Everybody has a bad day. For many of us, the COVID-19 seems to be a bad day that has lasted several months. This pandemic has been challenging for so many reasons: the self-isolation, the uncertainty, health scares, the constant changing of opening, to stepping back, or slowing down the reopening, and just the unknowns. We are human, and we like our routines, and we like being in comfortable moments that don’t threaten our wellbeing, financially or healthwise.

So how can a person adjust and handle a moment like COVID-19? When everything seems to be going sideways or off track? Here are five simple things you can do to turn a moment, a week, or even a bad month around.

1. Focus on the moment. Stop thinking about the future or what went wrong last week. You cannot change the past, and the future has not arrived. You have this moment and only this moment. Focus your thoughts and energies on the project at hand and nothing more. Your ability to concentrate is a powerful tool; use it for the current work you are doing.
2. Don’t be a victim. Blaming other people for your problems or challenges is escaping your responsibilities. Own the moment. Don’t think about how bad the situation is or how people should feel sorry for you. You are the master and commander of your feelings and thoughts. Where are you going to let your emotions take you?
3. Learn from the setbacks. Fail forward. Failure is part of the learning process. If you are not failing, you are not trying hard enough, and you may be in a comfort zone. Self-awareness and mindfulness go hand-in-hand with setbacks. Lessons learned are critical to turning a bad day or bad week into something positive.
4. Small victories. Success is a stair step to building momentum. Little victories eventually add up to a big win. Little victories encourage the heart and give each of us hope for the future. The grand success doesn’t happen without little successes. Little victories let you know you are on the right track, and things are starting to happen in a positive way.
5. Tomorrow is a new day. There is something fresh and encouraging about a sunrise. Even when the day before has gone wrong, a new day brings new hope and new opportunities. I love the mornings, and I do my best work early in the morning. I am not weighed down by yesterday’s failures. Each day is a chance to reset for new outcomes and new things.

COVID-19 is hard. It has taken away a sense of routines and expected outcomes, but there is opportunity all around us. What you think and how you think about this moment is essential. Keep moving and keep celebrating the small victories. Things are going to get better.

Strong, Better, Together.