The current COVID-19 situation has created trying times for everybody, even for those who haven’t been directly affected by the coronavirus itself. The pandemic is more than just a health issue - it has aspected many other areas of our life as well - career, family, finance, leisure, social and spiritual.

As many of us practice social distancing and stay home, living lives that are significantly different than they were a few months ago, how can we remain positive? How could we create and sustain a positive mindset through this, making way to experience happiness and satisfaction in our (disrupted) lives?

In thinking through this, I recalled a book I recently read. Dan Buettner, in The Blue Zones of Happiness, explains factors that can be integrated into our day-to-day activities to cultivate greater happiness and joy.

His blueprint for long term happiness include the following six list of things:

• Know Your Purpose - find ways to use your gifts, values and passion (things that excites you) to get the purpose right

• Be approachable and open - the author recommends that we master the 'art of likability' to comment with others

• Make time for others - find time to step out to 'Focus on others' and start to contribute to the well being of those around you

• Get out of your comfort zone - find ways to move away from routine way of doing things; be prepared to take risks by trying new things

• Find time to slow down - Stop and reflect to experience positivity and happiness

• Keep the faith - recognise the power of spirituality and find time to practice your faith

Although the context of our current environment limits the extent of activities we can pursue, there are still many opportunities to put these six steps into practice. 

For example, getting out of your comfort zone might seem counterintuitive when you cant leave your house, yet, even staying home represents many new opportunities for us to grow and expand our horizons. Perhaps we start new projects that always looked too daunting, learn new skills like languages or instruments, or start an exercise routine.

Even if it seems intimidating, what is there to lose? We have more free time than ever before! The time we save on our daily commute can be put to use in any number of things.

Think of ways that you can adopt some of these six steps into your activities over the next week, and see positivity start to grow even in these difficult times. After all, it is when things are hard that we most need happiness and positivity to get us through.