I think it is a very important question to address in today’s time. How to survive the COVID times?

It is not about the means for survival, which people would generally have in ample or can arrange from family, friends or other resources. It is more about how to survive through these tough times happy, hale and hearty.

It is not the pandemic per se that is making our lives difficult, but the atmosphere of extreme negativity which is being created because of it. I am not trying to say that the pandemic is not serious. The people who are suffering from it day in and day out are the ones who really realize how bad it is and we are seeing such people all around us. 

But whatever we read or listen to in the media or social media as well most of our discussions in the social circle are centered around the pandemic. We hear about deaths, lack of medicines, lack of beds in hospitals, lack of oxygen, medical emergency etc. etc. all the time. This causes a lot of stress and fear for our own health and those of our loved ones.

It is a proven psychological fact that the more you fear something, the more power you give to that thing over you. Fortunately the converse is also true – the more you face fear down, the more control you have.

Hence, the best chance for your survival during these tough times is to give up your fear. Just let it be! Here are a few tips on what you can probably do:

1. Try to avoid hearing / reading too much negative news or getting in too much negative discussions. You may keep yourself informed about things in general, but don’t try to get into the details of everything.
2. Do not try to hoard too many COVID related medicines. It is like giving an open invitation to the disease! Just keep some basic medication for emergency needs.
3. If you have an oximeter, don’t be too anxious to check your oxygen saturation level again and again! You may check it maybe once or twice a day, unless you genuinely have any breathing problem.
4. Take basic precautions that are necessary such as staying at home as much as possible, wearing mask and maintaining social distancing while going out, washing your hands frequently or using a sanitizer or whatever other precautions that are prescribed by the concerned authorities. But take this all in your stride, considering it as a new way of life. Don’t get too anxious about it.
5. Wherever possible, make the best use of e-commerce and digital platform to get your work done from the comforts of your home or workplace.
6. God forbid, if you still catch COVID despite all precautions, please DO NOT PANIC . The more you panic, the more severe it would get for you unnecessarily.
7. Please just quarantine yourself and follow the protocol as advised by medical authorities.
8. Just consider it as any other common flu, which will pass by as any other flu. Surely you have gone through or have witnessed other flu’s in the past. Consider it as nothing more than that. Do not FEAR it.
9. Consider the quarantine as your vacation period and pass your time reading your favorite book or listening to your favorite music or whatever else you enjoy doing on your own. But please don’t worry about your situation all day or get too anxious about it.
10. In case the situation gets worse and you are hospitalized, please try to keep to yourself and do not get concerned about what is going on around you. Otherwise the atmosphere of the hospital can be a lot more damaging just by causing a more anxiety and fear, even if you are getting the best of medical attention.
11. Another good way to pass your time during quarantine, whether at home or in the hospital, could be to plan about what you would like to do once you recover. Or even better, what are the dreams and ambitions you would like to fulfill once the pandemic is over.
12. The important thing is to keep your focus on good and positive things and distance yourself from all the negativity around you as much as possible.

I hope the above points of discussion would be of some assistance to keep your spirits up. I am sure that you can come up with many more reasons to keep yourself positive and happy.

I wish you all the best for a great journey ahead and a beautiful life post pandemic.

Guest article by Amandeep Singh. Amandeep is an entrepreneur who loves to inspire people.