With so much news and panic around us, I’m starting to wonder what’s going to kill us first. Is it the coronavirus itself, or is it the media causing substantial stress among the world population. As most of us are forced into self isolation to stop the spread, bend the curve and save lives, the future is unknown and nobody can predict how long these unprecedented circumstances would last.

As desperate times call for desperate measures, there is no other way than forcing social distancing. But is it really that bad? Surely some good things can come out of this madness. So before we start to lose our minds, let’s try and explore the things we can control, to try and make the best of this period.

Family Time

Spend time with your partner, your children or your parents. We are forced to stick together with our household members. Mainly indoors, but also (in Australia, for the time being) outdoors. This whole experience can and should be used to create some positive memories. Use it as much as possible for play time, reading time, exercise together, watch movies and enjoy quality time. Focus on your family to ensure you stay strong together, while going through this stressful period. It would set you up for a stronger relationships on the other end of this pandemic.

Working REMOTELY

If you’re lucky to still have a job, and you can do your job from home, try and make the best of it. It’s the 21st century and the power of technology allows us to stay connected for both social and professional purposes. Set your working environment back at home to be comfortable and pleasant as can be, focus on being patient and kind with your colleagues and customers, make some compromises to do your share in helping others. On the flip side, make sure to keep the balance between work and family. It’s easy, for workaholics like myself, to fall into the trap of unclear lines between work time and rest time. So much, that you could find yourself working around the clock.

Remote Education

Schools seem to have picked up their remote education platforms very well. Kids are now being challenged and kept busy with online work on a daily basis, so kudos for those teachers and schools who lifted their game to keep education delivered to our children. We don’t know how long this might take, and school holidays is not going to be outdoors during Easter period. Same goes for colleges and universities. Online education is the way to keep challenging yourself and progress with your career plans. Educate yourself and enjoy the online opportunities. This may become the future of education post-covid-19.

DIY PROJECTS

All of us have stuff to do at home. Things we always wanted to do but never got to it. Gardening, fix that leaking gutter, organise your messy garage (and turn it into a playroom or a gym!). Pick up a brush and paint that wall in purple like you always wanted to. Nobody will see it anyway, not until the lockdown is removed… So while you can, go to the hardware store and get what you need.

Creativity Time

All those excuses you often use, that you wish you had the time to write the book you always wanted to write, the blog you always thought you could improve, the script you had in your mind for ages that could become the next Netflix best-series. Guess what, no excuses now. Just do it.

So overall, it seems like there’s plenty of things you could do during this period. But most importantly, to allow yourself the time, keep yourself healthy, exercise, eat well, sleep well, wash your hands and be optimistic. We will get through this.