Have you ever been reading a book or watching a movie and suddenly everything takes an unexpected turn of events? Writers and directors sometimes call that a “plot twist”. We all have experienced a profound “plot twist” recently. We were going along living life as usual, then a “plot twist” happened for everyone when the coronavirus appeared.

With the coronavirus came CDC safety guidelines to stay in our home, keep distance from others and only venture out for necessities like food and medicine. Did you have a routine that you enjoyed before all this happened? Maybe you are like many people who liked going out to do something fun. Life isn’t as usual any more! We have a new normal. Hopefully, we’re all trying to follow the guidelines not only to protect ourselves, but also to help curb the spread of the virus. We see people in our community caring, helping each other, and finding ways to make it through this difficult time.

We got thinking about “plot twist” even more because this past weekend we were scheduled to attend an online training. Unfortunately, one of the presenters had an additional “plot twist” and ended up in the hospital with emergency surgery to remove her appendix. Wow, not something you want to have happen and not a place you want to be if you can help it. What happened to her makes our staying at home seem like a breeze in comparison. And we also think of how the lives of healthcare workers and first-responders have changed as they face danger for us everyday.

This pandemic is a difficult challenge so how can we get through it with the least amount of stress? Epictetus, a wise philosopher, said, “It’s not what happens to you but how you react to it that matters.” We’ll share some ideas to lower stress.

First of all, besides following all the guidelines to be safe, we can practice exquisite self-care, which helps keep the immune system in good shape. For us, we try to eat a healthy diet but we need more sleep. No time to exercise? We see exercise classes offered online now. Excuses are gone for us and maybe for many.

Another thing that’s helpful is to adjust our mindset to the new reality. We can look at this time as a “prison sentence” because we aren’t supposed to be with groups of people or even go out of our homes much. That’s restricting and we aren’t used to it. However, we can look at this as a time to slow down, enjoy family (even if you are separated and it’s by phone) and get out for a walk in nature.

It’s also a time we can use to finish projects and plan for the future. What have you always wanted to do? Or create? Or where do you want to visit when this pandemic is over? If we thought of this time as a vacation or rather a “staycation”, we would think of it differently. Let’s do as much of what we want to do given the CDC guidelines and we might actually have some fun!

So how can we think of this time differently? If we spend the whole day watching the negativity in the news, it can contribute to us becoming more negative. And as we become negative, we miss the positives in life that are still occurring in spite of the pandemic.

So, what do you see or experience that is positive? We noticed today that the little green shoots are beginning to poke their heads out of the earth as if to say we are ready for life again. And weather is getting warmer here. What a joy! We sat out on the front step this afternoon enjoying the sunshine, hearing the birds chirping and watching the little chipmunk scurry around. There are a lot of positive things happening in nature now and the joys we see in nature will keep increasing as we head from spring into summer.

What about you? We’ve talked about “plot twists” and how to adjust to sudden changes that we can’t control. Remember, we are all in this together. Prayers to your Higher Power and meditation can help you to know that you are not alone. What will you do to make the best of the “plot twist” that came with this pandemic? We would enjoy hearing your ideas.

Chanhassen MN residents, Doug and Lynn Nodland are success coaches and owners of The Balance Center in Excelsior. Contact them at WeCare@TheBalanceCenter.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2020 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.