Whether you’re a teen in high school or college or an adult in the midst of your career, being in good spirits is one of the keys to doing well in your studies or job. But if, like most of us, you’re cooped up in your home and following social distancing guidelines when you’re out, you may be finding it hard to stay happy, and therefore hard to stay focused. This is especially true if you derive contentment from interacting with others or engaging in activities that you can’t fully participate in right now.
So, in the spirit of helping you get your focus back, we’ll look at a few strategies to put you in good spirits so that you can tackle school and your job well in the age of Covid-19.
Whether you’re a teen or adult, consider:
- Setting aside an hour each day to engage in a favorite online activity that helps you virtually interact with others. This may be playing online games or “conversing” with friends in a social media forum.
- Getting up to an hour each day to exercise outdoors, whether that be, for instance, running, bicycling, or walking, if your state allows it. If you want to engage in these activities with other people, I advise that it be people that you live with to reduce the chance of contracting or spreading the novel coronavirus.
- Eating a favorite food occasionally. Many of us find that happiness coincides with eating a favorite dish, so it may be a nice thing to eat something you love every now and then. That said, do not go against your doctor’s orders. At any rate, eating a favorite food can be an inexpensive way to keep you going during the tough times of isolation, especially when it makes you smile.
- Getting in your personal or family car to go for a drive. This is a great way to get out of the house and see a bit of the world, all from the safe confines of the car. Unlike running, walking, or bicycling, which you do in a limited space, a car trip can allow you to see more “of what’s out there” and make you feel that your world is a little wider. Just make sure to wear your seatbelt and drive defensively and safely.
- Engaging in a favorite hobby that you didn’t have time for back when you were working in the office five days a week or studying in a physical school. Reacquaint yourself with a favorite pastime, such as playing the guitar or piano, reading books and magazines, crocheting or painting, or gardening, for example.
- Learning a new skill. Maybe there’s a skill you need to pick up to do better in your job, move up in your career, do better in school, or that you just want to learn for the heck of it. Find a little extra time to take an online class to start picking up that new skill. Not only can learning something new be fun, it can also help you feel like you’re progressing in life during a time when you’re being forced to basically go nowhere but home.
With all of this said, these times may be especially trying if you’re a working parent who is staying at home alongside young children who are participating in distance learning. In addition to being tasked to do your job, you’re also being tasked to help them with their schoolwork. While some of the suggestions above can help you get back into good spirits to perform both of your jobs—as a worker and a parent—well, I’d also like to suggest the following: You may want to take a break from your children during the day. This may involve establishing a one-hour daily nap time for them or an hour for them to watch a favorite TV program or play a video game or with a favorite toy. Such activities also give them a respite from their stay-at-home studies.
In closing, if anyone reading this has any other suggestions for how stay-at-home-working parents and others can stay in good spirits during the pandemic, please pass them along to us on our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/TamaraSRaymond/. We’d love to hear from you. After all, these unprecedented times call for us to help one another!
