I live in Washington state and we are one of the hard hitting areas of Coronavirus. How to stay calm and focused during time of pandemic? All schools are closed, companies are asking employees to work from home. Restaurants are closed, except for delivery and take-out. Gathering with over 50 people is not allowed anymore. Everyone is required to practice social distancing and staying at home.
Spending more time at home is supposed to give me more time to be productive. However, with the kids staying home and home schooling, plus all the news popping up with statistics and updates every few minutes, stress and anxiety all take away my ability to focus. To cope this difficult time, I would like to share 6 ways that could help us all to stay calm and focused in times of Covid-19 panic.
1. Limit The Time On The News
We have been told by authorities to say in our homes in order to prevent spread, but that does not mean that we should go crazy inside and solely focus our attention on what is happening with world outside. Try to limit how much news you watch, especially some of the overhyped reporting that only propagates fear and anxiety. First and foremost, get updates and facts from reliable sources, and then focus your attention elsewhere.
I, like most people, spent the first few days of this pandemic just watching the news and scrolling social media. I literally spent hours reading news from different outlets. There was some anxious part of me with the desire to know what was going on, how many new cases there were and what was being shut down.
Slowly, I’ve realized that I will have to take the necessary steps in reducing my stress and anxiety and promoting calmness and productivity while the virus runs its course. I need to take a break from the news and social media. By limiting the daily status of the Coronavirus 1-2 times a day max, I can distance myself from the anxiety, overwhelm and negativity that surrounds it.
I also suggest you to avoid reading the news in the morning so you can start the day positively. Avoid reading the news before going to bed so your mind can relax to have a good sleep.
2. Keep Your Kids Busy and Learn Something New
As schools and workplaces close due to the Coronavirus pandemic, staying home with kids all day can be lots of distraction for parents away from working at home. Check out below free online educational resources for kids during the pandemic:
- Get Free Audiobook with Amazon – Audible Stories is offering free streams on a select number of children’s stories across six languages to keep kids “dreaming, learning, and just being kids.” The service will be available for as long as schools are closed.
- Scholastic Learn at Home – Day to day learning experiences for kids in Kindergarten to 9th grade.
- Visit Virtual Museums For Free – 17 European museums offer free virtual visit online.
- Watch Online Broadway Musicals For Free – Online Broadway Musical have shows available for free.
- Get Free eBooks using your library card – If you have a local library card then you can get thousands of ebooks and audiobooks for free. Just go to overdrive.com and sign up.
- Free Learning Workbooks – This site contains a wealth of free printable learning workbooks for kids in Kindergarten to 6th grade.
- Animal Live Cams & Virtual Tours – San Diego Zoo live cams, from baboons to penguins, the world famous San Diego zoo has live cams for about a dozen of their animal exhibits.
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- How To Stay Connected When Working Remotely
- Download Stay At Home Planner Printable
- Download Work At Home Planner Printable
- How To Be Productive Working From Home
- How To Stay Connected When Working Remotely
- How To Handle Distractions Working From Home
Get your kids on a schedule. We are all creatives of habit and your kids are no different. Sticking to a set schedule even if they don’t have school will make it easier to plan your work day. Download our Monthly, Weekly, Daily Planner Printable for FREE.
Set up a creative box. This can be a lifesaver when you need to get work done and have run out of ideas to keep your younger kids busy. A creative box is a crate of craft materials and a list of activities they can do using the materials in the crate. You may have them create their favorite animals using cotton balls or put together some coloring pages for them to paint on.
Prettygrafik.com has an adorable coloring book for kids that you can download for FREE for limited time.
3. Finding a Creative Outlet And Enjoy Some “Me” Time
A creative outlet can be almost anything. Doing an activity you enjoy is important for your self-care. Carve out some time in your day for “me” time. You deserve it. Here are a few things you might want to try out (if you have the supplies in your home):
- Painting, coloring, or drawing
- Singing or playing musical instruments
- Taking photos or videos of things you enjoy
- Building something with things lying around the house
- Writing a journal
- Reading books
- Taking a craft class – Craft More Happy Moments with FREE Creativity Care Package 3/26-4/9/20!
Basically, the goal here is to find an activity or task that requires an intense amount of focus and makes you happy. You won’t even notice that you spent the last hour drawing your favorite cartoon character.
