Our worlds have been flipped around and upside down. A lot of change happened quickly.
Change is hard. It can be scary and stressful.
It’s completely understandable if you are feeling scared, anxious, stressed, angry, or insert negative emotion here. If you are in the swirling vortex of stress and negativity which seems like your reality, I challenge you to take a step out of it for just a moment.
Take a look at the big picture of how your life is affected by this. How can you make the best of your situation? There are certainly a lot of challenges that come with change, but how we perceive them makes a world of difference.
I’ll admit, I got sucked into the vortex for a bit.
I didn’t even realize it at first. I am someone who is inspired by words. Quotes, song lyrics, poems, you name it, there are certain things that just seem like they resonate with my soul.
So, what do I do? I keep the ones that I really connect with visible. I happened to glance at the one that immediately made me take a step out of the vortex. “We’ll make the best of what’s around.” It’s from a song by Dave Matthews Band if you are curious.
Taking a moment out of the vortex made me realize that I needed to change some things up in order for me to get through this season with a positive mindset. I realized that I needed to laugh more and I needed to connect more.
In case you need some inspiration here is what I did this past week to laugh and connect in effective ways.
Ways I've connected
Be the first person to wake up
Honestly, I just needed to follow my normal routine. Being the first one awake in the house and having a moment of quiet gives me time to set my intention of day. It also gives me time to get ready for the day and get dressed on the days I’m working from home/out of the office. As much as I love a good jammie day, doing it every day just makes me feel like a blob. This helps me connect with myself.
Video Call Game Night
My friends and I got together over Zoom and played Farkle. If you haven’t played it, it’s a dice game that is oddly addicting, and easy to play while you are able to talk, laugh, and have a plain ol’ good time with friends. Video calls through Zoom, skype, or facetime, aren’t really my thing; I just can’t quite get the camera angle right without making me think I look like an ogre. But the reality is, I need to see my people and I know I’m not an ogre, so I got over it. It really boosted my spirits!
Commitment to Movement
Not only did I make a goal to do some kind of exercise every day, I invited my extended family to join me. I know you are probably thinking, “of course the health coach did.” Yup, I totally did, and it has been great! We made it a challenge. We created a private Facebook group where the goal is for each of us to post a picture of our “move” each day. We even have the children in the family involved! It’s given us a chance to connect, when we wouldn’t have otherwise. And between you and me, it helps me keep tabs on everyone to make sure my family is staying healthy.
Turn off the news
Ok, this is a disconnect, but it has really helped. I’m not downplaying the severity of this, but constantly hearing words like crisis, death, outbreak, etc. was really taking a toll on my brain’s instinct to initiate a stress response. By purposely seeking out the current events on my own terms I have decreased this stress significantly.
Things that have made me laugh
Funny Videos
I did a deep dive into YouTube. I found some oldies but goodies that seem to get me every time. I’ll just leave them right here for you.
Baby laughing,
Sneezing Panda,
Kittens, and
Inspired by Kittens.
Stand-up comedy specials
Find a comedian you love and watch their stand-up specials. There are also comedy podcasts available. I personally love Ellen Degeneres’s stand up specials. My favorite of hers is from a few years ago
Here and Now. I’ve watched it so many times, I could quote the whole thing, but when I watch it, it still makes me laugh out loud every time.
Seek out good jokes
My 4 year old son has started to understand some jokes, so we have been looking them up! We end every night with a good joke telling session. The majority of them are dinosaur jokes, because that’s the season we are in for life right now. Here’s our favorite:
Knock, Knock.
Who’s there?
Dinosaur
Dinosaur, who?
Dinosaurs don’t go who, they go ROAR!
If you are into some good “Dad Jokes,” here is the perfect
dad joke, mocking our current events.
What are some creative ways that you can connect and laugh through hard times?