What strategies did you develop to make life bearable during this pandemic?
Last spring the coronavirus pandemic reached Switzerland – and we asked you to send us a video or voice message of your silver linings during this time of uncertainty.
It’s been a year and we would like to reach out to you again. Have you had any positive experiences in the last year? Did you develop new strategies to make everyday life bearable despite restrictions and concerns?
We’d love to hear from you – and create videos about your experiences and strategies. To feature in one of the episodes, send your videos or pictures with an accompanying voice message, to celine.stegmueller@swissinfo.ch.
For inspiration, you can watch last year’s silver linings episodes:
From the article Looking at the bright side of these dark times
Freedom, try to be as free as possible and let the natural immunity stop the political craziness of restrictions
We built a sauna and bought a bicycle and a weight training system for our home gym. Compensated completely for doing almost no hiking or skying.
Dear Celine,
In November 2020, we, together with several families in Ageri, discussed a strategy to protect our children from COVID.
As a result of this discussion we decided to create a project to install air filtration and surface disinfection solutions in Oberageri schools using UVC technology.
Because the problem of Covid is primarily the treatment of floating virus particles in the air (micro-droplets), but also the sterilization of the contact surfaces.
In conclusion, the municipality did not want to invest in the Covid. But we were offering the technology in all the shops of the village for free! The health director of Zug even refused to meet us!
It seems that there is no will to really make things happen... but many solutions are already there! ... and not phase 3 vaccines :-)....
Chère Céline,
En novembre 2020 , nous avons, avec plusieurs familles d'Ageri, réfléchi à une stratégie pour protéger nos enfants du COVID.
Suite à cette discussion nous en avons décider de créer un projet pour installer dans les écoles d'Oberageri des solutions de filtrations d'air et de désinfection des surfaces par technologies basées sur les UVC.
Car le probleme du Covid vient avant tout du traitement des particules flottantes du virus dans l'air (micro-gouttelettes), mais aussi de la sterilisation des surfaces de contact.
En conclusion, nous nous sommes faits ramasser par la commune qui ne souhaitait pas investir. Alors que nous offrions la technologie dans tous les commerces du village gratuitement! Le directeur de la santé de Zoug a même refusé de nous rencontrer!
Il semble qu'il n'y ait pas de volonté de faire réellement bouger les choses... mais beaucoup de solutions sont déjà là! ... et pas des vaccins de phase 3 :-)....
The restrictions changed our view on life completely. I used to work as a manager at a large hotel chain and my wife used to operate a small hotel in Zermatt. Now we both lost our jobs. My wife was born in Switzerland and I was born in Germany, but I also have a Swiss passport as my father was born here.
After the craziness with all the restrictions we decided that if we cannot find jobs in the next 12 months we will just stop looking and ask for state aid. We might as well retire early and take care of our 2 children, especially since another one is on the way.
They had enough money for the airlines or for people with Swiss passports who never lived here, so they will have enough money to pay for us. When the state aid kicks in there is no real reason to ever get back to work as you have to pay it back.
Thanks a lot Swiss Info. Without your help we would have never known about most money being given to people. Now we know what we have to do. Being a bit poorer is a lot better than having to work at all and risk your life with the virus infected people around. We paid social security taxes for 20 years of work. Now it is time to get it back for the rest of our lives.
I just stopped interacting with everyone. Once a year our friends call us on skype but that's about it. We also deleted all our social media accounts.
We just take the children to the kindergarten and that's about it. We don't even talk with our neighbors anymore. We have a lot more spare time to work out and to static cycling or weight lifting and yoga.
Everything is more expensive so even if they removed all restrictions tomorrow we could not afford to go out anymore. Our expenses on food and home products went up in price about 3x over the last year.
We also stopped voting or reading anything coming from the gemeinde or the newspapers. Life is far more relaxing with no people.
Focus on the good things, the positive. Less news. Get more involved in a project as a volunteer (work online). Take better care of my health.
Focaliser sur les bonnes choses, le positif. Moins de news. M'engager d'avantage dans un projet comme bénévole (travaille en ligne). Prendre mieux soins de ma santé.
