When the stay-at-home issue was first ordered, people in my neighborhood began decorating suns and putting them in their windows so children could count the number of suns they saw on their daily walks – a reminder that the sun still shines even in times of darkness. So this is my reminder to you:
Happiness looks different now.
Happiness isn’t jamming to music while getting ready to go out on a Thursday night. Happiness is four-hour Zoom calls with your best friends and meeting up in parking lots. Sure, it’s not ideal. But it’s also completely out of your control. Stop obsessing over what you’re missing – it’ll only break your own heart. Let the situation be what it is instead of what you wish it was.
You can still find reasons to be happy – it just might be a little harder to find them.
If you wake up every morning dreading the day before it even begins, comparing your today to last year’s happier today, you will never be happy. Choose to make the best of this situation. Make the decision to be happy.
Having the right mindset and attitude can change everything. If you make positivity a habit, the choice to be happy will become easier every day.
Remember that the state of the world right now is not permanent. We’re not stuck. You’ll eventually go back to waiting in line at bars, spending way too much money on food, and running to classes after hitting snooze one too many times. But for now, make the most of being home. Do all the things you were too busy to do before. Don’t waste all your time looking forward to tomorrow when you’re still in today. Our current situation is giving us a chance to re-evaluate what we want and who we want to be – don’t waste it.
Happiness looks different now, but that doesn’t mean it’s unattainable. Choose happiness, and it’ll choose you too.