The thing has happened. Again.

Here in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford announced a province-wide shutdown to curb the spread of Covid-19 and its variants. This is the third province-wide pseudo-lockdown in a year, and if you think people were done with lockdowns after the second one in December/January, you bet your ass they are done now.

I get it. No one’s happy. We should have had this sorted after the first lockdown, and then certainly after the second.

Yet here we are again, starting another half-hearted shutdown to curb case numbers enough to maybe enjoy a semi-normal summer. But for now, no gyms, no restaurants, no bars, no parties, no family dinners with aunts or uncles, no concerts, no shopping malls, and no activities at the local community centre.

I understand how this can be exhausting and frustrating and depressing, especially if you’ve been craving greater human contact or a simple hug from a family member. Every time it feels like we’re getting over this pandemic, it roars back. Nothing crushes a fighter’s spirit like an enemy that won’t stay down.

We’re all tired, and the more we’re fed up with the situation, the more we’re likely to take it out on each other. So for all our sakes, we need to pick our next battles to preserve both our collective and individual sanity.

Resisting the shutdown is pointless. Trolling politicians and the media over a year of poor communication is a waste of time. Arguing about the efficacy of the previous two shutdowns is an academic exercise we’ll be debating for the next decade. All of this, no matter how easy to do or satisfying it feels in the moment, will only further wear down your mental health if you’re already close to breaking.

So what is there to do?

Make a commitment to yourself.

Pick something—anything—that you’ve always wanted to do and make it your new daily habit.

Feel out of shape? Find a bodyweight exercise program and do it every day.

Own a book you’ve never read? Crack open that tome and read a certain number of pages or chapters every day.

Want to learn something new? Go online and search for free courses on a topic of your interest and start studying. Yes, every day.

The world has been slightly more fucked than normal these last sixteen months, and while you can’t control the world, you can control your world.

Pick something that will leave you better for doing it. And then do it.

Every. Damn. Day.

If you can’t be happy, be productive.

And when this bullshit is really and truly over, you’ll have even more to celebrate.

-JW