Good morning , yes a real setter weir when I will finally be vaccinated ? How long do you have to wait for it ? 😊
Guten morgen , ja ein richtige Aufsteller Wehr wann ich entdlich geimpft werden ? Wie lange muss man darauf noch warten ? 😊
every day the media informs us and tells us that the light is at the end of the tunnel, but they forget to tell us that it is when we turn around...
tous les jours les medias nous informent et nous disent que la lumière est au bout du tunnel, mais ils oublient de nous dire que c'est quand on se retourne...
The conditions of the epidemic are no different from that of prisoners. Whoever has endured the circumstances and entered the prison will only benefit patience. Only patience will we overcome the plight of today, and those who do not have the blessing of patience may disrupt their mind, and to win boredom over patience, occupy himself with artistic matters, and the world of art is wide for everyone. Personally, I replaced the friendship table at the cafe by creating what might benefit me, and others. I just have to be patient and wait for life to return to normal to tell others the benefit of patience.
ظروف الوباء لا تختلف عن ظرف السجناء، من عاندته الظروف ودخل السجن لن يستفيد سوى الصبر، وفقط بالصبر نتجاوز محنة اليوم، ومن لا يملك بركة الصبر قد يختل عقله، وللانتصار على الملل على الصابر إشغال نفسه بأمور فنية، وعالم الفن واسعٌ يتّسع للجميع. وشخصيا، استعضت عن طاولة الصداقة في المقهى بابتكار ما قد يُفيدني، ويُفيد آخرين. فقط عليّ الصبر وانتظار عودة الحياة إلى طبيعتها كي أطلع الآخرين على فائدة الصبر.
Nothing at all! Only that there is still hope that at least the second half of 2021 will be somewhat better
Gar nichts! Nur dass doch noch Hoffnung besteht, dass wenigstens die zweite Hälfte 2021 etwas besser wird
Listen to, watch or read less news. Or better yet, no news at all. Then you're apparently a happy person.
Écoutez, regardez ou lisez moins de nouvelles. Ou mieux, plus de nouvelles du tout. Alors on est apparemment une personne heureuse.
Nothing! And the second looks not a bit better!
Nichts! Und das zweite sieht kein bisschen besser aus!
Work more
Travailler plus
I moved to Switzerland in August. After experiencing the lookdown in Italy, living in Roveredo is a paradise. Mask only in closed places.great spaces for walks or bike rides in nature, everything open or take away, no curfew. Even just walking in the sun, reading a book on a bench, walking the dog without limitations of path, is a great gift for those like me was segregated at home for 3 months. The frequency of the swabs gives great security. And in April I should be vaccinated, so the end of this bad period for me, and a spring/summer to live outdoors, discovering the beauties that Switzerland offers!
Io mi sono trasferita in Svizzera ad agosto. Dopo aver vissuto il lookdown in Italia,vivere a Roveredo è un paradiso. Mascherina solo in luoghi chiusi.grandi spazi per passeggiate o giri in bici nella natura, tutto aperto o asporto, nessun coprifuoco. Anche solo passeggiare al sole,leggere un libro su una panchina,portare a spasso il cane senza limitazioni di percorso, è un grandissimo regalo per chi come me è stata segregata in casa 3 mesi. La frequenza dei tamponi poi da una grande sicurezza. E ad aprile dovrei essere vaccinata, quindi fine di questo periodo nefasto per me,e una primavera/estate da vivere all'aperto,alla scoperta delle bellezze che offre la Svizzera!
Good morning, thank you for your comment! Indeed, the Swiss lockdown cannot be compared to what you experienced in neighboring countries.... Would you feel like sending us (e-mail address above) some photos with an audio description, or a video, showing the places and activities that make you feel good, and help you cope with these strange days?
Buongiorno, grazie del suo commento! In effetti il lockdown svizzero non si può paragonare a quanto vissuto nei paesi confinanti... Avrebbe voglia di mandarci (indirizzo e-mail qui sopra) qualche foto con un audio descrizione, oppure un video, mostrando i posti e le attività che la fanno star bene, e l'aiutano ad affrontare queste strane giornate?
