Tips To Help Lower Stress and Increase Positivity During the Uncertainty of Covid-19

So, you have binged watched all your favorites and then some on Netflix. You’ve cleaned up every nook and cranny of your house, you are all caught up on your reading and your refrigerator and pantry are cleaned out because of all of the stress eating.

By now you had expected to be back at work, or you are back but things are running much differently and way more stressful. By now you had hoped to be going back to physical church, but if you are, you find church is different. You hoped to be enjoying life again going out with friends and eating NORMALLY in a restaurant. You had hoped to have your vacation, but travel was banned. You had hoped your business would be back up and running but you have no clue when you will be able to reopen.

You miss your family that you can't visit right now. You missed that wedding you had been so excited about supporting and attending. You missed a whole season of your favorite sport. You missed the funeral of your loved one or friend. You missed the NORMAL graduation of you child from high school or college.

You hope work calls you back soon. You hope you can attend your favorite gym for a workout soon. You hope to be hearing any day now that school will operate as normal when it starts in the fall because you are not into homeschooling and, well, school has been out since March and it’s TIME for the kids to go back to school this. They NEED to be learning and they have missed SO much.

I’m sure you can insert your own “hoped for” “hope to happen” or “missed” thing here.

But things are FAR from normal

Some suggest there will be a new normal when this is all said and done. I hope not. I hope that VERY soon we can see normal return. And while we have learned a LOT during this time, this has been an incredibly stressful time full of uncertainty as well as a time where we can, if we are not careful, become extremely negative.

Tips To Help Lower Stress and Increase Positivity In Your Life

• Check on your friends and family. When you focus on others and not yourself, your outlook changes. It will remind you that you are blessed with people in your life. And while you will encourage them for reaching out and checking on them, you will most likely get the best benefit from doing so.

• Volunteer. There are so many places needing volunteers. Giving back always reduces stress and helps raise your positivity meter.

• Bless someone else - Pay for the car behind you in the drive thru line. Leave an extra tip when you eat in a restaurant. Hide money under the lid of baby formula in the store. Bake cookies and give to a shut in, friend or family member.

• Go on a trail hike or dust off your bike and go for a ride. Exercise and getting out in nature are great stress relievers.

• Turn on some music, crank up the volume, and dance like no one is watching.

• Look around you…. I bet you can find something you are thankful for. Gratitude is key.

• Keep scrolling… Social media is notorious for negativity and depending on where you stand on all things Covid-19, keep scrolling past what you don’t agree with or the negative people.

• And last but not least, take a break from the news. (Enough said and I will leave that right there.) 😊

We can get through this! Let’s stay positive! Let’s reduce that stress! I believe we will come out on the other side of this stronger. I pray that soon we will see some normal return and I trust we will not forget what we’ve learned through it all and appreciate the things we have missed. And when you ever get stressed or start feeling negative in the future (post Covid-19), read this again! 😊

For daily motivation and more positive encouragement, visit my Facebook page and give it a like.

#ananchorofhope

Let your shirt do the talking about that hope you have