What Covid-19 Taught Us : 7 Tips To Stay Happy

During the last fifteen months, the world has been learning to live with the COVID 19 pandemic. Many of us have been struggling with loneliness, depression, anxiety or questioning the path of life we chose.

According to an Ipsos survey for non-profit ASTREE, one out five people in France confirm that they have felt isolated during quarantine and 63% of those struggling with isolation have contemplated suicide. So, to help us all get out of this funk and in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we decided to share some tips that helped us to keep smiling during quarantine.

As we were confined to our homes, most of us have felt claustrophobic. We found that going out in the morning for walks helped us stay active. We felt refreshed and accomplished as we started the day on a positive note and with a little bit of sunshine.

Working from home has one big benefit: avoiding the hassle of public transportation or traffic. It also has a huge inconvenience: bringing the stress from the workplace into our personal space even after work hours. It has been difficult to separate work hours from our free time. In order to balance our workday and our home life we’ve set a few boundaries such as:

• Fixing work hours from 9 am to 7pm
• Stop answering work calls during our lunch hours and after 7pm

These little steps helped us contain the stress linked to work. 

We found that expressing positive affirmations daily helped us stay confident and kept our mind strong in the mix of all the sad information we received from the news. Our favourites are:

• I am healthy.
• I am strong.
• I am happy.
• I am safe.
• I am loved.

Being kind to others is extremely rewarding. Making someone smile releases dopamine and in turn make you feel good about yourself. Here are some ideas of nice gesture:

• Calling a friend or a family member who is alone during this time.
• Going groceries shopping for an elderly neighbour
• Buying from small businesses

Setting the mood with music and aromatherapy is one of the ways we escaped from our daily routine. We could set a relaxing, a happy or even fun mood depending on the playlist we put on or the candle we light.

A gratitude journal is a simple tool to stay focus on the positive events of your day. Write at least three things we are grateful every day and three positive things that happened that day.

Tip 7: Seeking help from a professional 

Depression and anxiety are serious, difficult issues that we may all face. There is no shame in needing to talk to a mental health hotline or a mental health professional. 

These habits helped us stay sane during quarantine, and now that the world is opening, we will keep these habits. Share with us in the comments, how you stayed sane during the pandemic?

Photo by RF Studio From Pexels