COVID 19 Crisis Management: 13 Ways To Stay Positive as The World Goes Crazy

The world is changing as we know it before our very eyes – the COVID 19 calamity seems to have taken charge of how the world is run. And to most of us at this point, the future is bleak. And that is exactly why we need COVID 19 crisis management with respect to mental health.

At a time like this, when people are losing their jobs, their loved ones, and sense of self, it is easy to slip and fall into despair. Especially if the COVID 19 map for your region doesn’t portray the most hopeful of pictures when it comes to the future.

So what can you do to stay positive? How can you turn a negative into a positive keep your mental health in check?

Here are some of the things you can do:

Follow the necessary steps to stay safe during the COVID 19 crisis

This seems like a given as far as your physical health is concerned – of course you are taking all the necessary precautions to keep yourself safe. But this has an impact on your mental health too.

Knowing that you are in control of this part of your life and are doing everything you can to keep yourself and your family safe and healthy gives you an immense amount of peace of mind.

In addition, you feel that there is one element you are in control of and you’re doing it well. And that’s not all. Knowing that you are contributing to keeping the spikes on the COVID 19 map for your region low bring a sense of proactiveness that makes you feel positive about yourself.

Take a break from watching the news

Whether you are following the numbers on your social media accounts or are glued to your TV screen – stop. You don’t need to be updated every second of every day.

Being aware of the situation is great – you need to know what is happening in the world and prepare accordingly. But there is such a thing as overdoing it. And most of us have fallen into that trap at least a couple of times during this chaos.

Constantly being exposed to all the panic-inducing news headlines that are being directed towards you is doing you more harm than good. The truth is, there is more bad news out there than good. And while you do need to be aware, you don’t need to torture yourself.

So stay away from the news as much as you can.

Dress up and stay fresh – don’t lounger around in your PJ’s all day long

What does your brain tell you when you finally get into your PJ’s at the end of the day? That it is now time to relax, maybe grab a coffee and read a book, and then go to bed. Do you see where we’re going with this?

Staying in your PJ’s all day long can play a massive role in killing your productivity. And while this isn’t great in any kind of routine, it is a major problem if you are working from home during the COVID 19 crisis.

Getting up in the morning, taking a shower, and changing into some clean, comfortable clothes can tell your brain that you’re ready to start the day. And then you can do just that!

Don’t let anxiety about the future consume you

In these uncertain times, everything is up in the air and there are tons of questions that have likely kept you up at night.

When will this pandemic end?

When will the COVID 19 map start pointing towards a better tomorrow?

Will things ever be the same again?

What if we have to adapt to a whole new world when – and IF – this ends?

It’s okay to be concerned as long as it helps you formulate a game plan for the future. But once it starts consuming your brainpower and giving you anxiety you can’t deal with, that’s when you know you have to put a stop to it.

Tell yourself that this is temporary. Assure yourself that the risks are just that – they aren’t reality yet. And we can deal with them if they ever do become reality.

Try these tips to get a handle on your anxiety:

Four Tips To Help You Feel Less Anxious About The Future

Count your blessings

Things are not going your way – we’ll give you that. The pandemic has pretty much turned your life upside down and you don’t like it. And there are many COVID 19 issues you have to deal with.

But do you know what? There is a lot you have to be thankful for too. And that is what you need to be focused on right now.

Hungry? You have food to put on the table.

Bored? You have your PlayStation, laptop, iPhone, TV, books – whatever you enjoy most is an arm’s length away.

Feeling stuck inside? At least you’re able to pay your bills and have a roof over your head no matter what the world comes to.

Make a list of every blessing you are getting to enjoy even in such a tough climate – that will surely stop your mind from steering too much in the negative direction.

Maintain a solid work-from-home routine

Speaking about work, as we just mentioned, a lot of you are now working from home. And there is no saying how long this is going to last.

This means that you need to learn how to work from home in a way that it doesn’t consume your entire day – and then your life. You NEED to get back into routine (we know you’re far from it right now) and stick to it.

Identify certain hours of the day when you will be working and aim to meet your deadlines within them. Try to get the major chunk of the work done in the morning. Give yourself smart breaks.

We talk about all these things and more in a lot of detail here:

9 practical ways to maintain a work-life balance working from home

Stop multi-tasking – prioritize your goals

One of the most important things you can do for yourself during shelter-in-place is feel that you are in control. You need to be on top of things, not all over the place, if you want to give your new life some structure.

