Living well and happy through troubled times ...

How are you coping with this biggest ever challenge to our humanity and sanity? Can you see light in the midst of all the darkness?

It is so easy to get caught up with all the unhappy chatter about the disease & the deaths, the economic disruptions and destruction, the restrictions of the rules and unhappiness with the rule breakers and rule makers alike.

That's completely understandable as this pandemic is after all the biggest ever health challenge confronting humanity in our life time, made more disturbing on two counts. One, there's been no disruption that has occurred on a world scale like this before - one that grounds airlines, curbs travel not just by air, but also sea and by road in an unprecedented way, keeping billions of people at home, inside their own countries and inside their homes. It has disrupted and even destroyed businesses, big and small. Two, this global health crisis is happening right before our eyes, under the microscopic glare of social media. We can all see what is happening all around the world. In addition, everyone does get to have his say on social media, adding to the generally unhappy and distressing chatter.

In times like this, if we are to live well, as well as possibly can anyway in abnormal times, it has become all the more important for us to live mindfully, and avoid getting swept up by all so natural fears, frustrations, restlessness and restiveness.

There are so many things we'd love to do that cannot do, given all the restrictions and public health guidelines that are in place or in force. But here is one idea that I believe will help - a determination to not let what we cannot do stop us from doing what we can.

If you believe this storm shall pass, for it shall, even if it takes a lot longer than we care to predict, then the next question we have to ask ourselves is how do we choose to stand on the other side of the storm? Victor or Victim? Winner or Loser? History tells us that in every crisis, there will always be many losers, and there will also be some winners and some big winners too.

Let's not fret about things we cannot do anything about. Let's focus on the things that we can do, and get ourselves happily busy focused on doing that well. And what would that thing be for you?