What helps us not to go crazy in COVID times
Even the greatest optimist is reaching his limits at the moment. Vaccination, the linchpin of all openings worldwide, is progressing far too slowly in Europe. The marathon of the lockdown continues, on and off.
BY THE EDITOR
Strategies for perseverance
From day to day, our small spaces seem to become even narrower in COVID times:
Walks are regimented, hikes in the forest are apostrophized as too numerous for nature. Cities that are on our bucket list of future trips outdo each other in raving about how much more pleasant it is without tourists.
We’ve made a habit of doing the following things to not only persevere, but to mentally get through these times well.
If only one tip of it helps you too, it is good
Not every strategy is right for everyone. But if just one tip helps you persevere more easily, we’d love to hear it.
Talk Show Detox
Talk shows are counterproductive in the current situation. The format usually does not allow for differentiated explanations, and we all already know the negative facts from other sources.
Most talk show guests, who always appeared on camera fresh from the hairdresser even in the strictest lockdown times, seem miles away from our daily lives and experiences and have probably never spent hours on the phone in a vain attempt to schedule a vaccination appointment.
Our recommendation: Pause from broadcasting.
Sport with oxygen
No matter what it is, running in the rain, gardening, yoga by an open window, some of our readers (chapeau!) even brave swimming in the lake in the coldest temperatures -the endorphins that outdoor exercise triggers work wonders.
Our recommendation: As much exercise in the fresh air as possible. Especially when you don’t feel like it at all and have to overcome yourself to do it, the effect is particularly great.
Mindfulness also applies to yourself
Are there people in your circle of friends and acquaintances who have never asked you how you are doing?
Our recommendation: Go diving and focus your empathy on those who also show interest in you.
Do nothing
Incessantly, someone quotes Winston Churchill with “Never waste a good crisis.” Yet this quote cannot be clearly attributed to the great statesman.
Most of us are rather hyperactive these days, digitizing our business, building a new business, trying to keep our job or find a new one, and hardly giving ourselves a break. So the constant repetition of this sentence is highly superfluous.
Breaks, on the other hand, are exactly what strengthen us mentally during this time.
Our recommendation: Turn off the phone and let your mind wander, pick up a book, listen to music, take a hot bath or simply close your eyes during the day instead of constantly trying to outrun yourself left or right.
Learning as a means against powerlessness
Right now, there are many issues where we are almost powerless in the pandemic. Not a good situation for people who are used to determining and shaping issues. What we can always do, however, is learn a new skill.
Medical science always knows an antidote to the poison. Learning is the antidote to the feeling of not being able to influence anything yourself on some issues.
Our recommendation: learn something you previously considered difficult or exotic. Whether it’s using a cordless screwdriver, playing the piano, or reading the latest scientific articles on the CRISPR/Cas technique of genetic manipulation.
If homeschooling or other commitments leave you absolutely no time to do this, we have a recommendation that takes less time: Clean out a closet completely and prepare your post-Covid wardrobe.
This works almost always in terms of time and gives you the good feeling of order and optimism. Guaranteed.
Bad news sells
Our brain is trained to take in negative news more intensely and subsequently search for even more information about it to verify the negative message.
This can lead to an excess of negative news in times of pandemic, causing even the greatest optimist to despair.
Our recommendation: Concentrate on selected quality media and the French philosopher Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne:
“My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened”
Sometimes only one thing helps: soul food
Two young graduates of the Lausanne Hotel Management School, who wanted to start their first gastro concept in the old town of Zurich despite lockdown, started selling ham and cheese sandwiches through the window of a bar in the form of a kiosk. With the perfect branding: IKLÄMMT.
The line of those who wanted a hot ham and cheese sandwich as a break snack between endless Zoom meetings and patiently waited in line to purchase one of the 1,000 sandwiches available per day at the kiosk was long, and the cheese and ham sandwiches toasted with the best regional ingredients sold out most days.
Our recommendation: toast a slice of sourdough bread with an aromatic turmeric mustard or sweet Bavarian mustard, place good cooked ham and cucumbers cut into flat slices on it, top with Gouda and Comté cheese and let it melt under the grill. Tuck in with a second toasted slice of bread and enjoy.
Hold on well
If we only yearn for immunity to COVID-19 but cannot determine it, it helps to at least strengthen our mental immunity.
Do you have any tips on what works best for you right now? Write to us at contact@gloriousme.net, we look forward to hearing from you!
Photographs © GloriousMe