And that’s why we think this point needs to be separate from the one above. Do. Not. Multitask.

Get one task out the way before you approach another. If you are trying to get that report done while you have a chicken in the oven and a paintbrush in your hand, you will slip.

It is easy to think, when you’re at home, that you can get things done quicker if you do them all at once. This may be possible in some cases but your attention definitely gets divided and it may result in the complete opposite.

Do one thing at a time and do it right – it will definitely help you feel in control.

If you’ve lost your job – take real steps to get a new one

People across the COVID 19 map are facing challenges when it comes to their professional lives. Needless to say, the worry of those who have lost their source of income temporarily is unmatchable.

But worry is not going to get you anywhere. What you need to do is figure out how to remain employed during this pandemic so that you can pay the bills.

Look into companies that are still hiring for jobs that can be done from home.

Dig into your skill set and discover alternate routes you can take.

Add to your skill set (we come to this next) so you become more employable. There are a number of things you can do to make sure you remain employed. Read all about them here:

How to stay employed during COVID-19 global unemployment phase?

Focus on learning and develop yourself professionally

You are at home A LOT more than before. And you will find that you will have a lot more free time on your hands.

Your workload may also have lessened a great deal due to the COVID 19 crisis. But there is something you can do to keep yourself engaged professionally despite having fewer obligations.

You can build your skill set and learn new things that will definitely give you an edge over others in your career.

We all have that one free online training we’ve had our eye on since forever but never found the time to actually sit down and start. Now is that time.

Here is a great list of free online courses that is updated on a regular basis. Check it out – there is something here for everyone!

Free Online Learning Due to Coronavirus (Updated Continuously)

Keep yourself busy – find new hobbies

This is one of the best COVID 19 crisis management tips you’ll find as far as keeping yourself busy and distracted is concerned.

We’ve established that you have a lot of time on your hands. And honestly, how clean can you make your house after a certain point? But there is something else you can do.

Remember how you always talked about learning how to knit? Or how you always promised yourself you’ll get to the books resting on the fireplace, waiting to be opened? Now just may be the time to get started. Actually, it definitely is!

At the end of the day, the busier you are, the less time you have to worry about things that are not in your control. So find a hobby or many and immerse yourself in it.

Which brings us to our next point:

Work out and meditate

Taking care of your physical health (and in turn your mental health) is something you just cannot ignore. And we don’t just mean eating well – you need to stay active.

The thing is, even if you weren’t the gym sort before the COVID 19 crisis hit, you were still getting some legwork in just by leaving the house. You went to work, out grocery shopping, for walks in the park, and so on.

None of that is currently happening – you are stuck in the house and we’ll go out on a limb here and say you’re glued to the couch. And your bed at night. Rinse and repeat. It is essential to get that body moving as this impacts not only your physical health, but your mental health too.

So choose a small home workout or a yoga routine you enjoy and make it a non-negotiable part of your day.

Keep in touch with your friends and family

Perhaps one of the hardest side-effects of the pandemic is not being able to meet your friends and family whenever you want. After all, you have to play a role in keeping the COVID 19 positivity rate low.

Human interaction is an essential part of our lives. Heck, it’s an essential part of our day! Even if it’s with the colleagues you can’t bear, you can’t do without human contact.

And now you have to. While there is no getting out of shelter-in-place, we do recommend staying in constant touch with the friends and fam and checking up on them as often as you can.

The first thing this does is to let you know they are safe and well. Secondly, it’s something to do. Thirdly, you can keep up with their lives. But most importantly, you can support each other emotionally when it all gets a little overwhelming, even if it is through screens.

Help others for your own internal peace

Not everyone may be as fortunate as you are – the COVID 19 crisis has hit millions of people hard. People around the world are struggling and there isn’t enough being done to help them out.

And that is where you come into the picture.

No one can play the heroic role that front-line warriors are playing at this point but there is a lot more you can do.

Donate as much as you can to families who are struggling to make ends meet. If it is possible, volunteer your time and do what you can in your own capacity. Share any authentic information and news you come across so everyone stays well informed. Offer to do your elderly neighbor’s grocery shop.

If you put your mind to it, you will come up with a million things you can do to play your part.

And the peace helping others will bring you is unmatchable.

Have you tried any of these tips? Have any others helped you out?

Let us know all about it.

Here’s to getting through the COVID 19 crisis with high spirits!

[wp-faq-schema title=”FAQs”]