The only way to psychologically survive this exceptionally negative situation is to manage one's days in a "military" way. As soon as you get up make a list of activities to be done, sometimes even with the times when they must be done. This will avoid those depressing situations in which you stay still in bed watching videos on your mobile phone and zapping for hours with the remote control. There's an old East German military saying that goes something like this, "In times of trouble we march," which means "do" versus the non-doing that sickens our minds.
L'unica possibilità per sopravvivere psicologicamente a questa situazione eccezionalmente negativa è quella di gestire le proprie giornate in modo "militare". Appena alzati fare una lista di attività da svolgere, a volte anche con gli orari in cui devono essere svolte. Questo eviterà quelle situazioni di depressione in cui si sta immobili nel letto a guardare video sul telefonino e a fare zapping per ore col telecomando. C'è un vecchio detto dei militari della Germania dell'Est che diceva piu' o meno cosi' "Nei momenti di difficoltà noi marciamo", che significa "fare" contro il non-fare che ammala la nostra mente.
Good morning, and thank you for sharing this strategy - how long have you been using it, has it proven effective? I'd love to include it in the video montage I'm preparing with other stories I've been sent, would you be willing to tell me about this strategy in a video (it doesn't have to show itself, it can also film a list, etc), or record it as audio attaching some photographs? You can send me the various files to the email address mentioned above. Have a great day!
Buongiorno, e grazie per aver condiviso questa strategia - da quanto tempo l'ha adottata, si è rivelata efficace? Mi piacerebbe includerla nel montaggio video che sto preparando con altre storie che mi sono state inviate, avrebbe voglia di raccontarmi questa strategia in un video (non deve per forza mostrarsi, può anche filmare una lista, ecc), oppure registrarla come audio allegandovi qualche fotografia? Può mandarmi i vari file all'indirizzo e-mail menzionato qui sopra. Buona giornata!
Apathy and depression are the enemies that put us in a state of "fake pampering" that tends to freeze our lives. In a holistic concept, we are the union of spirit/soul, mind and body, so the activities we need to do will not only be mental, but also spiritual and physical. For example, it is necessary to include in the activities at least 20 minutes a day of physical activity, because the body can also act on the mind to move it (a classic example is Yoga which is "physical", but acts on the mind). From the peripatetics onwards, everyone knows that walking helps the mind. We should see all these activities (from the simplest, shopping, to the most complex, creating projects on the computer) as a pleasant duty. A saving discipline. More than explaining how to do it, I would invite everyone to do something immediately, organized in a program, and in the process structure a personalized strategy.
L'apatia e la depressione sono i nemici che ci mettono in una condizione di "finta coccola" che tende a congelare la nostra vita. In un concetto olistico, noi siamo l'unione di spirito/anima, mente e corpo, per cui le attività che dobbiamo svolgere non saranno solo mentali, ma anche spirituali e fisiche. Per esempio, è necessario includere nelle attività almeno 20 minuti al giorno di attività fisica, perchè anche il corpo puo' agire sulla mente per smuoverla (un esempio classico è lo Yoga che è "fisico", ma agisce sulla mente). Dai peripatetici in poi, tutti sanno che camminare aiuta la mente. Bisognerebbe vedere tutte queste attività (dalle piu' semplici, fare la spesa, alle piu' complesse, creazione dei progetti al computer) come un piacevole dovere. Una disciplina salvifica. Piu' che spiegare come fare, inviterei tutti a fare subito qualcosa, organizzato in un programma, e in corso d'opera strutturare una strategia personalizzata.
Thank you again - as mentioned earlier, we are preparing new episodes in video format, so we need to receive your ideas, stories and strategies in multimedia format. I look forward to your email if you would like to participate.
Grazie di nuovo - come menzionato in precedenza, stiamo preparando dei nuovi episodi in formato video, e abbiamo dunque bisogno di ricevere le vostre idee, storie e strategie in formato multimediale. Aspetto volentieri la sua mail se volesse partecipare.
I created an app that offers the possibility to propose outside group activities based on hobbies and location of the users: rlcoop.com :D
Thanks for your comment, do you want to tell us more about how the project kept you busy during lockdown? You can send us a short video (or a voice message with some pictures) by e-mail and we'll include it in one of the upcoming episodes!
