Dealing With It

I am sitting at my desk looking out at the darkness, trying to figure out what I want to write about. There are so many things that are going through my mind. The fact that Congress cannot come together and actually help the people it serves, the fact that so many people will be laid off and people have lost so much in such a short time, the fact that people are dying needlessly or the fact that some of us have lost of sympathy for those people that have made mistakes in dealing with everything today and the fact that we still have businesses that are trying to take advantage of a disease that is killing people every day.

Yet in spite of all of that, I want my message to be one that is full of hope and honesty. There are too many people saying they know everything about this pandemic, and they were some “social media expert” before this all started. There are too many people afraid to show their cards because they believe that it will make them weaker.

What I have learned is that when you lay it all on the table is when you become the strongest, it’s when you become the best leader and it’s when you are able to take the strongest action.

So, in case you don’t know, I too do not have all the answers, I do not know everything, and I am not an expert in what is going on. I just want to bring a message to hopefully brighten your day and give you some ways to cope with everything that is happening.

Stop the immediate transfer of pretending that this is the new normal because for fuck sake it is not normal at all. We have people telecommuting, watching kids worry about getting infected and constantly hearing from the news and social media about how horrible it will all be. Take some time to process what is actually happening in your world right now. Do not just stuff it back down and ignore it. Yes, this process is painful, but it is needed.

Figure out a way to get everything out. For me, it is writing but for you, it may be something else. Practice it daily, I do it right before I go to bed, which helps me process it all. Try some different times and see what works best for you.

Focus on more than you. I feel a lot happier, content and safe when I make my world more than just myself. In a time of crisis, it can be hard to do, but when you do, it helps you regain focus on what really matters.

Limit the amount of time you spend watching the news, as much as they want to tell you that they have the latest details and the information you need, they don’t. Most of the “information” they put out there is just to get viewers and increase their ratings. Not to be harsh but they understand how it all works and what will get you to tune in.

Take some time to write down how you will be better on the other side of it all. What is it that you want to do now that you have not had the opportunity to do? I created a list of things I wanted to improve on and then listed how I could improve on them. One example is that I am working on mediation and I researched how to do Transcendental Meditation, which is helping me a lot.

Finally remember, you are not alone in all of this. It can be easy to think that you are the only one that does not have it all under control. Nothing could be further from the truth.