“No medicine cures what happiness cannot”, Be happy forever; Follow these tips to be happy during these difficult times

As the news about the coronavirus pandemic becomes grimmer, and governments and businesses issue closing or work-from-home directives, many of us are experiencing a variety of negative emotions. We feel anxiety in response to the uncertainty of the situation; sadness related to losing our daily sources of meaning and joy; and anger at whatever forces are to blame for bringing this upon us. It’s normal to be unsettled and concerned about the upending of life as we know it. Nobody knows how long the pandemic will last or how long it will be until we can resume our regular lives. Even worse, many people are worried that they may be laid off and lose their livelihoods. The pervasive uncertainty of the situation makes it hard to plan a course of action and creates a high level of stress.

In fact, you can maintain your resilience through the plethora of emotions and challenging situations by adopting these methodologies:

1. Avoid getting stuck with the problem

The more you stay focused on the problem, the more it compromises your well-being—impacting your resilience in a negative manner. This happens because you compromise with your vantage point when you are relentlessly focused on the problem.

2. Become emotionally self-aware

You must need to have awareness of the emotions you experience and the effect they might be having on you. A greater level of self-awareness facilitates the process of being able to step back and making informed about how you want to manage your thoughts, feelings, and responses.

3. Practice being agile

Being willing to relook at things and situations and maintaining a stance of openness is critical to managing yourself through difficult circumstances.

4. Embrace what you are experiencing

It is important to embrace your emotions and thoughts instead of wanting to negate them or discard them. It can be difficult but in acceptance also lies the capacity to change the way in which you are relating to them, thus allowing you to maintain your resilience.

5. Be compassionate towards yourself

Be kind to yourself and refrain from forming harsh judgments about what you are going through. Give yourself the space to do things differently from how you are used to in order to maintain your state of well-being. You can sustain positive emotions that help you be optimistic and resilient when you surround yourself with the right people.