IN, THROUGH, OR OUT!
I write this while wrapping up a day of working from home due to COVID-19. I write this while scrolling through Facebook and being inundated with posts, shares, and notifications about this virus that has brought the world to a halt. Yesterday. After 2 weeks of this major life shift. Just Yesterday. I felt anxious about it all. Walmart seemed to have more people preset on this particular day. Someone cleared their throat and I froze. Folks had on masks, and others had on gloves. There weren’t any more wipes to sanitize the carts. Were we doing enough? Should I just go without and make due with what I have? I was overwhelmed.
I used my skills. I took a deep breath and grounded myself. Tuned in to my emotions and regulated. Later, I talked it out with my mom and shared my fears with my boyfriend. I felt comforted and validated. No longer anxious, but aware and ready to set boundaries and make necessary adjustments for my own sanity.
This time we are in…this thing…..its hard. Its new. Its traumatizing. It seems so BIG and out of our control. It’s worldwide. Worldwide! Lives are being lost, people are falling ill, families are being broken, and some cant come to terms with the severity of the need to shelter in place.
We will all be effected by this experience….at different times, in different ways, and at different levels. It reminds me of an old saying….”You’re either going in, going through, or coming out of a storm”. Right now….many people are going into it, some are going through it, and some are coming out of it!
Find your shelter (literally and figuratively) and ride the storm out! If your’re suffering from information overload - disconnect. If you’re struggling with looking at the four walls - protect yourself and take a walk. If you need some normalcy - create some. If you are experiencing overwhelming feelings - use your skills and CONNECT! Connect with family and friends. Connect with a therapist. Connect with a higher power.
As always….whether you are going through, in, or out….Be Well!
