There is a lot of fear, uncertainty, and anxiety being experienced around the globe with the current state of COVID-19. Even if you personally are not feeling fearful, the collective fear is having an impact on our society as a whole.
It is influencing the decisions being made, impacting our social interactions and creating a ripple effect throughout all aspects of life and people’s actions. Our entire lives are being turned upside down with mass closures of businesses, schools and public areas, not to mention the fear of contracting the virus. Fear has almost become a pandemic in its own right.
Currently, our very basic foundational need for health, safety and security is being threatened which heightens fear, anxiety and the potential for conflicts to arise.
On top of that, we are all still experiencing our normal personal life challenges.
Wow!
That’s a lot to deal with and I truly believe that we are all doing the best we can to adapt to this new normal in a very short amount of time.
So as we each go about our days, learning how to navigate through this change, I invite you to please keep some things in mind.
Be Gentle, Loving and Kind
It is perfectly normal to feel whatever it is you are feeling.
Times of difficulty will unearth a multitude of feelings and some of them will make sense, while others may be confusing. When faced with adversity the deep unconscious and our subconscious mind may be reminded of a past event, and that can unearth additional emotions and feelings as well.
It is all okay. You are okay. You are feeling things and it are all perfectly normal so go easy on yourself.
Be gentle, loving and kind with yourself, as well as the people around you because they are going through it too.
Acknowledge Your Fear & Feelings
Now is not the time to ignore what you are feeling.
The temptation might be high to escape your feelings by numbing out with food, alcohol, drugs, technology or whatever your vice is. Not only does this behavior suppress your immune system making you more susceptible to illness, the ignored feelings never truly go away.
Those unprocessed feelings are stored in your body, continuing to fester under the surface, increasing your stress, anxiety and fears. At some point they will be triggered and they will resurface for you to face.
So, there is no better time than the present, to acknowledge and be with your feelings.
Be With Your Feelings and Emotions
If you feel angry, find a healthy way to feel and express your anger.
If you feel sad, allow yourself to cry.
If you are feeling anxious, slowly breathe through the anxiety.
Whatever it is you are feeling, find a healthy way to express your emotions. Here are some healthy guidelines to help you:
Talk About It
Open and honest discussion with a Trusted friend or professional, gives a voice to what you are feeling and helps to lift the burden of feeling like you are alone in this. I promise you, you are not alone.
During this time where we are all practicing physical distancing (aka social distancing), we need emotional connections more than ever. It is more than likely that the person you reach out to actually needs to connect with you as well. So make that phone call or FaceTime video call and connect.
Write About It
I know some of you may be rolling your eyes at this and saying, “Ugh, but I don’t like to write”. I know and I get it but you know what, it works.
Writing helps to clear your mind of the stress and anxiety around what you are feeling and experiencing, by putting it out on paper. It also provides additional insights you might not otherwise see because it is swirling around in chaos in your head.
The best way to do this is grab a pen, paper and begin writing without concern over spelling or grammar. Keep writing until there is nothing left to write about. It doesn’t matter if what you are writing is making sense in the moment. What is important is that you dump everything that is going on inside your mind onto the paper.
You may be surprised by what you learn later when you read back over it.
Scream About It
Yep, you read that right. If you are feeling angry, you might need to scream to get it out.
So, grab a pillow and scream into it. If you live in a rural area and can be outside with no one around, then go outside and let it out.
Anger is usually a secondary emotion that we use as a protective mechanism, shielding us from experiencing more vulnerable emotions. Once anger is voiced in a healthy way, the underlying emotions can be revealed.
Please DO NOT scream at someone else. Screaming at others isn’t healthy, it is hurtful and only makes the existing issue worse.
Dance About It
Dancing? Sure, if that’s your jam.
The key here is to move the energy through you with physical activity. Go for a walk, run, do yoga, dance or whatever moves you.
It is scientifically proven that being active reduces the feelings of stress, improves overall mood and well-being and improves sleep, which by the way is super important in managing stressful times.
So…
Remember, that while not everyone is directly impacted by the actual virus, we are all being indirectly impacted by what is happening around us.
We are all working through stress, fear and uncertainty on some level and we have the strength and tools to navigate through this.
Be gentle, loving and kind with yourself and exercise compassion, love and understanding with the world around you. Together, we will get through this.
P.S.
In this time of need, I have opened up my calendar to offer fear release healing sessions with a special rate to try and support as many of you as possible at this difficult time. These are distance healing sessions that you can enjoy from the comfort (and isolation) of your own home!
Many of your reactions and responses to what is going on around you may be based on past trauma or your deepest fears which we can release so that you can move through this period of uncertainty with much more ease and inner peace. We can transmute your fears into love and acceptance so that it does not consume you.