For me, my creative outlet is making printables and writing journals. I can sit at my desk spending hours of focus time designing and making planner printables and trackers.
If you are interested in creating, check out the freebies from thehungryjpeg.com. They offer weekly digital freebies and other goodies that you can download.
Download this week’s freebie: FREE So Fresh Spring Cleaning Digital Pack
Journaling is a powerful tool in so many ways. By simply giving you a place to express your fears and concerns, a journal helps you maintain positivity outside of its pages.
Putting your thoughts on paper is probably one of the best ways to help you work through your thoughts, feelings and challenges. Gratitude journaling can also help to shift your mind away from fear and towards appreciation and love.
Check out our free planner printables, free word art overlays and free SVG cut files for your next project.
Looking for a printed notebook? Check out these adorable lined notebooks available at Amazon by Simply Couture Designs
♥ These notebooks contain 150 lined or dot grid pages, perfect for journaling and gifts giving! ♥
Catch up on some reading? Here are some recommended books and can help you staying positive:
Stay Positive: Encouraging Quotes and Messages
Take in the Good: Skills for Staying Positive and Living Your Best Life
Positive Thinking Every Day
The Power of Positive Thinking
4. Have A Plan And Focus On Things You Can Control
One of the single best things you can do to maintain positivity during tough times is to make a plan on how to deal with it.
When you focus on the solution rather than the problem, you will naturally feel more positive. You will feel like you are rising to the challenge and are in control.
Here are the things that you can do to prevent Coronavirus:
- Train yourself not to touch your eyes, nose and mouth
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- Avoid touching common public surfaces that other people touch such as door panels, doorknobs etc
- Use a regular household cleaner or wipe to clean and frequently disinfect surfaces and objects such as your cell phone that are frequently touched
- Practice social distancing and avoid close contact with other people. Maintain 6 feet apart.
- If you cough or sneeze, cover your mouse and nose with a tissue
Having good immunity will help you to fight the Coronavirus. Here are some other things you can do to help boost your immunity:
- Get enough sleep. This can help improve your body’s natural immune function
- Reduce stress. Stress can wear down your immune system and make you more vulnerable to illness
- Eat a health and balanced diet. A balanced diet rich in antioxidants (found in vegetables and fruits) and healthy fats can help support your immunity system
- Stay hydrated. Drinking water helps your cells operate optimally. Plus it helps your body more easily process food and eliminate waste
- Exercise. Moderate to intense workouts lasting under an hour help boost your immune system both immediately and in the long run
5. Giving Back & Helping Others
It’s completely natural to be fearful of the unknown but giving back to others can help you to tackle this fear once and for all. When you’re giving back to the community or helping those in need, you’ll be working to spread compassion and happiness rather than fear and anxiety.
With so many people sick or self-quarantined, people who are 60 years older or immune vulnerable can’t leave the home. However, these individuals do still have needs that they now can’t meet on their own.
Ask the neighbors in your community and see who may need some help on grocery shopping so you can drop off some grocery for them while you are going out to run errands. In our community, we can post on Nextdoor to see if any neighbor needs help.
As long as you’re keeping your distance and not exposing anyone to the virus, you can deliver food and groceries or do things like their yard work. It’ll make you feel good about yourself while also helping those who need it! So, call your neighbors, post something on your Facebook or Nextdoor to let those in need know you are available and how to get in contact.
6. Meditation & Mindfulness
You are anxious and stressed as a result of the rapid spread of Coronavirus. If you’ve never attempted meditation or any mindfulness techniques in the past, this is the perfect time to try them out and get some practice.
According to the Mayo Clinic, meditation can play a huge role in helping you to maintain your mental and emotional health, even benefiting aspects of your physical health. Here’s what meditation can do for you.
- Greater outlook on life (positivity)
- Increased feelings of calmness
- Greater self-awareness
- Reduced levels of anxiety and stress
- Improved focus
You can’t do anything yourself when it comes to curing or stopping the spread of COVID-19, but there are things you can do that can reduce your panic and invoke an overwhelming sense of calmness.
By limiting the time on news, focusing on things you can control, levering online resources to help your kids to learn, taking advantage of mindfulness, looking for a creative outlet, and even giving back to those who need it, you’ll be able to stay calm and focused, even now!