Are you controlling the quarantine, or is the quarantine controlling you?

As the quarantine continues, I find my friends and family in varying states of emotional health.  Some of my friends lost their jobs and are trying to figure out unemployment.  Some of my friends are worried about losing their business and trying to get an SBA Loan.  Some of my friends are working  18+ hour days trying to uncover new ways of doing business.  Some of my friends are heading to work at the hospital, overworked and wondering if today is the day they get infected.  Some of my friends are questioning the seriousness of the disease.  Others are grieving the loss of a loved one who passed from the virus, and are upset they were not able to be there to say their goodbyes, upon risking infection.   Times like these bring out the best in people!  People are donating blood,  volunteering to make masks, and taking food to those who can't get out.   Times like these also bring out the worst in people.  I read the stories about idiots coughing on produce at grocery stores, spitting on packages, and scammers preying on those wanting a cure from the coronavirus.  

We can not control this virus situation, but we can control how we react to the things that are happening around us.  These are some things I've  done to keep my spirits up:

1)  Limit news watching to 30 minutes a day.  Every time they came up with a new symptom, I kept watching for it until I was sitting thinking I'm 5  days from death because I have a runny nose, when all I needed to do was take a Zyrtec!  Cutting down on the news forced me to do something else.  

2)  I  spend 1-2 hours a day learning something new.  Right now, I'm doing training with Wix on how to build websites.  I've made significant improvements in my websites every day, and learning how to do business differently so I remain on the cutting edge.  This new email program is one of those changes!

3)   I spend 1 hour a day working out.  The place I take dance lessons at moved all their classes to Zoom, so every day I log in and take a class.  Just moving that little bit keeps my mood up, and I sleep better.

4)   With most restaurants being closed, Doug and I have been cooking and preparing interesting, healthy dishes.  I've gotten to try all kinds of new dishes, which I might not have otherwise tried because "we were too busy" to cook.

5)   I make time to reach out to loved ones.  Last Sunday, I held a Zoom conference call, and 15 people chimed in from all over the country.   This is not something I would have done prior to the quarantine because  "I was too busy before."  Not only did it lift up my spirits, but it lifted theirs up too.

6)   I make sure I take my vitamins and get plenty of rest, at least 7 hours a night, in order to keep my immunity as strong as possible.   

The coronavirus has been a curse in many ways, and yet in others, it has been a gift.  All those things I always wanted to do but never had time for?  I'm doing them now.  Every day, I'm reminded of what is truly important in life.  Nothing should be taken for granted.  Keeping this attitude of gratitude and positive mindset is the best way to see the creative possibilities available to us in this new (and hopefully temporary) way of life. 

~Traci