When my 13-year-old daughter reminded me that today is International Day of Happiness, I was surprised.

I believe that happiness lies in small things and end up celebrating the most trivial of occasions. So it was unprecedented I had forgotten such an important day.

But then we are living in difficult times due to the global lockdown courtesy Coronavirus or COVID-19.

With the whole family cooped up under one roof almost 24X7, it takes extra effort to be happy, and so many things get forgotten in this!!

That made me think about how you all were coping, and I decided to create a post sharing how I am keeping myself happy these days. These are all small little things that I am confident you can follow to bring more happiness and sanity in your own life that has been turned upside down.

Have a daily routine

Try to have a daily routine not very different from your normal routine. All of us know that this social distancing or self-isolation stage is here for at least a couple of weeks, and we must be prepared for it.

Try to remember the last time your routine was disturbed and you felt lost.

It happens with everyone, but especially children. With their schools closed and hobby classes cancelled, it becomes even more important to follow a routine.

Of course, you cannot expect them to put in the 5 to 6 hours of rigour that they normally do in school, but some order of semblance will make their life easier and by transference yours.

Pull out that yoga mat

It is essential to exercise and keep your body — both physically and mentally — fit. When you are relaxed and happy the only you can do something for the family.

With most of the gyms closed down and community morning routines out of question, you need to exercise at home. In the restricted space, there is nothing better than some yoga or cardio exercises to keep you healthy and fit. And in a good mood as well.

Besides the exercise routine, try to keep moving through the day. May be keep that bottle of water out of reach while working, so that you have to get up for water break. For those of you not used to working from home, you can even set up reminders to take that much-needed water or loo break every hour or so.

Set aside some time for playing with family members

Oh yes! This is the time to take out all board games you had kept away because the kids had grown out of them.

Scrabble, Carrom, Uno, Cluedo, Monopoly, etc. are some of the games that I have been regularly playing with my kids and husband over the past one month.

Call that school friend you had been meaning to

In modern times social media encompasses all social interaction, and we forget the power of talking to someone one on one. It is time to remember that you can also make a call or connect over Skype.

So utilise this time to call up your school friend or favourite aunt you had been meaning to call for so long. Trust me, talking of the good old times would perk you up like nothing else.

Stay away from information overload

Whether you open WhatsApp or Facebook or Twitter or even LinkedIn (supposed to be a professional networking platform!!), you will be flooded with posts about coronavirus.

I can assure you that most of them are for creating sensation rather than providing any substance.

Stay away from information that creates anxiety. Subscribe to just one or two information sources that you trust. For me, that is a couple of doctor friends and relatives, and newsletters from Nature and JAMA.

It might sound a bit technical, but I assure you their synopsis in the mail is all I need to know.

It could be something else for you but take care not to be flooded by panic causing information.

Over to you

Being happy in times of Corona is not difficult. You just need to start taking steps towards it. Share in the comments your own coping mechanisms to stay sane and happy.

Stay safe!!

I recently released my book – How to Live Happily Ever After. If you want to know more about the book, click here.