"Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won't have a title until much later."- Unknown
If you ever believed you had complete control over everything in your life, recent events have proved otherwise. How many times have we been told that we do not have control over anything except for how we react to it? Well, I’m a believer now!
COVID-19 is like a riddle without an answer. We keep trying to make sense of it, but can’t
quite figure it out. Will this ever
end? When will we go back to
normal? Will we ever be normal again?
Living with the uncertainty and fear is a part of life, but
the recent pandemic has taken it to a new level. It has stripped many of us of our sense of
safety, security and hope. It certainly
has me.
After several months of boredom and stress eating—and drinking,
all I have to show for it is a 10-pound weight gain and a bunch of cute summer clothes
that I can’t fit into and wouldn’t have anywhere to wear them to if I could. Wow, that was a mouth full. See, I can’t even talk without filling my
mouth!
Any who, my regular go to coping mechanisms to deal with my
anxiety and depression have lost some of their mojo. Bouncing back from the ups and downs of our
current “new normal” has become increasingly difficult for me—as I’m sure it
has been for many of you—and I’ve had to incorporate some new ways to cope,
such as:
Take Bite-Sized
Portions. And I’m not talking about
food. Although that certainly wouldn’t
hurt! Cutting down my worrying and
wondering to a 24-hour period of time has made dealing with the uncertainty more
manageable. If I have a good day, it’s a
win. If I have an especially difficult
day, there is always tomorrow. Worrying
and stressing about the unknown or things you can’t control is not only a time-waster,
but a waist-expander. See how I did
that? Laughing at myself is another way
I cope.
Find
Inspiration. I have been reading
more self-help books about self-care, self-esteem and self-awareness. I’m a huge believer is self-healing and
taking responsibility for your own growth.
If you don’t love to read, you can gather motivation and inspiration
from others who share their insight on blogs, websites, YouTube Channels and
other social media platforms.
Tik Tok has been my addiction during these past quarantine
months. You can follow life coaches,
therapists, or just regular Joe’s who want to share their journey with you in
short 60-second spots. I save my
favorites and watch them again when I need that little jolt of motivation.
One I came across the other day when I was having a rough
day really touched me. It was a lady who
was giving the message to not give up.
She was recognizing the pain, despair and suffering of those on the
channel who were posting messages of just wanting to give up on life. She said, sometimes we close our book too
early. We don’t finish reading the book
that was already written for us. She
reminds us that no matter how hard things are—those difficulties are part of our
testimony, part of our story. “Keep your
book open,” she says. “You have more story
to tell.” Words to live by.
Change Your Scenery. I
realize we are in isolation and our scope of people we can be around and places
we can go are limited. But, if you are
feeling down, drag yourself from that spot and move close to a window that has
sun shining through it, sit outside under a tree or jump in your car and go for
a ride. I love to turn on the radio,
have my dog on my lap and drive to the coast to see my mom. I use that time to think, reflect and do
positive self-talk.
Do Something
New. Find something new to do like a new hobby
or a house project. Other than writing,
reading and exercising, I don’t have a lot of hobbies or activities to do at
home. And cleaning is NOT a hobby. Instead, I started going through my closets
and to my utter shock, I found that someone has a shopping addiction and has
been cramming my closets and drawers full of clothes, purses, shoes, hats and
accessories. In order to allow them to continue, I’ve
pulled anything that is too small (pretty much everything) or that I no longer
wear and will be posting for sale online.
I’ve already sold several pieces.
It gives me something to occupy my mind and I get to make some money at
the same time.
However you are dealing with the uncertainty of our current
world, just know you are not alone. There
are millions of people who feel exactly like you do and may even be suffering
with additional pre-COVID-19 stressors and health conditions.
For those of you struggling, don’t give up. Remember:
Don’t close your book too early.
You have more story to live and more story to tell.
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment