5 Ways to Stay Positive During Quarantine

1. Start your day with a gratitude practice.
It may sound corny, but actively focusing on what you're grateful for before you reach for your phone to scroll Instagram can make a huge difference — trust. This puts you in a positive mindset and can even fight depression. There are a number of ways to do this. You can make a gratitude list in writing or start a gratitude journal. You can write a gratitude letter to someone who has impacted your life. You can find a gratitude friend and start each day by texting each other something you are grateful for. If you are living with a partner, make an effort to tell them something he or she does that you appreciate.
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2. Change your scenery.
Okay, so your vacation plans may be put on hold at the moment, but that doesn't mean you can’t make some small changes at home. You don't need to buy new furniture to shake things up, but breaking up visual patterns can help shift your mood. Move your kitchen table or desk so you are looking out a different window while you work. Put up a new poster or move your favorite piece of art in your house to a new spot. If you're really looking to mix things up, sleep with your head where your feet usually are to (literally) shift your outlook when you wake up in the morning. Yes, it's a little wacky, but these are wacky times.

3. De-clutter
On the topic of re-inventing your space, now is this is a perfect time to rid your home of anything that isn't serving you. If the Marie Kondo life isn't for you, hear mne out: Clutter has been linked to depression, procrastination, and stress. At a time like this, anything you can do that helps your mental state and makes your environment nice is good in my book. You may not be able to control when they discover a vaccine, but you can control the stack of books on your dining room table.

4. Search for meaning.
Viktor Frankl was a psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor who studied people who survived the concentration camps. He believed that when we are not able to change our situation, we are challenged to change ourselves and how we react. He believed we can choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances (even a concentration camp), and that is our ultimate human freedom that can never be taken away. Use this pandemic as an opportunity to strengthen your abilities when it comes to changing your mindset. If you're looking for a new quarantine read, picking up his book, Man's Search for Meaning, is a good place to start.
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5. Step out of your comfort zone.
I don’t cook. My mother raised me on Lean Cuisine frozen food since she didn’t either. In quarantine, I've learned to follow recipes. I'm cooking. I'm baking. I even made popsicles from scratch. It's a simple thing that I have accomplished that has changed my self-concept, made me feel more resourceful and has provided my family with delicious (mostly!) nutritious food. It doesn't have to be cooking, but stepping out of your comfort zone and taking up a new skill or hobby can help shake up your routine, and in turn, your attitude.