Here in London, it feels as though the world has turned upside down: In just a few short weeks, the COVID-19 virus has taken thousands of lives, millions of jobs, and millions of people around the world are on government-enforced lockdown. To those of us whose loved ones are safe and well, whose jobs are safe, we count ourselves lucky and we try our best to cope with the new situation we now find ourselves in.

As a language coach, I look to help my clients to look forward, to set goals, and to look for solutions and new angles to reaching them. So in the spirit of looking forward and of making the most of the situation, answering the below questions might help:

1. What’s different now? What’s the same?

In times of unwanted change, we often react first with our emotional brain, saying to ourselves and others that everything is different now - even the things that haven’t changed, well, they still feel different. For example, have you noticed that even small talk has changed? We’ve practically stopped talking about the weather; now it’s all about the virus, the news, the worrying numbers, the markets, the uncertainty. However, coffee still tastes the same, doesn’t it? Try making a list, or talking it through with someone, of some of the constants in your life. It may help you discover and re-appreciate some familiar experiences.

2. What do you like about your new situation?

What are some of the perks of staying at home all the time? Perhaps you hate interacting with strangers, and now for the first time you can choose to speak only to people you already know? Or maybe you prefer your daily “commute” to your desk, couch or even your bed at home. Even if you miss your old routine, what things are you able to do now that you weren’t able to before?

3. How can you bring what you miss from your “old life” into your “new life”?

If you now find yourself working from home, there may be parts of office life that you miss: The coffee breaks, or your walk to the train station, or the drive to work. What about these things did you most appreciate? How could you bring some of these benefits into your new routine?

For example, if you miss your daily walk to work or to the station, and the government in your country allows, perhaps you could go for a walk outside before you start work in the morning. Alternatively, you could ask yourself what it was about the walk that you most appreciated - whether it was the fresh air (Could you stick your head out of the window for 5 minutes?), the exercise (Could you join an online exercise group?), or the ability to clear your mind (Could you do some journalling or meditation?).

4. What are you learning / have you learnt from the situation?

Have you surprised yourself by being better or worse at coping with certain challenges than you expected?

I’ve learnt that, if I have to, I can find a #stayhome routine that keeps me sane. As someone who’s worked from home full time a number of times, I am familiar with that stir crazy feeling, and yet, perhaps because so many others are in the same boat, I’m not (yet) feeling that way now.

5. How could your life be better than before in your new situation?

Thinking back to the possible perks of staying home, one of them may be that you now have more time than you used to - with travel time between home, work, and social events down to zero. If you don’t have dependants, it’s completely up to you how you spend that extra time - whether you spend it calling family and friends, reading, learning or practising something new, or finally getting enough sleep*. What have you always wanted to get round to doing, but never had the time to do? Now might be the time to do just that.

Celebrate the little victories

Celebrating tiny wins - like having toilet paper in the stores again - is especially important in times of uncertainty.

I’d love to hear what’s worked for you, what’s surprised you and what you’ve learnt during this time. Sometimes, all we can do is celebrate the tiny wins in life, like when my local supermarket finally had toilet paper back in stock. At the end of the day, we are all together in learning to live in this strange new reality. Support each other, give each other space (physically - at least 2 metres - but also emotionally), check in on your neighbours and loved ones, and stay safe.

* If you’re interested in learning more about sleep, I warmly recommend neuroscientist Matthew Walker’s book “Why We Sleep”. He also happens to be a guest in tomorrow’s episode of TED’s new daily webinar series TED Connects: “Why sleep matters now more than ever” - I’ll be tuning in at 5pm BST (US 12pm ET) on Wednesday 1st April. [Edit: You can now watch the recording of the webinar].

Quarantine: Make the most of it with these 5 questions