8 Ways to Improve Your Mood When Pandemic Life is Wearing You Down
It’s hard to find anything that excites you.
You’re starting to feel numb and flat inside.
One day bleeds into the next.
You can’t remember whether you brushed your teeth today. And your routine fell apart weeks ago.
Something needs to change, even if you just find a fresh perspective on a hard moment in time.
How do you break out of inertia and get your spark back during the pandemic?
1.Have a goal for every day. People are happier when they’re working towards goals. It gives your life greater meaning and purpose. Research shows it, and we know it’s true. It’s the reason people are always signing up to run 5K races. Choose something that thrills you and takes your breath away a little. For example, if you’ve been sitting around too much, make an exercise goal to walk 26.2 miles in a week. If you’re burnt out by being with your family, set a self-care goal to sit in a quiet room by yourself with the curtains drawn for a few minutes every day. If you want to feel more centered, start a daily meditation practice. If you’re bored and need an intellectual challenge, complete a New York Times crossword puzzle by yourself or read a great work of literature. Be specific about what you’ll do each day and for the next month and prioritize it.
2. Ignite your curiosity and follow its lead. Fresh ideas and inspiration can shift your perspective on life for the better. Listen to a new podcast or audio book. An interview with an inspiring guest can start you down the path to discovery. Follow where the breadcrumbs take you. Go sign up for their newsletter or visit their website. Plus, it will give you something new to talk about with your partner. My conversations with Adam get new life when I share what I’m learning or I play a podcast episode for him.
3. Dig for the opportunities presented. You're being forced to think about life in a way you’ve never done before. So use it as a chance to think outside the margins of your normal routine. If you had all the freedom in the world, how would you live? I’ve heard stories of people using this time to go stay in their family’s cabin in the woods for 6 months since they’re no longer tied to an office for work. It’s something they always dreamt of doing but never could before. Find your version of that. How can you embrace the opportunities presented by having more time together? Maybe you’ve always dreamt of teaching your kids the family recipes so they’ll be able to continue the tradition with their family. Or maybe you’ve wanted to start a side hustle. Now is the time.
4. Create a vision of how you want to come out of this time, whether it’s 2 months or two years from now. “Finish stronger” has been my motto for the pandemic since the beginning. At first, it meant stronger physically by exercising and eating 8 cups of veggies a day. But now it’s expanded to include my relationships. When I think to myself, “finish stronger” it grounds and focuses me. How would you live if you believed you can come out of this time stronger than before? What motto is calling you?
5. Set your day up so you’re more alert. Being tired puts you on edge. My mood takes a hit if I snooze too long because I end up with a sleep hangover. If I wake up with an alarm rather than sleeping in, I always feel better. Once you’re up, get dressed in workout or real clothes rather than staying in pajamas or sweats. Wear indoor tennis shoes rather than slippers to put a zip in your step moving around the house. Stay away from the couch and choose a hard-backed chair. Have a salad rather than sugar or simple carbs. The processed carbs will zap your energy. Stick to a bedtime and get at least 8 hours of rest.
6. Get your heart pumping every day. Research shows 20-minutes of moderately difficult, heart pumping exercise releases the endocannabinoids that make you feel good. Run stairs, create your own exercise circuit using body weight. Run or walk outside. We just discovered a new trail by our house that’s our favorite place to walk. Change it up so you don’t get bored. Add in a second workout later in the day if it feels like a fun challenge.
7. Let go of what isn’t working in your environment. I love shedding excess from my life and finding more space. I purged our fridge the other day and Adam wiped it down inside. It makes me happy to see all the open space every time I open the fridge. Purge your closet and rooms and keep only what you love.
8. Help other people. When you help others, you activate your own physiology of courage, hope, and resilience, which improves how you navigate your own challenges. I’m sure you’ve had the experience of feeling closer to a friend when you support her when she’s stressed. An oxytocin surge intensifies your bond and gives you a flood of empathy. The fear centers of the brain are inhibited and you feel stronger. When you listen to her talk about what’s wrong, a rush of dopamine further reduces your fear response, increasing optimism and giving you courage. It activates your own resilience.
How to feel better and come out stronger
You’ll be different at the end of this.
But you can have a say in who you’re becoming.
Look for opportunities you might never have again once life returns to normal.
And believe it’s possible to finish stronger.
Because it is.
If you can name it, you can attain it.