This morning, I felt it.
All of it… the tears, the grief, the sense of how REAL this all is. If you are the same — feeling the darkness and the fear, I want to send you a huge virtual hug right now. You are not alone!
And while the hug may help, the REAL path out of the pit is to stay focused on the solutions. We want (and need) solutions-based ways and protocols that keep us close to our higher power, and help us hold onto a positive vision.
We need to hold space for a true vision, one that isn’t set on “This will be all over on XYZ date, and THEN I’ll feel better.” Instead, we have to make room for the unknown. We don’t know WHEN everything will be over, or when (if ever) things will go back to “normal.” When we do that, we set ourselves up for failure because there’s no way to know when things will be over, or what the new “normal” will look like. That can cause even more stress.
When we focus on the unknown, on the lack, or on the fear, that creates an even greater feeling of powerlessness in us, and that in turn creates more fear that we then act out. We snap at our partner, we make a snarky Twitter post, or we yell at the dog (poor dogs!). Then we just feel worse and the cycle continues!
It’s like we’ve talked about so many times. It’s much, much easier to share panic and fear than it is to spread calm and love. Panic can spread like a spark in dry kindling. It doesn’t need much help to start burning away. But calm takes effort. That’s why we have to be intentional about what we’re allowing into our consciousness, and where we choose to put our focus.
We have to interrupt that pattern and interrupt the spread of the Fear Virus by finding ways to reclaim our power, like being compassionate with each other and focusing on the positive — not in a “oh, happy joy- stop feeling bad!” way (which is that maddening bypassing), but in a committed way where we stay in alignment with our Higher Power remembering “ this and that is true”, and “both,and.” When we do that, we’re accepting what is, and what could be, and holding space in faith.
Sometimes to stay in alignment, it means we might have to cut some people off, at least temporarily. There are people out there who are constantly posting the scariest stuff they can find. They are feeding the fear. You may actually have to unfollow them or consciously tune them out during this time. It’s not because you don’t love them; it’s because you must protect your energy. It’s your responsibility to care for yourself so you can continue to care for others.
You have to be vigilant about your boundaries too. I’ve been reading a lot of interesting articles about what happens when we are constantly assaulted with too much information, especially when so much of it is negative. One of the articles called it an “info-demic,” and I thought that was such a perfect phrase! We’re overloaded with information, and not all of it is helpful. So shut out the stuff that’s not serving you. Limit your exposure to the media. Choose what you want to allow in.
Think about it this way: If you were an addict, you wouldn’t keep sitting there with a pile of cocaine in front of you if you wanted to stay clean and sober! You would put yourself in a more supportive environment. It’s the same thing with the Fear Virus. You can’t be on Facebook or watch the news 12 hours a day and then wonder why you feel depressed and scared!
Sometimes staying aligned may mean even “one day at a time” is too much. We may have to reduce our focus down to not just this 24 hours, but this hour, or even this minute. We have to find our wins, even if they’re teenie-weenie. We need to find ways to be a person we can be proud of, so at the end of the day, when we put our head on our pillow, we showed up the way we wanted to.
Sometimes alignment means keeping things really, really simple. Just the basics. For me, that’s meditating, preferably more than once a day, even if it’s just for five minutes. It gives me a chance to return to my center. The gratitude meditation is a perfect one that is very simple.
Also, to stay aligned, keep asking yourself what you can do and what you HAVE to do. Like if you go to the grocery store and there’s 50 people in line and you start to feel panicky and overwhelmed, give your permission to NOT go. Do you really need toilet paper today? Do you have to be there? If not, let it go. Be clear on what you can do and what you can’t do, and let go of what’s not necessary right now.
Another key to alignment is to breathe. Don’t forget to breathe! Put your hands on your heart, and breathe deeply. Shallow breaths tell your body that you’re under stress. Instead, ground yourself, move out of your head — which is where your fight or flight lives — and into your body. You have to feel grounded to feel safe. You have to feel safe to be aligned.
This is all in your power, with the conscious Universe as your partner. You are not alone. You don’t have to do today by yourself. You are always being supported. Some days will be harder than others. Some days won’t be all sparkly and happy. But no matter what, you are always protected and divinely directed.
What you do matters. What you think about matters. What you focus on matters. YOU matter — don’t ever forget that.
