A coronavirus pandemic is pretty bad, but you already knew that The coronavirus pandemic disrupted your life in some way, whether it was a little or a lot

People everywhere have lost their jobs, closed their small businesses, been sent home from college, or found themselves one of the 4 million people worldwide diagnosed with COVID-19 Those who are more fortunate are working from home, canceling trips, distancing themselves from friends, and adjusting their routines

No matter where your life falls on the spectrum of the widespread effects of the coronavirus, you probably have a "back to normal" attitude as you keep in touch with friends and make plans for some undisclosed time in the future

Normal, however, is a complex concept; what was considered normal a month ago may not be the same a month or two later Normal is always evolving, but rarely at the pace it is now [As a retired paramedic, he can only compare the turmoil society is experiencing to the powerful impact of the September 11 terrorist attacks

Life was never the same after 9/11 What was normal was suddenly no longer normal While parallels are tough to trace, it is clear that we are in the midst of profound changes that are making most lives more difficult than they were just a few weeks ago

Big changes may cause anxiety, and difficult situations may cause great stress My infamous "I don't care about anything" attitude was nowhere to be found, and during the first few days of self-imposed solitude, I didn't go to the office, didn't socialize with people, didn't go to workout classes, and couldn't sleep worrying about what the next day would bring

I know that this may be perceived as meaningless or even privileged within the scope of the undeniable devastation that the coronavirus has wrought around the world But at a time when we are in dire need of optimism, there may be those who are suffering from paralysis by uncertainty, unable to contribute to optimism

I have tried to inject normalcy into my life I tweaked my day to day life so that I could enjoy being cooped up at home without feeling guilty

Everyone has their own mood boosters, but sometimes inspiration is just what we need, and in this intimidating vortex that COVID-19 has trapped us in, here are a few places where I'm finding pockets of happiness None of them have anything to do with cleaning up

I have always enjoyed cooking, but it takes time to get good at it Instead of quickly cooking the same few dishes I'm used to making, I'm finally looking at recipes I ripped out of magazines (some of which are several years old) The result is a few hours of distraction in the kitchen and an interesting dinner every night

If you're looking for an easy way to improve your cooking skills, the Instant Pot is a great answer The best Instant Pot is the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1, but there are comparable options for every budget Here are some essential recipes to get you started with the Instant Pot

And if you can't make it to the market, you can have the ingredients you need brought to you by one of the best grocery delivery services to survive the coronavirus

As an active person who takes social distancing seriously, I struggled to find ways to move in my small living space As many can attest, recovery is difficult

I made a playlist of my favorite dance tunes and with the help of a loud Sonos Move, an impromptu dance brake became a must Start a good speaker (or get one of the best Bluetooth speaker options on this list), set intermittent times, and boogie until you can't boogie any more

Physical activity stimulates the release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, which in turn elevates your mood Check out the best home gym equipment to get active indoors at affordable prices

While I've been putting some of my monthly food and movie budget into savings, I've also jumped on a few affordable entertainment purchases that I would normally skip I almost always buy games for the Switch Lite on sale, but I figured now would be a good time to buy Pokemon Sword or Pokemon Shield (I went with the latter)

We made a list of the most relaxing video games to try now I could spend hours on my quest to become the ultimate Pokémon trainer, but you never know, another game might speak to you

On top of that, think about novelties and franchises that make you happy I love Lego sets and Star Wars, so I bought a model of Poe Dameron's X-Wing Fighter and spent an evening putting it together Look for jigsaw puzzles, art sets, and other activity kits based on your favorite license

A tangible way to help those who are suffering during a coronavirus pandemic is with dollars If you are saving money that you normally spend at bars and restaurants, consider donating to charitable organizations I donated to Feeding America and the Global Empowerment Mission, which provides cash cards to parents who cannot afford to buy meals for their children during the school holidays

Another place to donate money right now is to small businesses With countless salons and stores closing for social distancing, consider buying gift cards for the local stores you frequent Your business will now be helping them and you can use the credit when things get, well, normal

When normalcy will return and what that will look like is a mystery Until then, I will continue to do my part to put forth a positive attitude I urge you all to do the same