ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE
5 ways to get back to happiness amid the pandemic
There is an old song title that says “you have to accentuate the positive”. This song is all about being POSITIVE!! Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers recorded it in 1945, and it’s message is still true today.
(I have included the first 2 verses of this song at the end of my post.)
This post is all about combating depression with 5 ways of changing your thoughts and attitudes to keep your mind and body on the POSITIVE.
Considering all the problems caused by this pandemic, that we are now facing as a society, as a country and personally, even Sigmund Freud could lose his mind or become mortally depressed!!! So what about us?
Everyone's Lives Have Been Changed
This is August 2020 and we are still fighting this Covid-19 pandemic. For Rita & I, and I’m sure a lot of other people, not being able to visit family has been the hardest aspect to endure.
We have 3 children, 7 grandchildren & 4 great-grandchildren all living in Atlanta, another grandchild and 4 great grandchildren in Virginia and we have not seen any of them since Christmas. Our youngest son and his wife and one of our grandchildren, have all tested positive for Covid, with many symptoms. Thankfully, they’ve all recovered and are feeling well and back to work. But the fact that we have been unable to visit them, has been troubling to say the least. Having said that, we are extremely grateful for ours and our family’s overall good health. We know not everyone has been that fortunate and we send our heartfelt sympathy to the many who have lost loved ones.
This pandemic is something no one alive today has ever experienced, unless you are at least 103 years old and were alive when the Spanish Flu plagued our country.
There are so many new experiences that we all have to adjust to. Wearing masks, 6ft social distancing, eliminating most of your social life with family and friends and being quarantined, even if you’re in your own home, have all have contributed greatly, to our feelings of loneliness and depression.
What are we combating?
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused lots of changes in our lives and this has become a very depressing time for all of us. Through July, the United States has had 4,900,000 infected and 160,000 have died from it. Certainty about our futures has been shaken severely.
Almost every state in the country has seen some type of shut-down and resulting LOSS.
- Freedom of travel: Almost all states at one time or another, have limited travel between states. Here in Florida some of the seasonal residents were unable to return to their home states this last spring.
- Financial: I don’t know the exact figures, but I would guess that 75 to 80% of manufacturing plants in the U.S. shut down for a considerable period of time.
Small Businesses were severely hit, many will never reopen or have even gone bankrupt.
Food Services like restaurants, coffee shops, small carry outs & bars have been forced to completely change their ways of servicing their customers. Everyone has gone to carry out , outside service only, or reducing inside service to 25%. In some states, bars have remained closed totally.
Plus there are other things that been taken away from our normal lives, that affect our mental attitudes.
- Social Norms: We live in a very active community, like I’m sure many of you do as well. Not being able to visit friends for dinner or have friends come to our home, not going to dances, not able to enjoy other entertainments and limited sporting activities, is a bummer, to say the least.
- Security: I think most of us felt pretty secure in the lives we were living before the pandemic. Now, I don’t think we are very sure of what our future lives will be like, at all.
- Certainty: I think a great many of us felt we had a fairly clear understanding, with at least some amount of certainty, as to what the future was going to be like. NOW??
So, What Can We do About it?
5 Ways Back to Happiness amid the pandemic
- Exercise: If possible, go outside and enjoy some nature ( a sunrise, sunset, rainbow or watch and listen to the birds) and take even a short walk. Exercise outside clears your head for a bit and lets you appreciate the beauty around you. If you have to exercise inside, put on some music you love and just GO with it!
- Do something for others. Bake some bread, cook a meal, run an errand or just wave and say Hi. Thinking of someone else, takes your mind off your own feelings.
- Trust the leadership of the great minds who are working on this pandemic, 24/7. The research has already resulted in many positives and I’m sure, in the very near future, they will have it conquered.
- Say Thank you: Thank God for all your blessings. Try to think of what can you do to say thank you and show support for all the tireless researchers and care givers who have taken care of and comforted our afflicted people.
- Write a Gratitude List: Write down all the Positives that are going on in your life right now. if you would like, send me your list and I will put them into our September Newsletter. (rrwarner576@gmail.com). My list will start with our Son, Daughter-in-law, and Grandson, all defeating Covid-19. I have lots of positives in my life but none that are more important than this.
You Have to Accentuate the Positive
” Accentuate the Positive
Eliminate the Negative
Latch on to the Affirmative
and don’t mess with Mr. In-between
Spread Joy up to the maximum
bring Gloom down to the minimum
Have Faith or pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene”
The words of this song are very true. If you accent all the Positives in your life, you will have a brighter outlook on life in general and any Negative will become very minor, indeed!
Ron Warner
Don’t forget to send me your Gratitude List
rrwarner576@gmail.com
“WAKE UP EVERY DAY AND REALIZE
THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE
THE BEST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!!”