Number 1 strategy - Avoid people as much as possible and wear a mask if I could not. Other than that, life hasn't changed much. I think it's easier for introverts to cope with lockdowns than extrovert party people (I'm ambivert). Number 2 - try not to get annoyed with the Health Authority being too slow to approve vaccines, too slow to order supplies, too slow to vaccinate people, plus putting the old and sick ahead of healthy workers who can save the economy.
Thank you for your comment! Would you be willing to record this as a video message, or as a voice recording to send along with some pictures? That way I can include your tips&tricks in my video edit.
Nice idea but no - mainly because no one would understand my accent. Also, no matter how much advice you give, how much Governments try to enforce the rules, there will always be those who put themselves first, bleating about losing their freedom, rather than stay home and help beat this virus.
Thanks for your reply. You can record your message in any language you want, it doesn't have to be in English. You can take a look at the episodes we've already published for inspiration: [url]https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/keeping-a-positive-mindset-through-the-pandemic/46531550[/url]
Pandemic has NOT been the problem; the panic created by our leaders, the lockdowns have been a great problem.
Think about this simple fact- In several countries of the west, more people die each year due to illnesses as a consequence of- Obesity, Pollution, Alcoholism/Drug use, than from the virus; but no one has ever said- Let us shutdown or at least penalize the companies selling us or encouraging us to use/consume bad products.
But we happily shutdown entire economies due to a tiny virus, from which most people recover just fine. So, the pandemic is not the problem, our inability to make right/proper/honest decisions is a serious problem. In our world, greed rules.
Thanks for sharing your views; how have you personally been navigating these difficult lockdowns, how are you coping by the restrictions the governments put in place? Tell us in a video, or with pictures and a voice recording, and send it to me by email, I'll be happy to include it in our tips&tricks collection.
To start with I am not a believer of the scare tactics employed by our government. They are keeping us (or trying to) believing in their ways. They are pushing numbers on us without showing the full picture, it's like a magician only showing us what they want. I am missing the full picture: statistics, full numbers of tests taken and the number of cases reported, including the bias for false positives. By telling me the cases are up 14% tells me absolutely nothing. Based on what? The number of the previous week? Maybe yes but how many tests did you take this week?, if it was double it actually means we have less cases and so on and so forth.
I am also missing (in general this is the case everywhere) the correlation between now and 2020, 2019 and 2018 (that was actually a very bad year bt Corona was not 'invented' yet). So all in all I don't believe the reporting without having the full picture and I strongly believe we are being manipulated to stay in this mess until we people forcefully will take back their democratic rights.
Thanks for your comment. I believe many of the figures you're looking for are available [url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-stats_coronavirus--the-latest-numbers-/45674308]here[/url].
Do you have any suggestions on how to navigate these uncertain times? If so, I'll be happy to receive your contribution (videos, photos, voice recordings) via email!
Thank you for this information. To repeat my statement, we are being 'fooled' by numbers! My big question is WHY! Why are we deliberately destroying our economy, forcing people (including myself) the eat their savings, bankrupting thousands of Small Businesses (including mine), for what?
Quarantine is when is isolate sick people to protect the healthy. When you isolate the healthy to protect the sick it is called Tirany!!
I can't agree more!
Difficult. This pandemic sort of 'splits' families, one part being fully pro-vaccine and the other part being violently opposed. The only way is to ignore each others opinions. The 'pro-vaccine' part however does not want to meet each other until everyone is vaccinated. Difficult. May be just good to be from the 'Swiss abroad' part of the family, just observing the split from the distance.
Thank you for your contribution! These are definitely difficult times. Would you be up for sending me either a video or voice message with pictures telling us how you manage to keep away from turbulent debates?
difficult, as I do not want to offend my corona-sceptic as well as the corona-super-conscious relatives. I personally sort of escaped on a retirement visa to Lombok. I used to visit it on a tourist visa, but as these were halted I was able to obtain a retirement visa permitting me to travel and escape all the discussions back home (just following them from a safe distance). Yes, there are of course virus cases here too, but as my beach seems very lonely these days I should be ok.
Hello, Ms. Stegmueller...Thank you for your message. I would like to oblige but...being old-fashioned, I only have a computer and an old fashioned phone line. I believe that via SwissInfo you could access my email address and send me a private message. Would be glad to reply.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.