Looking Past COVID-19
Upon COVID-19’s grand entrance into the United States, society has been forced to adapt to a variety of new standards. Those who thrive through social interaction are now forced to be homebodies, children are to participate in homeschooling activities and the elderly and immunocompromised are now complete shut-ins with little to no visitors. It’s difficult to stay positive during a time full of unprecedented chaos; in fact, many are struggling to do so.
A study performed in the United Kingdom found that in order to thrive in lockdown, you must keep moving forward. The study highlighted three emotional strategies for dealing with stress during the lockdown including, nostalgia, gratitude and the best possible self. There were three groups, each told to recall or think about a specific thought to draw in positivity:
- Think of a time before the pandemic when you were happy (nostalgia)
- List positive experiences that happened that day/or week (gratitude)
- Picture yourself/your family in the future (best possible self)
The study concluded that those who participated in the gratitude and best possible self groups felt a stronger sense of connectedness, as opposed to those who participated in the nostalgia group.
“As Dennis summarizes: “All three interventions have proven beneficial to people experiencing a difficult time in their life. However, as lockdowns have continued, people have been presented with unusual challenges, and many have struggled.”
“We found that looking to the future and appreciating what is positive in our lives currently is more psychologically beneficial than reminiscing about the past.”’ –Medical News Today
