despair, but also a sense of hope. Tough times are meant to shake us out of our comfort zones. When we feel any sense of despair, it feels easy to fall into the emotional trap, but it doesn’t end up helping anyone out, ourselves, the people around us, or our community.
During hard times, it’s human nature to adapt and overcome. We have endured time and time again throughout history. It’s easy to reminisce how “good” life used to be during a time like this because our social habits and they way we interact with the world have changed. We can also view it as an opportunity for change.
We are entering an age of finding new meaning and defining what our new normals are in our daily lives: whether it’s baking bread, planting Victory gardens, enjoying books, building puzzles, performing TikTok dance challenges, chatting with friends via Zoom. Bridging this connection with ourselves and others is essential for our well-being. The most important thing is that we have to endure and try.
Before quarantine, I was living my life almost passively and with zero to no structure outside of being in an office. I have been learning the importance of eating breakfast every morning, incorporating vitamins into my daily routine, and the value of stretching and proper sleep. These small actions have already affected my mental and physical well-being during these stressful times.
We go off of the life we get used to because it’s all we ever know. It’s all based on the small habits we accumulate throughout how we grow up. This quarantine has allowed me examine the things that are really important to me: my relationships, managing my finances, and physical health. I wasn’t really thinking too hard about these things and how they all related with how I was feeling on a day to day basis. It has definitely challenged my beliefs.
Finding meaning and small things that spark joy doesn’t need to stop under difficult times. We’re oftentimes wondering, “what will life look like when this is all over?” Nothing is ever for certain. We have to adjust and enjoy the present moment. It’s all that our brains can handle and craving for the past seems simply gullible.
