This month a pandemic unlike any we’ve seen in our lifetime came to the World. No one is certain how bad it will affect us; no one knows how long we need to stay home. People have been laid off, ordered to stay home, are unable to work, schools are closed and everyone’s wallet seems to be a little bit thinner.

The whole world is being affected and no one is really sure yet how or when this will all end and lives will return to normal (or what we perceive as normal J ).

So how can we maintain the positive thinking we’ve worked so hard to cultivate back when there wasn’t a crisis? Making positive changes is hard enough when things are normal! Well, thankfully you have more time to read and practice now.

Here are 5 tips to maintain positive thoughts during a crisis.

Don’t Shun The Negative

Denying your feelings is never good. When you do, they run amok trying to get your attention. When children are starved for our attention, ignoring them only makes them try harder. You need a different approach.

Instead of shunning your negative feelings, accept them. Sit down with them and figure them out. Sometimes all you need to do is accept that you are feeling bad. In truth there is no good or bad it’s just a judgement of ours based on mostly our sub-conscious beliefs and past experiences. Another truth is we cannot have the experience of what we perceive as “good” if we never have the experience of “bad”.

Mindfulness can teach us to become aware in a non-judgmental way so instead of becoming a reactor to circumstance we become an observer and in that present moment we have the opportunity to choose how we want to think and feel. If we want to cry then cry…. It’s just energy in motion (emotion) however what’s different with a “mindful cry” is that we choose to experience that emotion in order to release it not suppress it and we don’t place judgment on it, “it just is”.

Make a New Routine, Especially If You Work From Home

Humans run on routine. If you take it away from us, we end up being stinky, drunk balls of anxiety. If your routine was going to the gym, go to work, come home and make dinner then you need to keep it going as best you can.

Start your day with an at-home workout. Then shower and get ready for work like you usually would, even if you work at home. This will tell your brain that you are transitioning into work time. After work you can still make dinner.

The truth is we run on sub-conscious programming over 90% of the time, change puts a spanner in that routine and changes the gear… this is why change is so hard as we need to change the underlying program and will power never works over time as our conscious mind is not in control. Mindfulness, meditation and mindset practices can help you to re-write these programs (literally re-wire your brain, this is the known science of neuro-plasticity) you can create new routines or practices that serve you.

Don’t Stop Practicing Self Care

The gym is closed, but that doesn’t mean you need to stop working out. Meditation and yoga are very possible from home, and you’d better keep eating right. Self-care keeps your body and mind in shape, and you’ll need them strong.

So, take care of yourself the way you did before all this. You may need to find new creative ways to meditate now that your kids are home, but it is important that you take the time. If nothing else, it’s something to do.

Make Time to Think

If you have nothing but time to think, then you need to fill more of your time. Look for a new job, learn a new skill, or start a new project. If you are the type of person who never makes time to think, however, then you will need to make it yourself.

Time to think is like meditation, but it’s more like being your own therapist. Consider your routine. Is it working? Are you happy? If not, why? Are you just stressed because we all have to stay home, and a disease is spreading? That’s reasonable, give yourself a break.

Right now presents an amazing opportunity to those that can see it, we cannot have challenge without opportunity, your job is to find yours.

Keep Your Eyes On the Prize

They say what doesn’t kill you makes your stronger. This cliché may seem cheesy, but there is actually scientific proof! (Posttraumatic Growth: Conceptual Foundations and Empirical Evidence, Tedeschi, Richard G.)

When times get hard, sometimes people come out stronger on the other side with a better appreciation for life in general. They build bridges that fix and strengthen relationships and learn skills that support a healthier life.

You will come out on the other side of this “This Too Shall Pass” and When you do, going back to your favorite restaurant will be a spiritual experience.

So my question to you is: Are you choosing to see and focus on the opportunities? Or do you choose to only see the challenges and adversity? You do have a choice.