How to stop feeling lonely and isolated in times of coronavirus

Experts and governments tell us that the best way to stop the spread of COVID-19,  is to stay at home.

So right now, millions of people have basically locked themselves inside four walls and only go out when it is absolutely essential.

Here in Israel, where I live, life feels surreal:

Schools and kindergartens are not working, and people are encouraged to stay home.

Malls, shops, restaurants are closed, so there is very little entertainment.

Almost no public transportation is operating.

And even in parks, people try to avoid each other as much as they can.

Everyone seems to feel bored, scared, isolated and frustrated… 

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

If we can flip this script and change the way we think about this current situation, we can turn this crisis into a remarkable opportunity to spend some time on our personal health, mental well-being and dearest relationships!

Coronavirus: How to turn lemons into lemonade

This current situation is definitely scary, but apart from taking all the recommended precautions, there is not much I can do, so it does not help to freak out.

Sure, staying home and avoiding people feels quite lonely to me- I miss going to the gym, my boxing classes and to my morning espresso at my favorite coffee shop after dropping the kids to kindergarten.

It also takes a lot of discipline and patience to have the kids at home all day, having to find ways to entertain them, while feeling a bit tense and overwhelmed with everything that is going on.

I sometimes catch myself wishing that the day would finish much quicker, because I run out of ideas of what we can do at home to entertain ourselves.

Nevertheless, I know I have a choice:

I can panic about everything that is going on, spend hours watching the news and reading everything there is on corona, worry about not having enough toilet paper, argue with my wife about every small thing and feel bored, angry and frustrated.

Or I can focus on things that I can control and use the current crises to do something that really feels good and rewarding.

This simple shift in perspective has already helped me come up with several ways on how I can improve some of the most important human connections in my life, despite being stuck at home and feeling isolated:

For example:

• I realized that even though I spend a lot of family time, I don’t actually hang out enough separately with each of our kids- so I will schedule weekly one on one time to bond with them individually. Now that they are home and I don’t really go anywhere, this is easy to organize!
• I also noticed that my wife and I don’t spend enough time sharing personal experiences about our day and about our struggles, so I want to commit to at least two dates a week in which we have time for ourselves. Since restaurants are closed right now this will probably mean going for a walk together so we have some “alone-time” together and share how we are coping with this unique situation.
• And I became aware how I have stopped being in regular contact with many of my close friends, and allowing these relationships to drifted away- so I decided to reach out and call one close friend, every week, with whom I have not been in touch for a while. 

Doing these three things will help me deepen some of the most important connections in my life.

But since we don’t know how long this crisis will last, I know I could do so many other things like:

• Read books or watch online courses and specialize in a topic that will really help me grow my business or improve my career.
• Re-activate my morning routine so that I wake up feeling excited about my day instead of dreading getting out of bed.
• Eat well and work out from home so I keep myself in good shape and stay healthy.
• Spend thinking-time to reflect on a problem that has been bugging me for a while and is stopping me from experiencing a breakthrough in a key area of my life…

Using this time at home to dedicate some time to these ideas makes me feel excited!

I have been thinking about how nobody really knows how long this crisis will last, and how cool it would be to use this time to trigger a real personal transformation.

This is how I came up with the 14-day Coronavirus Lemons into Lemonade Challenge!

If you feel that you also want to do more than just sit home, freak out about bad things and watch TV all day, you can join me by signing up below.

Here is how the Challenge will work.

From Wednesday, I will send out an email every day with one challenge related to improving our health, enhance our productivity and career, deepen our relationships or improve our personal well being.

I have already started to assemble some of the best personal development strategies I have encountered throughout my career as a sports agent, as well as from my experiences as a vivid personal development freak.

They include some awesome ideas that I know can really transform anyone’s life.

Each challenge won’t take more than an hour, and the idea is to try them out for just one day. Some days will be easy and fun, some will push your limits a bit more, and some will be good refreshers of things you may have done well in the past but have somehow stopped…

By the end of the Challenge, you will have a menu of effective strategies that you have tested, which you can continue to use until the end of this crisis (hopefully soon)– and beyond!

I  know this is a difficult time for all of us, which is why I ’d be thrilled if you join me in this Challenge.

If your in- sign up below, and you will receive your first email on Wednesday.

In the meantime, stay safe!