You might be surprised to read the title of this post, as it is so controversial to anything you hear on the news or read online lately. Yes, the coronavirus has taken a toll on all of our lives. Yet despite how difficult this global pandemic has been, today I am highlighting 10 positive takeaways from COVID-19 and my goal is to shed some light on this dark season to help you feel a little lighter, inspired and perhaps even a bit of gratitude for this time.
Although the coronavirus has wreaked havoc in our lives, we have the choice to see the light, to make something out of this time, and why not come out of it stronger and better than before?
Reflect on what I’m sharing with you today, discover the areas where you can improve and implement changes, and decide right now that your personal growth will remain a priority moving forward.
1) Build Community
Although we can’t see each other in person, having all of this time seems to have actually increased communication between loved ones and friends, even complete strangers on social media that have quickly become friends. Have you been experiencing this? There is a deep feeling of connection, knowing that we are all going through this together. I find so much beauty in the way people are communicating, sharing their passions through recording videos or going LIVE on instagram. People are using Zoom to connect with family and friends and even celebrate birthdays from a distance. We might not be able to get together in the way we have always known, but this time has given us a beautiful opportunity for deeper connection. If you haven’t already done so, reach out to a loved one or a friend, I am sure they would be so happy to catch up with you.
2) Self-Care
There is a quote by Rumi that goes, "Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself." There is no better time than now to change yourself, or rather, improve the quality of your life in ways that you can. How can you change your life during a pandemic? Use the extra time you have at home right now to develop a healthy morning and evening routine, exercise, start a meditation practice, or study something you have always wanted to learn, but didn’t have the time to before! Dedicate time to yourself, and become the best version of yourself in the process.
3) Slow Down
This is one of my favorites. Some of you might know, I lived in Brooklyn, NYC last year and I don’t think I slowed down for nine months straight! Every day was GO! GO! GO! I felt like if I stopped even for a second, my whole world would crumble. Has anyone else ever felt this way? I know living in NYC is an extreme example of a fast-paced lifestyle, but I truly believe that no matter where we are, we have a tendency to keep ourselves busy and resist slowing down and giving ourselves permission to relax. Now that most of the world is locked down and we are practicing social distancing to protect ourselves and each other, it’s really the perfect time to embrace life in the slow lane. So enjoy it!
4) Face (and embrace) your shadow
Shadow work is something I’ve been self-studying recently and I understand it as connecting to part of ourselves we have denied or abandoned in attempt to receive love. I found the following guidance for how to do shadow work in five simple steps on the instagram page ‘The Holistic Psychologist’ and I’d love to share it with you here. Follow the steps below to see your shadow self:
Begin to view emotional triggers as teachers, showing you what needs healing
Do 3 deep belly breaths
PAUSE, Ask: “What am I feeling?”
Practice FULL self compassion with no judgement around how you feel. A mantra that you can practice here is ‘I accept this’.
When a person triggers you ask, “What trait in this person is activating me?” (this is what you deny in self, or a past wound looking to be resolved).
I hope you enjoy trying this shadow work and make some time for it during this quarantine period. Seek guidance if you feel called to do so!
5) Learn the art of doing nothing (meditation)
Let’s start by clarifying that meditation is for everyone, not only for the yogis and gurus who can sit crossed legged for extended periods of time staying completely still.
Meditation, simply explained, is the delicate art of doing nothing and letting go of all the efforts to relax into your true nature which is love, joy and peace. When the mind becomes free from agitation, is calm and at peace, meditation happens. The benefits of meditation are endless and it is an essential practice for mental hygiene. Natural results of meditating regularly include improved concentration, clarity of perception, improvement in communication, blossoming of skills and talents, an unshakable inner strength, the ability to connect to an inner source of energy, relaxation and rejuvenation. Meditation is not a luxury, it is a necessity.
Use this time to reconnect to your meditation practice or to start one. There are so many tools online, for example you can meditate for free with Deepak Chopra and Oprah, or download the calm app for meditation on your phone. If you’ve been considering meditation but weren’t sure how to begin, this might be the sign you were looking for!
6) Learn a new skill
A friend of mine shared a statement the other day that I felt to be incredibly true: if you don’t come of of this quarantine having learned something new or having developed a new skill, it was never that you didn’t have the time, but that you didn’t have the discipline. Is this not the harsh truth we all needed to hear or what? You have the time now to learn something new and I don’t know about you, but my future self will be disappointed if I don’t at least try! Right now, there is a beautiful opportunity to learn something new if you are passionate to do so.
7) Start an online business
I’ve seen many of my friends who worked as yoga teachers in studios starting to offer their services online and I am so inspired by them! It takes guts to step out of your comfort zone and put yourself out there. If you have done something completely out of your comfort zone and flat out scary recently, I see you. I honor you. Maybe you don’t know what product or service you could possibly sell online, but I want you to know that that is ok… you don’t have to know that just yet! What you should know, is that you have special talents and skills and there are so many people in this world who could learn from you. Give that some thought. You never know, you might just be able to make that dream of working from home, building your own schedule, even traveling the world because you can work from anywhere a reality if you put your mind to it. I believe in you!
8) Improve your exercise routine
Move your body! It is the temple for your soul. If you’re like me, you might lack some motivation to do an intense workout when the pantry is full of snacks. I get it! But trust me, you will feel way better after some movement because when you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain and trigger a positive feeling in the body. Cool right?? I recommend going on youtube, where you can search for all kinds of workouts and yoga classes that will motivate you to move!
9) Learn how to cook or experiment with new recipes
I might be biased about this one, as I love cooking. I have to admit though, I wasn’t always this way. I started to really think about food as medicine and something in me shifted. I started to notice how I felt when I ate wholesome food vs. junk food - and trust me, it makes a difference. You might hate cooking right now, but give yourself some time. Look up a new recipe online and start simple. I recommend checking out the Minimalist Baker because most of her recipes require only a few ingredients, so chances are you already have them in your kitchen. I have created a free mini e-cookbook with some of my favorite staples as well, so if you are interested in that, just let me know in the comments below. I’d be happy to help!
10) Prepare for a brighter future
I’m going to leave you with what I’ve read today because I find it to be so powerful and I think you will, too.
“Coronavirus has made the mighty kneel and brought the world to a halt like nothing else could.
Our minds are still racing back and forth, longing for a return to ‘normality’ trying to stitch our future to our past and refusing to acknowledge the rupture. But the rupture exists. And in the midst of this terrible despair, it offers us a chance to rethink the doomsday machine we have built for ourselves. Nothing could be worse than a return to normality.
Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. This is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next.
We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us.
Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world.
And ready to fight for it.”
-Arundhati Roy
Believe in a brighter future, friends, and use this time to prepare for it. Tread lightly and leave behind all of the heaviness that wasn’t serving you in the first place. We’ve got this.
Have any questions on these tips or anything to add to this list? Let me know in the comments below!
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