10 Things To Do To Stay Hopeful During A Pandemic

Sharing is caring!

How To Stay Hopeful During A Pandemic

I bet when we all welcomed the New Year on January 1, 2020, we had resolutions planned out and were looking forward to the New Year as a fresh start. It was the beginning of a new decade and the perfect time to plan goals we hoped to accomplish.

However, a global pandemic known as the Coronavirus (COVID-19) affected everyone worldwide, which has altered our everyday lives in which people have been diagnosed with Covid and died from it.

People have lost their jobs.

Businesses have closed.

Weddings, proms, graduation ceremonies, sporting events, etc., have all been canceled to protect people from getting the virus.

This crisis has been enduring and chaotic. And here we are past 2020, and we’re still trying to overcome this global crisis.

But despite this global chaos we have all been facing, I’m here to tell you that it is possible to stay hopeful during a pandemic. If you’re wondering how to do that, read my list below.

1. Go Outside and Get Some Fresh Air & Sun

Being couped up in your home can be overwhelming and make you feel claustrophobic. I know it’s made me think that way numerous times since this whole pandemic started.

Going outside to get some sun and fresh air will do wonders for you physically and emotionally. I’ve dealt with depression a lot when I was a teenager, and my therapist has told me that sunlight can boost a good mood. And good attitudes are what we need, especially if we want never to give up hope and keep going.

Sunlight and fresh air can increase positive vibes. I mean, we all love some positive vibes. And who wouldn’t? You can do numerous things while outside, like go for a walk around your neighborhood or in your yard, sit on a patio, and if you have a swimming pool, go swimming and layout and get a tan. Anything you can do to get yourself outside to get some sun and fresh air is a must to have a smile on your face, and if you have a smile on your face, the more hopeful you can feel.

Also, the sun is a significant source of Vitamin D. If you want to know more about what sunlight can do for you, you can look it up on Google. You’d be amazed by what you can also find on WebMD. I have been on this website a few times for other research I’ve done in the past, and it’s very informative and provides some good reads on health benefits and well-being.

2. Get Some Animal Therapy

Something else to try to have good vibes is animal therapy. I have done that with the five cats I have that live in my garage. One of them is named Oreo, and he’s in the photo you see above. Animals have a way of making us humans feel better. So if you want to feel hopeful during a difficult time, try getting some love from these cute little creatures.

Animals are unique little beings, and the behavior of cats and dogs towards their owners is very uplifting and amusing to feel. So if anyone of you has pets, spend some time with them, play with them, and give them the attention they deserve.

If you do not have any pets or don’t have access to any, you can always go on youtube and type in cute pet videos. Even though I have pets, I still like to watch funny pet videos.

Some of the pet videos I will watch will have dogs playing with their owners, interacting with little kids, playing with other dogs, doing funny tricks, etc. I also like to watch videos where dogs and cats play with each other.

So to all animal lovers, whether you have any pets or not, try getting some animal therapy. Animals, especially dogs and cats, are adorable little creatures, and they can melt the hearts of many, and being around them can do so much good for your well-being too.

3. Listen To Some Throwback Music

Does anyone ever feel nostalgic? I have and still do. I love to experience nostalgia to stay hopeful and reminisce about the good times of my youth.

One thing that has helped me stay hopeful during this chaotic time is listening to some throwback music. Growing up, I loved listening to music, and I feel that the music we have now is entirely different from the music played back in the late 90s/early 2000s.

Anyone who was a 90s kid like me knows what I mean. Musicians such as Blink-182, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, N’Sync, Smash Mouth, Sum-41, TLC, and the Goo Goo Dolls could be heard on the radio all the time. You think of any music you have listened to in your childhood and play the music videos off of Youtube.

Listening to some throwback music had also made me remember when times seemed so simple and less chaotic. Times when we didn’t have social media, smartphones, or other electronic devices. And a time when we did not have to deal with a global pandemic like we are right now.

