Can you be happy(er) during a pandemic? If you bought Zoom stock in January of last year, you’re probably feeling pretty good right now. However, money can’t buy happiness, so, is it still possible to be happy in the middle of a pandemic? The first vaccines are rolling out, which is great news! It’s still going to take a little while to make it to everyone and produce herd immunity. I’m afraid we’re in for a long winter with many of the same pandemic lockdowns we’ve been experiencing throughout 2020. How can you be happier facing the challenges COVID-19 creates?
I’ll get into a more robust definition of happiness in a future entry, but suffice it to say, now, that happiness is another way of saying flourishing or well-being. A person who is truly happy is content and fulfilled in life. Another word for happiness is the word “blessed.”
So, how to be happy in a pandemic? It’s not necessarily easy, but it’s not impossible. Lots of factors contribute to happiness. Unfortunately, a pandemic creates real barriers. Take work, for example. One of the building blocks of happiness is regularly engaging in meaningful work that taps into your key strengths. If you’re out of work due to the pandemic, or your work is significantly reduced, well, that presents a problem.
Another area affected by the pandemic especially challenges you if you live alone: that’s relationships. If you’re a young and used to hanging out with friends on a regular basis, the closing or restaurants and bars can put a real dent in your sense of relational connectedness. If you’re a widow or widower accustomed to interacting with others at the senior center or church, the pandemic’s tossed all that into turmoil.
Yes, there are very real challenges, but there are some positive steps you can take to help yourself live a richer, more fulfilling life, even during a pandemic.
Here are 5 Pandemic-Busting Happiness Activities:
1. Exercise.
You don’t need a gym to exercise, regularly. A gym’s helpful, but not necessary. You just need a decent pair of shoes. Get out of the house and take a walk around the neighborhood. Don’t forget your mask in case you run into someone with whom you’d like to strike up a conversation. Conversation is another way to bolster your level of happiness, so be prepared. Exercise gets your heat-rate up and pumps oxygenated blood into your brain which is really, really good for your brain. Your brain loves oxygen! Studies show that a relatively small amount of walking every day boosts your mood and helps elevate your happiness.
2. Play Video Games.
Now, this probably won’t be too helpful for the older set, so I’m adding a bonus at the end for you. Seriously, video games are a good way to get into a mindset known as flow. Flow happens when you engage in an activity that challenges you and keeps your mind occupied. Athletic activities, working puzzles, solving problems, and intriguing reading are among the activities that can induce flow. People sometimes refer to flow as “being in the zone.” During flow you’re totally focussed and often lose track of time. Playing video games can get your brain into flow.
Now, to be sure, too much of a good thing can become a bad thing. So, be careful, but give yourself permission to indulge in a little Fallout or WOW or Animal Crossing, or whatever floats your boat. Within reasonable limits, video games are good for you, certainly better than the passive intake of other forms of entertainment like television or binge-watching old episodes of The Office.
3. Invest in Relationships.
If you want to be happy, you’ll want to form and invest in deep, meaningful, personal relationships. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this has proven particularly difficult, especially for single people. Marriage provides a built in, full-time partner and companion in life. If you’re married, you’ll want to take advantage of the extra time with your spouse and be sure you’re putting in the effort to maintain a loving, supportive relationship. Whether married or single, with or without kids, relationships are vital to happiness. If you find yourself isolated and lonely, make the effort to connect with friends and family over FaceTime, Zoom, or Google Meet. You need intentional times of conversation and people with whom to share your life. This is where church small groups and Sunday School classes can be particularly helpful. You’ll want to make that extra effort, if nothing else, than to plan regular phone conversations so you can both give and receive the care and concern each person needs.
4. Make a Difference.
Contributing to something bigger than yourself and your own happiness is a great way to actually bolster your happiness. Get your mind off you, your personal happiness (or sadness) and onto something, and, or someone else. Offering your time and energy to a worthy cause can help untold numbers of people and lift your sense of well-being as you make a difference. You can Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo volunteer opportunities in your area, you’ll likely find an aggregate website with multiple ways of connecting to a variety of organizations making a difference while keeping a safe distance and protecting everyone’s health.
5. Take a Break from Social Media.
During the pandemic you may be tempted to spend more time indulging some of your unhealthier habits, like watching too much television, or investing an inordinate amount of time on social media. Social media has it’s place. It’s a good way to keep up with friends and family from a distance. Some people use social media as a communication tool. However, the pitfalls often outweigh the benefits. Overindulging in social media can lead to comparisonitis, a term coined by Windy Dryden, a cognitive behavioralist. Comparisonitis is a nasty form of envy that gets hold of you when you constantly compare your real life with the Photoshopped and filtered lives people post on social media. Most of your friends don’t post their bad-hair-days, their down days, their challenges. They post happy, beautiful, cheerful moments. When you compare your regular, everyday life with the super-duper-happy-oh-so-successful life they share on Instagram, well, you’re life comes out looking kinda sorry. Take a break. You’re not seeing reality on social media, just a slice of the pie. It will do your brain some good to get off that constant comparison treadmill. Read a book. Write a blog. Play with your cat. Do something besides staring at your phone.
Bonus: Begin a Gratitude Journal.
Every day set aside a time to be grateful. Some people find this a helpful evening activity. Reflect on the day behind you and write down five or six things for which you’re thankful. You don’t have to be creative and come up with five new things every day. The important thing is that you spend time reflecting on those things for which you’re thankful. “I’m thankful for my friends.” “I’m thankful for my job.” “I’m thankful for YouTube.” I’m thankful for my spouse, my kids, my dog, my cat… Whatever it is, be thankful.
Regularly practicing gratitude is one of the most potent activities you can do to boost your sense of well-being.
I’m convinced we’re designed for happiness. We can live blessed lives. Thankfully, we have these positive ways to keep our minds occupied, our bodies moving, and our lives engaged, even during the lockdowns, the shutdowns, and isolation of this pandemic.
------------------------------------------------------
Check out the Video Version of this Post here: Cultivating Happiness
Comments