“Frame your mind to mirth and merriment which bars a thousand harms and lengthens life.”― William Shakespeare
José Ameal Peña watches with caution as his country Spain reels under the effect of COVID-19. He is 105 years old and is one of the few survivors of the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 who are still alive today. José was four when the Spanish flu pandemic hit and there were no available medicines at the time to combat the disease. Today as he watches similar scenes unravel, there is one thing that he says with concern, “be careful”.
The Spanish flu pandemic affected around 500 million people and killed about 20-50 million. It is worth remembering these things today as we are faced with COVID-19. As of 16 April 2020, more than 2 million people have been infected by the virus and more than 130,000 have died. The world is still struggling as the numbers increase at an alarming rate with every passing minute.
Does this drive the point home?
The disgruntled
“How inconvenient this lockdown is!” “Why are they asking me to stay shut inside my home?” “This is worse than prison.” “I want to go out and do something fun.” We must have come across at least one such comment by now.
Is this the right mindset? Our nation has implemented circuit breaker measures which will last a total of about 8 weeks. We must realise that these measures are being implemented for our own good. Indeed, the great majority of people do realise the significance of the issue at hand and are more receptive to the measures which have been rolled out. But let us not, even for a minute, doubt the wisdom of the restrictions which we are now facing. These are tough times and tough times require tough measures.
Stop complaining, start helping.
Why do a lot of us waste our energy feeling bad about the restrictions? Why do we fill ourselves with a ton of negativity? Maybe it is because of the belief that there is nothing to do for the next month. With the school holidays being brought forward to May 2020 instead of being held over the usual June period, parents are tearing their hair out trying to figure out how to occupy their kids over the next month. But what if this worry is unnecessary? There are actually a ton of things that all of us can do by remaining in our homes. This is a time of crisis and there are people outside who could use a helping hand.
But do I possess the skills to help people out? Yes, of course! There is something for everyone. You could help out by making a contribution to a charity, figure out genuine donors and contribute for a day’s meals, sewing protective masks for those in need, taking tuition classes for children who cannot afford them or just console someone and tell them that everything is going to be ok. A lot of people might be experiencing emotions like tension or frustration. It really helps to have a person to speak to in these situations. You can be that person!
Understand and Appreciate!
You also need to understand that by staying at home, you are actually saving lives. Imagine those days when your parents wanted you to go out and play and not just while away time indoors. Well, things have changed, at least for a good five more weeks. By staying indoors, you are not just staying safe, but you are also helping other people feel safe. There’s this quote doing the rounds in the social media platforms currently – “We have to come to that phase of life where the laziest people have a higher chance of survival!”.
Jokes aside, staying home doesn’t mean you need to be lazy! There are lots of useful things that you can do. You can take up online courses and add a new skill to your skillset. You could start a YouTube channel or a blog page and start showing the world things that you love to do! In short, this isn’t the time to complain. Instead, you can use this time effectively to build a better version of yourself! 🙂
Rediscover yourself!
When was the last time you got so much time for yourself? Staying at home can help you spend quality time with your family members as well as yourself. Take these days as an opportunity to work on yourself. You could devote time to master your syllabus for school, pick up a new language, learn to cook and whatnot. These days could also be a chance to work on your personal relationships within your family.
“These are challenging times. But we will overcome them!” – Keep repeating these lines to yourself whenever you feel down during this lockdown period. The trick lies in not losing your spirit. As we traverse through these days let us not be filled with negative thoughts. Let us rather channel our energies towards the things that would benefit society and help combat the COVID-19 pandemic with vigour!
In slightly more than a month’s time, let’s welcome the new earth with a new version of ourselves! 🙂
Staying positive during COVID-19:
Exam Smart Tips
Exam Smart Tip #1 – How to Encourage Our Kids to Speak Better?
Exam Smart Tip #2 – How to avoid carelessness?
Exam Smart Tip #3 – Establishing Routines!
Exam Smart Tip #4 – Let’s Read Carefully!
Exam Smart Tip #5 – Beating the Exam Fever!
Exam Smart Tip #6 – How to Eat Right for the Exams?
Exam Smart Tip #7 – How to Avoid a Meltdown?
Exam Smart Tip #8 – Taking Stress out of Tests
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