Have you ever tried to illustrate a book together with your three year old son?
Well, the lockdown makes it possible. Like so much else.
If you had thought before that already reading a book with a child, who constantly wants to play, eat or be occupied in some other way, would not be possible, you will now recognise your true potential in lockdown.
In short: whether home office or closed daycare, problems are there for you to solve them and life is too beautiful for frustration.

The following five things help us to stay positive and have a happy and satisfied time even in lockdown. The main thing is to try to use the advantages of a situation and not to focus on the disadvantages. Because if you create an advantage for yourself from every disadvantage, then you are practically invincible.

First: Sports and training

Your body is your temple. Even with a completely unspiritual view, you realise that you cannot really feel good when you have back pain, are constantly tired and do not feel like doing anything because everything is too exhausting for you.

But once you get going, you start a positive spiral that points upwards like a rocket. From now on, infinity is your limit. The great thing about lockdown is that excuse number one really doesn’t work anymore. Because time we have now. 15 minutes in the morning are enough to see a result. It doesn’t really matter whether you do yoga, do a few push-ups or jog. Everything will help you to feel better. And once you’ve started, you’ll find that the first step is often the most difficult.

Second: Eat healthy

The second step actually follows the first by itself.
After you’ve started, you will likely find that you can be much more successful with your new training without exercising more. You just have to eat better.
Because you are what you eat. What else you should be? Sure, we are all starlight, but for most of us it is still difficult to live only on love and air. And your body produces the new cells from what you give it.
Perhaps, as one of the few mortals, you unraveled the secret of turning shit into gold. Otherwise, your body can simply do more with a delicious salad, lots of fruit and vegetables, and a holistic diet than with a Bic Mac or a kebab from the corner.
I would like to briefly interject here that I have been eating purely plant-based food for many years and still find that it was the best decision I have made so far for all areas of my life.

And think about it. Corona is a zoonotic pandemic, i.e. it is transmitted from animals to humans. Even if politicians do not want to admit it, the virus did not originate in “Berghain” in Berlin or in any other club, not even in the theatre, at the tattoo artist in Neukölln or at the Leipzig Book Fair, but at an animal and meat market.
Not only animal rights activists emphasise that Corona is only a symptom of a drastic imbalance, not a cause, and that we have to correct this imbalance.
That’s the next great thing about lockdown. It makes it clear to us that this time it is really serious and with a healthy diet you can not only help yourself, but also the whole of humanity and the planet. It’s never been easier to be a hero. Just buy oat milk and tofu, stop self-deception and cruelty and jump three levels up.

Third: learn something new

Well fed and fully trained, you suddenly have a lot more energy. But you’re not allowed to go to a party or the disco and even the city center is boring at the moment. We add one and two and come to step three. We use our free capacities to learn something new.

A language, a musical instrument or new recipes. Actually, it doesn’t matter, because it’s so much fun learning new things. They change the direction of view, help you to build up more self-confidence and give you new perspectives and opportunities. You get to know new people, discover previously unknown worlds and after a few weeks of lockdown you suddenly have the feeling that everything is possible.

Fourth, having quality time with family

But the most important thing is to take a break from time to time. Anyone who always go full power, will burn out at some point. You have to rest. And that works particularly well with your loved ones during lockdown.

For so many of us, having a child was our greatest wish. And now that we have it at home all day, we can hardly wait for it to finally go back to the childcare?
No, it’s nice to be with this little wonder as it gets bigger and bigger. And it’s part of your life. So your life is getting bigger and more wonderful every day. Make time with your family an experience. Play, laugh and dance and make sure you are having fun, too.

That is very important, you have to communicate that. If you have any trouble doing this, don’t panic. You have enough time to practice. Don’t be too hard on yourself, allow yourself to make mistakes, and be just as generous with everyone else. If the world is already going crazy, we at least make ourselves comfortable at home.

Fifth, be grateful

Last but not least – be grateful. Gratitude is one of the keys to a happy life. Focus on the good side of your life and enjoy it. If you can’t think of anything to be thankful for, go find it. It’s like a treasure hunt. You look around and find more and more treasures that you like and that you are really happy about.

Then look at other people. See them with different eyes. What can you be grateful for, what can they teach you? If nothing else, at least, they can remind you how lucky you are to be you and not them. How great you are and what a beautiful life you have – despite everything.