Summer is normally that time of year when we are finally able to come out of our holes and spend some quality time with each other under the sun. The pandemic has changed the game. I have been having a hard time enjoying the sunny weather while still being unable to enjoy the sunny company I have been able to have over the years.
Here are a few things that I have started doing that have been helping me enjoy the summer in a pandemic and decrease my stress and loneliness.
Choose a Goal or Two
Being in the middle of a pandemic really shakes things up, work schedules, social lives, even grocery shopping. Now summer in a pandemic is brutal because now the pandemic is shaking up what is supposed to be the best part of the year.
Amidst all of the uncertainty it’s important to give yourself goals and keep yourself accountable. Without goals you will very quickly dissolve into Netflix binging (at least I did).
Now that you can’t go out and play beach volleyball every Wednesday you have a little bit more free time. Making goals helps you work towards something, even if you may be alone while doing it.
Here’s a list of ideas that you can use to come up with your own summer goals:
- Learn or keep learning a new language
- Cook for yourself or learn new receipes
- Start growing vegetables, herbs or flowers
- Do yoga every day
- Send one positive text to a friend every day
- Learn a fact about a new animal every day
- Spend time with your family once a week
- Only watch 1 hour of Netflix on weekdays
- Make some sort of art every day (painting, drawing, singing, colouring)
- Keep a diary of some sort
- Learn to knit
If you find it hard to stick to a goal (like me) here are two things that I have been doing to make it easier on me:
- Set many many many alarms to let you know that you’re SUPPOSED to be doing [insert goal here]
- Pick a goal that produces something tangible – I find it much easier to do set a goal where I can see the results improve every day, such as gardening or creating art. By seeing proof of what you can accomplish your brain releases serotonin – which makes you feel goooood feelings
Try Some Positive Affirmations to Remind You Everything Isn’t Terrible
Photo by Katrina Wright on Unsplash
It’s like spring cleaning for your mind. Maybe you’ve had a tough winter, or a tough year, or a tough few years. It’s important to reflect upon the past, but it is more important to move past it and look confidently to the future.
I have been trying to either start or end my day with one positive thought.
Just one. It can be anything.
I slept super well. I am thankful for my partner. The sun looks amazing today. I’m so grateful for my parents. I am looking forward to lunch today.
Anything that starts your day positively. Use that small statement to fuel the beginning of your morning, to help you get out of bed and to remind you that not everything is terrible.
Keep In Contact with Loved Ones without Losing your Mind
If you are anything like me you may have gotten tired of the constant Zoom calls. Whether it is for work or it is for watching Netflix with friends, we are glued to our screens for socialization.
If you are suffering from video fatigue then it is totally ok not to take calls with people every day. Give yourself some time to unwind from the anxiety of taking video calls. Here is an interesting article from Harvard, talking about the reality of ‘Zoom fatigue’: https://hbr.org/2020/04/how-to-combat-zoom-fatigue
Of course, you still want to communicate with your family, friends and loved ones. Try one of the following ideas in lieu of a daily video chat:
- Send texts (you can use voice-to-text if texting is not your thing)
- Send a picture to them of you during the day
- Send a voice clip of you chatting about nonsense
- Send them a letter – snail-mail is in now
- Write them a letter by hand, take a photo and send it
- Settle for a regular old phone call
- Do garden or park hangouts
- Yell over the balcony or lawn to your neighbour
Having social circles is helping to alleviate the brunt of the loneliness but it does not come close to what most of us call normal.
Take advantage of the summer in the pandemic and meet people outdoors, where you can stay at a reasonably safe 2-m distance, and still see and hear the person in the flesh.
These modes of communication might not “communicate” as much as we would over video – but that is the point!
You do not need to maintain the same amount of socialization that you used to have in the past to maintain a healthy level of socialization now. Give yourself time to get used to the way things are done and find something that works for you.
Also, have hope that the world will go back to something that resembles normal, in time.
Keep Your Blinds Open, You Are Not A Vampire
We might not be plants but a surefire way to get a little bit more energy through the day is by keeping your blinds open.
Being outside and interacting with nature helps regulate our hormones and neurotransmitters and therefore has strong effects on our mood and behaviour.
But keeping in contact with nature can be hard.
To give yourself that nature-related boost keep your blinds open and spend a few seconds in the morning looking through a window and just appreciating the outdoors and this crazy world that we live in.
It will give you a little peace and quiet before you have to begin another long, socially-distanced day.