This article first appeared in Capital, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on May 11, 2020 - May 17, 2020

It’s really tough to be a Positive Polly, or Paul, this year. Given the circumstances, it’s so much easier to be a Negative Nancy, or Ned.

Well, the obvious cause of our woes here is the new coronavirus, because we can now forget about taking that trip to Europe, getting that raise and promotion, having that wedding, starting that family, having a birthday party, celebrating festivals together ... and let’s not even start on whether we will get to watch Liverpool finally win the English Premier League.

Oil prices have reached negative levels, stock markets have tanked, unemployment rates are rocketing, businesses are closing down and, just to drive home that point of how bad the year is, it took away Bill Withers.

Yes, Bill Withers, the guy who sang classic pick-me-ups like Lovely Day and Lean on Me. This is just to give you a grim reminder that, nope, there are no lovely days in 2020 and there is no one for you to lean on because of social distancing.

All right, that was Negative Nancy talking. I’ll admit that, given the circumstances, it’s so much easier to be Nancy, but here is how you and I can be a Positive Polly.

The key point here is to take things one day at a time. Yes, I, too, fear that once the Movement Control Order (MCO) is lifted, I will have to worry about unemployment and the rising price of goods. But it is important to note that worrying gets you nowhere, other than giving you stress lines and pimples.

Admittedly, that might be easier said than done. But taking it a day at a time works, especially if you are doing things that make you happy. If you are a fitness freak, you can now enjoy your workouts during the Conditional MCO, and if you are a couch potato like me with a Netflix subscription, then binge away. But please, keep the content happy.

Because at times like these, do you really want to watch a documentary on Adolf Hitler, or anything that leaves you reaching for the Kleenex? Come on people, flatten that sadness curve with nonsensical but fun shows like Crash Landing On You, Never Have I Ever, Money Heist and even Tiger King — if you really need to watch a documentary.

And if you are an extrovert and the idiot box and exercise are really not your thing, then now is the time for you to shine. Make a cup of Dalgona Coffee and post it on social media. Or fry an egg — people will watch literally anything on social media nowadays. Recently, there was a story about a guy who livestreamed himself sleeping and thousands of people actually tuned in, so, yes, if you can’t network within your circles because of the MCO, fret not because the digital world is your oyster.

During times like these, what you should avoid doing is be a keyboard warrior and bicker online with people of different ideologies because that is just going to be a complete waste of energy. It’s like arguing with Manchester United fans — just take the high road and let it go.

Once the MCO is over and if we have the financial means to do so, let’s try our best to help businesses, especially the smaller ones that are struggling. Because, as clichéd as it sounds, helping someone in need does “spark joy”, to borrow a quote from Marie Kondo.

We may or may not experience the worst recession of our lifetime in 2020, but that is beyond our control. What we can control is how we res-

pond to it. So let’s try to be more of a Polly and less of a Nancy, no matter how difficult things get.

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