Love in the Time of Corona
Are you as tired of hearing and reading about this horrid virus as I am? It’s like hearing about the hurricane that’s brewing off-shore: we hear report after report, we prepare, we hoard, we hunker down and we wait and worry and watch the news and wonder if it will really hit, and when, and whether it will hit us, or just those other unfortunate people. The stress of waiting is almost as bad as the thing itself.Waiting for the storm to hit is no way to live. Although we can't predict exactly when or what might happen, we can choose how we live our lives through the process. We get to choose our attitude and approach to life, even in the storm. That choice is very simple: Do I choose fear, or do I choose love?
FEAR, OR LOVE?
We choose fear every time we indulge in worry and what ifs, every time we think of ourselves apart from others. Fear contracts. It makes us shrink back and pull in. Love, on the other hand, expands. Love is generated every time we choose peace, every time we consider the needs of others as equal to our own, every time we are creative and generous. Perfect love, it is said, casts out all fear. But how do you move from fear to love when all around you the winds are howling and people are panicking? The following are a few offerings that can help. They are tried and true and will serve you well in this tempest and after. They are all based on actively choosing love.
LOOK TO NATURE
Nature is a great source of wisdom and calm. Go outside. If you can’t literally get outside, open a window or sit by one. Pay attention to the sky, wind, flowers, insects, trees, and birds. Look how unaffected they are by this turbulence! We are blessed by being in the season of spring right now; new life is everywhere. Life is persisting. Life is expanding. The daffodils and blue sky and babies being born are as real and true as anything you hear on the news. It’s important to remember this. It's all here.
TURN OFF THE NOISE
Speaking of the news, turn it off. Seriously. We all know what’s happening and we all know what we need to do. Listening to the minute-by-minute minutia does not serve in any practical way and it’s not helpful mentally, emotionally, or psychologically — quite the opposite. The news is mostly agitating and fear-inducing. You will undoubtedly hear what you need to hear without the daily barrage, so if listening tips you toward fear, don't listen. Instead, listen to and watch those things that lift you. You are what you consume. You get to choose.
HAVE AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
Negative thinking tends to spiral down into more negative thinking, but the opposite is also true. Like attracts like. When you wake up, think of three things that you are grateful for. When you go to bed, list all the things you are grateful for from that day. This practice is guaranteed to catapult you out of fear and into love. Wonderful, beautiful things are happening all the time, even in the storm. You don't deny what's happening, you simply give your attention to the positive things. Make the good count for more than the bad.
BE POSITIVELY PROACTIVE
Instead of ruminating about the problems (as real as they may be), think about one, small thing you can do. Make soup. Share that soup with someone. Learn a language. Work in the yard, plant a garden, start a book club online, write someone a loving note. Do something. A friend of ours who lost her job at the theater is sewing masks for hospital workers. Anything you can do to “move the way love makes you move” will shift you out of fear, but you must move. Just take one, positive action.
EMBRACE A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
A spiritual practice is a regular activity that takes you into your heart, and that's where love lives. Yoga can be a spiritual practice. Reading religious texts can be a spiritual practice. Sitting on the porch saying gratitudes can be a spiritual practice. Prayer and meditation are wonderful practices. It’s important to have a daily something that puts you into alignment with your heart and your spirit. If you do this, fear (your egoic mind) cannot rule you. My friend, Nancy, has a wonderful offering called The 28 Day Joy Challenge which has easy, delightful, practical ways to cultivate joy every single day. It’s a fantastic way to choose love and create a spiritual practice. (authenticpathlifecoaching.com)
GET SUPPORT
Lastly, if you feel overwhelmed — or anxiety, grief, fear, or depression are getting the best of you — choose to love yourself and reach out for support. I offer counseling and coaching that can provide support and tools to create greater peace and well-being — all from the comfort of your own home (you can stay in your jammies!). In response to this crisis, I've decided to offer brief coaching sessions of 30 minutes at a reduced rate of $50 if you just need a little something. I also offer regular, 60-minute counseling sessions by phone. You can get this goodness right here. I wish you peace and blessings for well-being on every level. And remember, whatever you do, wherever you are, choose love.