Hence, listening to some throwback music is a way to bring back good old memories and remember the good times. Something to consider if you want to keep having good vibes during times of chaos.

4. Watch Some Old Movies (And Recently New Ones)

As I mentioned feeling nostalgic in number 3, another way to experience that feeling is watching some old movies (throwback) and new ones—nothing wrong with that when you want to look at the bright side during a global pandemic.

I’m a movie buff, and I love watching movies. And sometimes, when I get that nostalgic feeling, I like to watch movies that have been around for a long time.

Recently, I watched the movie Mean Girls, and to those viewing my content, I have a post about this movie, and you can click the link to read it. Along with Mean Girls, I have watched other movies considered throwbacks like Clueless (1995), Dude, Where’s My Car? (2000), The American Pie movies (1999, 2001, 2003), and the Scream movies (1996, 1997, 2000, 2011) too.

I can go on and on about some good movies from back in the day, but to get to the point, if you want to reminisce on a moment in time when we didn’t have the Coronavirus all over the world, watching some movies that we 90s kids grew up with is something worth doing. To those born in or around the new millennium, I’m sure there are some movies that you all have enjoyed watching from back in the day.

So, consider doing this because it has helped me stay hopeful, and if it can do it for me, hopefully, it can do it for you as well.

5. Go On Some Joy Rides

If you want to get out of the house and go somewhere without limitations, joyrides are always a great option to have.

How can joy rides help to stay hopeful during a pandemic?

My husband, Cody, and I have gone on numerous joyrides around Macon, GA, where we live. Even though Covid-19 has limitations on what we can do outside of our homes, we have not let that take away our intent to have some fun still.

When we go on joy rides, we drive around places that have back roads and scenic routes so we can enjoy nature and the beautiful scenery it has. We also drive around neighborhoods with nice houses to get an idea of what we would like to have in our front yard and figure out what we want our future home to look like.

However, riding around in a car is not the only joy ride you can have if you want to have something fun and active. You can go on a joyride via bike, motorcycle, jet ski, boat, skateboard, etc.

Cody rides a dirt bike and competes in amateur races, and he enjoys riding his Yamaha dirtbike. When he rides, he feels joy and fun running through him because riding makes him feel better when anything is bothering him.

So if you want to do something that gives you that feeling to stay hopeful during the Coronavirus pandemic, do that by all means. And it doesn’t have to be a car or a dirtbike you can ride on for some joy rides. If you’re near a lake or the ocean and have access to a jet ski or a boat, take them out on the water and look at any scenery around you. Also, if you happen to have a dirt bike or an ATV, take them out for a ride through the woods, or an open field, or basically, anywhere you can ride them.

6. Art Therapy

Another thing to do if you want to stay hopeful during a pandemic is to get art therapy.

How can art therapy help you to stay hopeful during a pandemic?

Art therapy is something I learned about in my art classes in high school. It’s a calming and relaxing feeling to help minimize stress and anxiety by being busy with art.

If you want to get some art therapy, you can try different types of art mediums. You can do a painting on a canvas or poster board. You can get an adult coloring book from an arts and crafts store or even online and color with color pencils. You can also sketch something that represents you and what you like.

For example, the painting you see below is a painting of a red sky over the ocean. I intended it to be a sunset over the sea because I think sunrises and sunsets are amazing to see. And dawn and dusk are my favorite times of the day because the sky is several different colors of pink, orange, purple, etc. The one beside it is an acrylic paint pour I worked on to help me stay hopeful during the Coronavirus pandemic.

The point I’m making is that painting something I love has always given me excellent art therapy. And if you want to receive some treatment from having hope during this crisis, then doing something artistic will help you with that.

Related Article

5 Impactful Benefits of Art Therapy and Why You Should Try It

7. Eat Some Comfort Food

How can you stay hopeful during chaos without having some food for thought? The answer, think about your favorite thing to eat and make it. Not just for yourself but your friends and family as well (if they come over during the pandemic).

