5 positive things we can take away from the current coronavirus crisis.
A little dose of self isolation inspiration!
BY RYAN AMAR | 17th MARCH, 2020
Anyone who follows me will know I always try to maintain an optimistic tone here on my blog, so I thought it would be refreshing to try and talk about the positive things we can take away from this extremely difficult corona crisis. These are just some of my personal thoughts, no worries if you disagree (that’s a healthy thing) and it’s a bit of a long caption (sorry) but here goes…
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Self isolation gives us a chance to reflect.
I think that moments like this remind us all that MOTHER NATURE RULES. In a time when some world leaders are in denial about climate change and many of us (humans) only TAKE from the natural world without GIVING much back, I think it’s a good moment to reflect on our position within the earthly eco system and remember just how volatile she can be!!! Natural disasters occur. “Nature is red in tooth and claw” as Tennyson said and plagues are nothing new.
The big difference with this so called “plague” I think, is that in 2020, with all the smartphones and street lights, the plastic wrapped toilet rolls and hand sanitisers, we humans tend to feel as though we are ABOVE nature…NOT F###ING TRUE! In a weird way I think this is a positive reminder, (sometimes we need to be reminded who rules the roost). Let’s hope humanity might collectively pay a little more respect to the natural world, once we come out from our caves of self isolation.
And on the subject of toilet paper… did you know that 27,000 trees are cut down every day to produce toilet rolls! 😱 (Just saying).
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Tough times bring people together.
This morning I was having breakfast at a cafe, sitting alone and another traveller just came up and said “I hope everything is alright with you”. It was such a sweet thing for that lady to say. There’s a big difference between ‘sympathy’ and ‘empathy’. Anyone can sympathise but empathy is much deeper because it’s born out of a direct first hand experience. WE ALL share an empathy towards one another right now, because WE ALL are in this thing together. Let’s just hope that through this worldwide empathy, we can all extend a helping hand to our fellow brothers and sisters. Just remember that it’s often the small kind gestures that make the biggest difference.
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A time to review the media (and social media) we consume.
I recently disabled all news notifications on my so called “smart phone” and it felt REALLY GOOD! 😊 Please note that this action is extremely different to me being a “naysayer” and remaining ignorant! I’m fully aware of the severity of this crisis and I encourage everyone else to do the same. I actively continue to educate myself about the IMPORTANT things I need to do to in order stay safe and also to protect others around me. Here’s a link to the World Health Organisation rolling updates and press releases. Everyone should equally keep in the loop with what’s going on for sure! But the reason I disabled news flashes was because, firstly, I just wanted to be in control of the information I received (and when). Waking up to see negative headlines first thing in the morning or last thing before you sleep isn’t cool in my opinion! Secondly, I just noted how injected with fear and negativity these reports were! 😕. The media narrative thrives on situations like this. Focusing on fear and in my opinion only adding more fuel to the fire.
This is not what the world needs right now. Then there are all the insta posts and what’s app shares (you know the ones I mean). Okay some are funny for sure, but plenty are just as bad as the mainstream news, only their “facts” are much less qualified and 10x more negative! So, on a positive note I’m just saying this could be a good time to take a break from media/social media. Give it a go and see how it feels for you.
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A change from the “norm” is healthy.
I think it’s important to break away from the mundanity of the “same old” every so often and adapt yourself into a new situation. This keeps us all on our toes, stops us from getting stuck in a rut and actually brings a much needed refreshed energy to our lives. So if the kids are home from school right now or you’re stuck indoors from work, use this change as an opportunity to review things from another perspective. It’s really good and many of us rarely get the chance to see things from a different angle.
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A great time to get creative!
Of course you could binge on netflix, but I just wanna throw it out there that Shakespeare actually wrote one of his finest plays (King Lear) while in quarantine from the plague! So why not use this time to start that novel you always wanted to write, research that business idea or do something new and creative!
“The art of our necessities is strange
That can make vile things precious”
(King Lear)
So a final word on this..remember that nothing in nature is ever permanent. Things are ever changing, (just look how the clouds constantly dance in the sky). In a similar way, these dark clouds that overshadow us all right now are going to lift eventually (I promise) we just need to be strong, help each other along the way and hang in there!
#corona #coronavirus #optimism #hanginthere #positivevibes #inspirational