Dealing With Being at Home During the Corona Virus Scare
Posted: March 30, 2020
During these strange, difficult times of the Corona Virus, it is easy to become panicked and out of balance. I would like to offer a different, more optimistic, perspective of the situation. Even though the reality we are living in is definitely not ideal in any means, or something we ever wished for. At the same time, it feels as if the universe is forcing us to take a step back, completely slow down, recharge, reconnect in deeper, more meaningful ways. It’s teaching us how to be connected and together even through social distancing. In many ways, we are going back to basics. I’ve been truly enjoying watching people’s videos of families getting together, making arts and crafts, swimming, painting, creating obstacles courses, cooking and more. It’s been so inspiring to see how everyone is offering free services online for workouts, meditation and therapy. I’ve had more time to exercise, meditate and connect with my family – something I wish I had for a long time.
We get so caught up in life’s routines – working, family time, taking care of what we need to in order to survive and provide for our loved ones. Sometimes we forget to slow down. Don’t get me wrong – I love what I do. I make sure to make time for my family and friends as much as I can. We get so busy that what we can is just not enough, and it’s not something we can necessarily maintain after this whole thing passes. What we can do is enjoy this time and what it has to offer, in order to make the best out of it.
I know it’s easier said than done, and that in life we don’t always know how to quiet the mind and the worrying factor. After all, we have a brain and it serves us many times in good ways. When we obsess over what we have no control of, all we do is make it worst. All we do is lower our energy, motivation and mood. If this is the situation anyways, what can we do in order to make it a bit better instead of the opposite way around? So let’s talk about some of the things we CANdo….
We can call a different friend or family any time we get a little bored or annoyed or happy or sad. Share that moment with someone.
Take a yoga, meditation, Mindfulness online class.
Take a boot camp, cardio, Zumba online class.
We can take time to create something new with our partner or kids. A piece of art, an obstacle course, a song, a castle, a fort, really anything that will make us/our kid happy. Cook a meal together. Play board games.
Write a letter to a friend or family member, make a drawing for the grandparents and mail them out, like old times.
Write a letter to yourself and send someone you care about so they can send it to you in few years, like a time capsule.
This list cane go on and on and on…. Most of us have google, Pinterest, Facebook or YouTube available. We have so much at our fingertips or through Siri/Alexa/google home.
Look for things you can do to keep your mind busy with positive things. Things that will be uplifting and enjoyable. Things that will help you and your loved ones stay busy and entertained. We can all do this. That’s something we can control. The serenity prayer says, “God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” During these strange times, I truly think focusing on what we can control and how to make things easier is what can keep us going.
I want to make it clear and say that we need to be informed of what’s happenings. Not only here, but in the world – make wise decisions based on that information. We need to stay connected to the facts. We should stay home AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE! Knowing how to protect ourselves is part of this journey. We just don’t need to obsess over the news reports. Panicking only lowers your immune system – there is no purpose or benefit to panicking. Meaning, we must work hard to do what will help reduce our stress levels and feel better.
We must stay home with our families. Make sure to enjoy having more conversations, eating meals together, going to spend time in nature. Those are all aspects of life that we sometime take for granted and don’t take advantage of enough. I find myself thinking about the fact that we are so blessed to have technology in our lives right now. If we didn’t have it, we would have felt even more discontented and alone. We are blessed to be able to hang out with family/friends, go out to eat, go shopping and many more things that we too often take for granted. Take time to take a deep breath, look around and try to appreciate what you have in life and not what you don’t have.
Be blessed and safe today and always!