I like to eat, and I know I’m not the only one. So what can you eat as comfort food?

Well, you can try cooking a recipe you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t had the chance to. One thing I have done lately is making fruit smoothies. I love sipping on one during the hot summer days because you get that nice cool-chill feeling when you’re sipping on it.

If you want to try a recipe in your cookbook that you have always looked at but never made, you can also try (especially if some of us are staying indoors anyway). Or, if you want to try something different but don’t know what, I recommend getting on Pinterest because you can find a lot of endless possibilities for recipes there.

Whatever you’re in the mood for, whether if it’s a drink you want to try in a juicer or a blender, a meal you want to cook in the means of something different, or if it’s your favorite meal or even a dessert of some kind, make it and eat it. Eating something healthy and delicious can do wonders if you want to stay hopeful during a crisis.

8. Talk To Your Family & Friends

There’s nothing like family and friends to help you stay hopeful during a pandemic.

I say this because we’re all in a hard time because of Covid-19, and when you want to feel better, talk to your best friends and family members you are close with. Talk to them about what’s on your mind and let them know how you’re feeling; also, let them know that they can do the same with you because they probably need you just as much as you need them.

This pandemic is so stressful that I’m always wondering when it will go away, and knowing that I have family and friends that I can talk to during this time has also helped me stay hopeful during all of this.

To all of you and your families and friends, talk to each other, lean on each other, reach out, check-in with one another, and be open with anything you want to share that’s on your mind. They might want to do the same thing, and just having the support of your best friends or any of your family members is something you will always cherish and appreciate as well.

9. Find Some Inspiring Quotes

I love finding quotes to read online. If I want to find a passage to cheer me up to keep me hopeful and thinking positive, I will google “positive quotes” when I’m internet surfing, and I’ll usually go to Goodreads to find some to read. I have always gone to this website to find positive, inspirational quotes. I highly recommend going to Goodreads if you want some positive words to help you feel any positivity.

You can find all sorts of quotes from various people like William Shakespeare, Henry David Thoreau, Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr., J.K Rowling, Jane Austen, and so many others. Also, in a previous post, I have talked about Oscar Wilde and a fascinating quote he once said could be used as a source of inspiration and motivation.

Positive quotes are words of advice.

Reading them from famous figures like the ones I just mentioned is a way to stay informed. When you look up positive quotes and who said what, check out that person’s bio and read about significant events and milestones they have reached; by doing that, you can see what struggles and obstacles they have faced. When you read about them, you can understand what their quotes mean to them and how you can apply them to ways to get through your obstacles.

And with the number of quotes I have seen on Goodreads, I’m sure there is something on there to find the words of encouragement you want and need.

Related Article

13 Inspiring Quotes for Young People

10. Quiet Time

Quiet time is an excellent benefit to remain calm and focus on all the good things in your life.

Sometimes, I like to meditate as a way to clear my head. When I do that, I feel less stressed than I did before my quiet time. Doing that also allows me to think clearly and not burn out.

Also, more importantly, pray! Because God is the almighty one who can do anything beyond what we can. And as long as we believe in him and have our faith in him, everything will be okay.

Final Thoughts on Ways to Stay Hopeful During a Pandemic

I hope this virus will eventually go away to go out and do things we love to do without limitations. I hope my list of things to do to stay hopeful during a pandemic will help you stay positive during this challenging time.

If you want to share anything with me about your ideas or give some feedback, feel free to drop a comment. I hope everyone takes care and stays safe. God Bless!

Related to How to Stay HopeFul During A Pandemic

6 Positive Quotes to Stay Inspired and Motivated

Depression in Young Adults and How to Overcome It

I also recommend reading this blog post from Rosethorns and Honeydew. The creator of this blog, Karen Chen, created a similar post that I think all of you will find encouraging and inspiring. Check out the lessons she learned in 2020!