One theme for me for the month of March was feeling powerless. A pandemic has the unique ability to make you feel totally insignificant. There’s nothing that you or anyone can do to end it and resume normal life…it’s a waiting game. For an entrepreneur out of work, feeling insignificant is a serious buzz-kill. Without momentum, lack of motivation creeps in and leaves you feeling lack-luster about everything.

So how do you find empowerment during a pandemic?

For me, it feels impossible to feel a sense of empowerment unless I feel motivated. Without my creative outlet and the motivation to create, I have to work very hard to get that motivation in other areas. Some days, I am not succeeding at all. But here are five ways I am finding to stay motivated and empowered.

5 Ways to Stay Motivated during the COVID-19 Pandemic

I. Find a new hobby.

I know, I know, this is easier said than done. If you were a creative who cannot currently create, this is so important. I didn’t realize how much I relied on that creative “high” I got from photography until it was taken away from me. If you’re a photographer and don’t want to explore other hobbies, work with photography. Learn the art of macro or self portraiture. Practice flat-lays with your dinner, panning, or double exposure. Pick up your camera once or twice a week and remind yourself how much you love it.

II. Get Exercise

The way you like to move your body is different for everyone. It might mean a spin on your exercise bike in the comfort of your home or a walk around your neighborhood with your family. You might find you are more motivated to take a walk in a silent forest or try a new yoga video. Whatever is most appealing to you, do it. In a time when morale is low and we are prone to depression, the endorphins created by moving our bodies are essential for overall well-being.

III. Eat Healthfully

This doesn’t at all mean that you have to be eating salads or be on a diet. For me, meaning healthfully means going back to cooking from scratch as much as possible. Less reliance on convenience foods filled with preservatives and more time filling up my belly and my family with whole foods. This can be quite a challenge with limited trips to the grocery store and needing to get creative with available stock! Consider trying an app where you input what you have and it suggests a recipe like SuperCook.

IV. Try to Find Some Time for Solitude

Life as a mom with three kiddos 6 and under leaves little time for the oh-so-trendy “self-care”. What I didn’t anticipate was all the little ways I found solitude before the pandemic. Whether that was a solo weekend trip to the grocery store, a monthly girls night out, or driving in silence to my jobs…it was time alone. None of these things are really possible right now. Instead I am trying to find alone time in other ways. Enjoying an extra long shower…with the door locked so no kids barge in. A walk around the neighborhood after bedtime. Going up to bed early and lying in bed chatting with some friends without any of my own family present. It’s the little things!

V. Write a Daily To-Do List

It doesn’t have to be long. Write one personal thing you want to accomplish and one business-related item. Your to-do list items can be as simple as “wipe down the bathroom mirror” and “post one thing to IG”. If you’re feeling more energized, go for a larger goal like checking off that back-of-house business task you’ve been procrastinating on. Just having a list and crossing something off can give you that all-important sense of accomplishment.

XOXO- Lyndsay