There are many things we can learn from the effects of the pandemic, so that we improve our lives from now on. One that is central is the concept of keeping ourselves well, rather than trying to get better when we are sick.

We need to take care of our physical bodies as a daily requirement, so that we have active and healthy immune systems and are far less likely to fall prey to the various problems that can affect us.

This means having a health-giving diet: the rainbow of foods on our plate to give us the vitamins and minerals we need; less fat and sugar and processed food; enough water to keep us hydrated properly. We may also supplement with those things that specifically boost our immune system, like vitamin D and Echinacea

It also means keeping our bodies active; walking, exercising, stretching, at least a little every day – bodies work better when they are moved.

And of course it also means taking some control of the way our minds are working. Being anxious or stressed, fearful or frustrated, all set off our adrenaline, which suppresses our immune system temporarily and makes us more vulnerable.

Finally we need to remember how to listen to our own bodies – they have an innate wisdom. They were not designed to work like robots – they have a flow and rhythm of their own. Sometimes we have energy to spare and can do lots; other times we feel sluggish and need to give ourselves space to replenish. Sometimes we need more sleep than at other times even though we haven’t done much more than usual.  We don’t know what bugs our bodies may have been fighting on our behalf, tiring themselves out! And we are often neglectful of our own hunger and thirst, until it becomes urgent and we eat any old thing to just fill the hole – or we eat and drink because we are fed up or tired rather than to satisfy our bodies.

None of these things are hard to do – they come naturally when we are little and we are taught how to ignore them. They just require us to pay attention to our own state of being until it becomes habitual and natural again. And they will all help us to keep well rather than try to avoid being sick. They are useful now, as we all cope with the pandemic, but they are also a great habit to get into for the rest of your life.

As we continue to be restricted in what we can do, who we can see, where we can go, it is easy to become fed up, a bit miserable, and rather dull! Life can seem like just a repetitive round of same old, same old, and we lack stimulus or motivation.

So we need to find as many ways as possible to enliven our lives – make it living not just surviving.

So what enlivens you?

There are the things that get us going physically and wake us up in our bodies: a walk in the fresh air, an hour in the garden, our favourite form of exercise, or just dancing to a favourite piece of music.

Then there are the things that enliven us mentally: watching an interesting documentary, talking ‘big talk’ with the friends who do that, tackling a tough crossword, reading more on a topic you’re curious about.

And there are those things that liven up our positive emotions: a feel-good movie, laughing with a friend, doing something kind for someone else, getting absorbed for a few hours in something you love doing.

And of course, any one of these ‘enliveners’ may well stimulate our liveliness in more than one way. We know the things that really ‘wake us up’ again.

We all have lots of possibilities, even with the restrictions we are currently experiencing, ad we can choose to give ourselves something that makes us feel truly alive each day, if only for a short time.

This is not indulgence, it’s essential for us, to keep us growing and thriving a human beings. And by practising it now, we can get into the habit of ensuring that we really live our lives each day.

I know I usually write about something that is more personal, about our everyday lives, but I feel I have to reference what has just happened – it feels personal to me!

I spent most of the last week obsessively following the news on the American elections. It felt like the outcome of that election would be an important indicator of future possibilities: either more tendency towards empty rhetoric, a lack of fundamental values, and self-centred behaviour; or a revitalisation of decency, working together to improve things, and a thought-through approach to dealing with problems.

Halleluiah!! Despite Trump’s ability to stir up the worst in people and convince them that his ‘alternate facts’ were true, we have a new President-Elect. And Biden may not be an Obama, but he is an elder statesman who will bring some common sense, experience, and a strong team to restore some order in American politics, not to mention the world.

It won’t be straightforward, and he’s walking into a really difficult situation, with a lot to deal with, but for me, this result is a hopeful sign. Many people may still be convinced by sound bites, superficialities, and what they want to hear, but more people in the USA have decided to come out and say that enough is enough.

Some years ago, I took some time to research the descriptions of era changes – the big shifts that happen in societies and cultures. The common theme of signs that an era change was happening was that you begin to see more of the worst behaviour of the old era, with small examples of how the new era could be beginning to appear.

The real shift begins when the new era examples start to take more hold, and the old era behaviour begins to lose ground. This can be in politics, our attitude to our environment, the way we work, or our behaviour with each other.

I’ve always been interested in the bigger picture, and I believe we have been progressing towards a new era in many of these areas over the last decades, slowly but surely, despite the obvious worst of the old behaviours that have also been happening.

Joe Biden’s election gives me renewed optimism that we’re genuinely shifting, and encourages me to continue to do what I can to further the cause of a new era based on fundamental values of compassion, kindness, honesty, thoughtfulness, applied to the way we are with each other, the way things are done and the way we are in our world.

Let’s all build on this hopeful sign, and help- strengthen a new era in our world…