I don’t know about you, but in the last week, I feel like I’ve been drowning in COVID-19 news. I don’t watch the news, but with social media, there’s no escaping it. By Wednesday, I didn’t even want to login to any of my social media accounts. I decided to immerse myself in some positive messaging that would actually help me to focus on something other than the toilet paper shortage.
I chose to listen to programming available thanks to my Gaia subscription for the last few days. I’ve been watching and listening to different series about the power of the mind and who we can shift our thoughts. Talk about perfect timing! Hearing people talk about how they were able to heal themselves and change their lives because of the inner work they did inspire me.
It can be easy to get caught up in the panic caused by the media, social or mainstream. This is what’s caused shortages of toilet paper, hand sanitizer and grocery store line-ups that go around the block. The problem is that fear-based thinking can make us act unnecessarily or paralyze us. Either one can be problematic.
It’s important to have different sources of positivity that you can go to when you need it. Whether it’s a happy playlist, spending time with family or reading a good book, you need to find something that brings you joy regardless of what’s going on around you. Spending your time reading about how bad things can potentially be or how the government could have done things better only serves you if having this knowledge makes you feel more informed. If all it does it give you anxiety, you need to stop doing it.
Stress makes us sick. COVID-19 is not the only thing that we should be worried about. Panic attacks, anxiety, consequences of high blood pressure and a list of other things are also a concern. Do what you can to keep yourself and your family healthy and stop worrying about a sickness you may never have to deal with.
Find the silver lining in all of this. If you have to quarantine yourself, use the time to do something that you’ve been putting off (obviously nothing too physical). If you’re in quarantine with a family member, use the time to reconnect. If you have kids, find a way to make staying healthy fun.
Every problem provides an opportunity. It’s up to us to make the best of any situation we find ourselves in. Instead of feeling like a victim because of the way that things have negatively impacted your life, seek out the lessons and opportunities the situation has provided. I think you’ll be glad you did.